ASNC Staff Tour Virginia Heart PET/CT Lab

Last week, the cardiac PET team at Virginia Heart welcomed several ASNC staff members to their facility. The visit was a unique opportunity for ASNC staff to see firsthand what patients experience when undergoing a cardiac PET study, the roles and responsibilities of the lab’s team, and workflow processes.

ASNC Staff and the Virginia Heart Team. From left: Ibrahim M. Saeed, MD, FASNC, Ashley Gaudet, CNMT, NMTCB(CT), Elham Naranji, CNMT, NMTCB(CT), Andrew Allen, PA-C, Jennifer Taylor Howell, Kelly Fischer, Kathy Flood, Michelle Klinke, Megan LaVine, Heather C. Koo, BSc, CNMT, NMTCB(CT), and Ketan Trivedi, MD

The idea for ASNC staff to visit the lab came from Virginia Heart’s Medical Director of Nuclear Cardiology Ibrahim M. Saeed, MD, FASNC, who is a member of ASNC’s Board of Directors. Dr. Saeed and Virginia Heart’s Cardiovascular PET/CT Program Manager and Technical Director Heather C. Koo, BSc, CNMT, NMTCB(CT), arranged and led the tour. They explained to ASNC staff why Virginia Heart prioritized establishing the first cardiac PET lab in northern Virginia and detailed what building the facility entailed. Today, Dr. Saeed says, the lab schedules up to 17 PET studies per day.

“We are so thankful to Dr. Saeed, Ms. Koo, and their colleagues for inviting us into their workplace and making us feel welcome,” ASNC CEO Kathy Flood says. “It was invaluable for us to see for ourselves how a busy cardiac PET lab operates and how each member of the team contributes to patient care. It provided us with helpful context and new perspectives on how ASNC can support nuclear cardiology professionals everywhere.”

ASNC headquarters is located in Fairfax, Virginia, less than a 20-minute drive from Virginia Heart’s PET/CT lab.

ASNC Leadership Team