Ingram's: Saint Luke's Physicians named in Top Doctors of 2020

They don’t happen every day, but when your relationship with a patient is at the core of what you do, humbling moments can arrive out of the blue. They’ll show up in a hand-written note delivered to your desk. “When I read those thank-you notes from a patient, a spouse or a widow, I am reminded and humbled by the meaningful impact I have on patient care,” says cardiologist David Skolnick. He’s a vital cog in Saint Luke’s prominent cardiology program. He leads the health system’s echocardiography laboratory, and his interest in heart-valve disease led to his role in establishing the first valve center of excellence in the Kansas City area—a huge development for heart patients in this region. “Life-saving and innovative transcatheter valve technology has revolutionized our approach to patient care,” says Skolnick. Read Dr. Skolnick's full entry in Ingram's Top Doctors 2020: Defining Exceptional Care.

To become the kind of oncologist he hoped he would be, Janakiraman Subramanian made a commitment to himself: He wouldn’t be the kind to tell a patient there was nothing that could be done. He’d seen that once while still in his medical training in India, as another doctor told a man suffering from late-stage abdominal cancer to go home and spend time with his family. “Your end is here,” he said. “That was incredibly sad,” Subramanian recalls. “It feels so helpless when you say there is nothing more we can do. In some ways, it is our failure as physicians. I don’t want to an have interaction like that.” That he’s living out his commitment, and doing it in Kansas City, is testament to the innovation Saint Luke’s is bringing to cancer research. Read Dr. Subramanian's full entry in Ingram's Top Doctors 2020: Defining Exceptional Care.