Defining Success

 
 
Dr. Singer uses his personal experience as a surgeon to define success--and failure. Your circumstances do not dictate your success. Successful people bring success to everything they do. Success comes to people who are too busy to be looking for it.

Raymond L. Singer is a cardiothoracic surgeon on the medical staff at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) since 1992 and is currently the Physician in Chief for the LVHN Institute for Special Surgery. He is the former Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vice Chair of Quality and Patient Safety for the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Singer has served as the Chair of the Department of Surgery Quality Committee and the Surgical Director for the Charles Chrin Regional Heart and Vascular Center. Dr. Singer currently serves on the Executive Council of the Air Products Center for Connected Care and Innovation and the LVHN Board of Trustees Development Committee. He is a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Beyond his professional affiliations, Dr. Singer takes and active role in th Lehigh Valley community.

Dr. Singer is a member of the Board of Directors for Health Network Laboratories, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is a Past-President of the Pennsylvania Association for Thoracic Surgery and Past-President of the Lehigh County Medical Society. Dr. Singer is a member of the Muhlenberg College, President’s Advisory Council, and has served on the College’s Board of Trustees, as well as the Board of Trustees of Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

February 22nd: National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day

 National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day

Heart valve disease (HVD) involves damage to one or more of the heart’s valves, which disrupts blood flow by not opening and closing properly.  While some types are not serious, others can lead to major complications—including death.  HVD becomes more common with age, and one in eight people age 75 and older are estimated to have moderate to severe HVD.

Heart valve disease awareness in the United States is shockingly low, despite the more than 5 million Americans affected by the disease. A recent survey of more than 2,000 adults found that 3 out of 4 Americans know little to nothing about HVD, and only one in four know somewhat or a great deal about the disease.  The seriousness of the disease combined with the fact that symptoms are often difficult to detect or dismissed as a normal part of aging, make this lack of awareness dangerous.

National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day on February 22^nd—during American Heart Month—is an annual day dedicated to increasing recognition of the specific risks and symptoms of heart valve disease, improve detection and treatment, and ultimately save lives. With education and advocacy, we can reduce the number of people who lose their independence and their ability to fully participate in their lives; experience heart attacks, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, and other heart disease; suffer from strokes; and even die from the disease.

If you or a loved one suffers from HVD, there is hope and help out there. Check out this site for more information on living with valve disease. 

To learn more about the campaign, how you can get involved, and the importance of Listening to Your Heart, visit www.ValveDiseaseDay.org.