El Centro de Hipertensión Pulmonar

Treating this disease requires diligent care and prompt delivery of the advanced therapies available at Lung Institute at Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix. Our team at the Pulmonary Hypertension Center provides holistic, comprehensive and collaborative care. We work closely with our community partners to provide complementary care for our patients. We seek to work collaboratively and to be a complement to, not a substitute for our patient’s doctors who they trust.

Our center works closely in relationship and proximity to the Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix. Between the clinic site and the hospital, we offer a comprehensive list of advanced diagnostic modalities to identify, and risk stratify all types of pulmonary hypertension. Our experts are trained in start-to-finish disease management including performance of right heart catheterization and invasive hemodynamic assessment.

Some of our services include:

• Advanced imaging services such as high-resolution CT scans, CT angiogram, and ventilation perfusion scans (VQ scan) to identify pulmonary emboli (blood clots), interstitial lung disease, and other disease modifying conditions
• Exercise physiology assessment with Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing
• Comprehensive Pulmonary Function Testing to track disease progression and identify additional airway diseases such as asthma and COPD.
• Sleep apnea evaluation and treatment including Polysomnogram testing
• Comprehensive echocardiogram
• Ambulatory Oximetry with functional capacity and oxygen needs assessment
• On-site phlebotomy offering comprehensive blood work in order to address possible contribution of connective tissue diseases
• Right Heart Catheterization including vasoreactivity testing
• Left heart catheterization in collaboration with our advance heart failure and interventional cardiology colleagues
• In collaboration with our partners at the Tucson campus we offer invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• Lung Transplant evaluation

• Dr. Nafis Shamsid-Deen, MD, FCCP
• Dr. Ramachandra Sista, MD

Support/Ancillary Staff

• Andie Gonzalez, RN – RN Navigator for Pulmonary Hypertension
• Melinda Martinez – Medical Assistant

Research Team

• Arianna Bedoya, MPH - Clinical Research Coordinator
• Stephanie Marsh, MPH, CCRC - Director of Clinical Research

At the Pulmonary Hypertension Center, patients are provided educational materials regarding their individualized treatment plans as well as the expectations for their care. We strive to make sure the information we provide to our patients is digestible and easy to understand. Our nurse navigator in pulmonary hypertension is here to be a convenient accessible resource who can help clarify the treatment plan and answer most questions that arise. Additionally, our providers are available for complex and specific questions or follow-up concerns. We partnership closely with our pharmaceutical and community partners like the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, who offer a host of supplemental programing for patients including support groups and general education information. 

The University of Arizona, in coordination with Banner - University Medicine, conducts a variety of research studies and clinical trials to support a commitment to improving patient care. As a patient at Banner - University Medical Center, you may be eligible to participate, meaning you’ll have access to new treatments, which may not yet be available to the public.

Our clinic acknowledges the benefits of training the next generation of pulmonary hypertension experts. As such, our graduate medical education trainees are integrated into all aspects of our center of care. Trainees work closely and under the direct supervision of our clinicians who are all University of Arizona appointed clinical faculty. Our graduate medical education trainee programs include the following:

• University of Arizona College of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency
• University of Arizona College of Medicine Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

Not all pulmonary hypertension is preventable. However, doing activities to reduce your risk of obesity, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, chronic liver disease, and chronic lung disease from tobacco use can help prevent pulmonary hypertension in some people.