40 Beachwood Buzz November 2016
UH Ahuja Medical Center
Opens Lung Health Center to Serve
Needs of the Community
Area residents can breathe easier with the help of the physicians in the new University Hospitals
Lung Health Center at UH Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood. Under the leadership of pulmonologists
Rodney Folz, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, UH Cleveland
Medical Center; and David Rosenberg, MD, MPH, UH has created the first comprehensive pulmonary and
lung health center on Cleveland's east side. Other team members, all specialists in pulmonary medicine
and lung health, include Abubakr Chaudhry, MD; Andre Fabien, MD; Tarek Gharibeh, MD; Rana Hejal, MD;
Amanda Morgan, MD; Manaf Zaizafou, MD; and Keivan Zandinejad, MD.
The formation of the new center comes at a time when adult lung diseases such as lung cancer,
asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis are on the rise across the United States and in Cuyahoga
County, according to the American Lung Association. Of the 1.2 million residents in the county, more
than 102,000 have adult asthma, 86,000 have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which
includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis among other conditions, and nearly 1,000 Cuyahoga
County residents have lung cancer.
Rapid Access for All
"We established the center to make specialty care more accessible for the many people in the
surrounding community with respiratory conditions," notes Dr. Rosenberg. "Patients experiencing
breathing problems can't wait for weeks to be seen for an evaluation. When patients call the center, they
will be seen promptly." An on-site pulmonary function testing lab and x-ray suite mean patients can have
these common tests completed without having to schedule a separate appointment at another location.
All center physicians are board certified in pulmonary diseases and highly experienced in the
field. Additionally, several of the staff physicians are trained in subspecialty areas such as pulmonary
hypertension (high blood pressure), sleep medicine and occupation-related lung disease.
Symptoms of lung diseases typically include some combination of shortness of breath,
coughing, wheezing, sputum production and chest pain. "When these symptoms persist longer
than expected in association with a common cold or the flu, individuals should undergo a
thorough evaluation for an underlying lung disorder," Dr. Rosenberg notes.
For those patients with a known chronic respiratory condition such as emphysema, COPD,
asthma, sleep apnea, pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension, center specialists can
provide ongoing care to optimize their treatment and well-being. The center's specialists
welcome individuals with these chronic lung disorders as well as individuals who are
experiencing intensified or new symptoms.
"Good communication among
physicians and patients is
important in helping our
patients feel comfortable. We
make sure patients get their
results from lab tests or biopsies
quickly, are referred promptly if
needed and have ready access
to the services they need."
David Rosenberg, MD, MPH,
UH Lung Health Center,
UH Ahuja Medical Center
UH Lung Health Center physicians are
available full time, Monday through
Friday, to care for the community.
Pictured from left: Abubakr Chaudhry,
MD; Rana Hejal, MD; David Rosenberg,
MD, MPH; and Keivan Zandinejad, MD.
Not pictured: Andre Fabien, MD;
Tarek Gharibeh, MD;
Amanda Morgan, MD; and
Manaf Zaizafou, MD.