BARTZOKIS - Key Persons

Amanda attended the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University, where she obtained her Bachelors in Business Administration, with honors. She is an alumna of Delta Sigma Pi. Amanda began working with Bartzokis, Rubenstein & Servoss, M.D., P.L. in 2008. Over the past 12 years, she has helped to implement various new programs, as well as handling accounts payable and overseeing accounts receivable. She also helped to implement the concierge program, which she has maintained since its inception in 2011. Amanda is dedicated to ensuring all patients receive the level of care and attention they deserve. Amanda is a native of South Florida, where she currently resides with her husband, Adam, their two children and rescue dog. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, cooking and reading.

Dr. Panakos joined Bartzokis, Rubenstein, and Servoss, M.D., P.L. in 2020. A native of south Florida, he was born and raised in Vero Beach, FL-where his father was a practicing physician. For his undergraduate education, he attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience with cum laude honors. During his time at William and Mary, he received a student research grant from the National Institutes of Health and was selected by campus leaders for induction into the National Mortar Board Honor Society. He served as president of William and Mary's chapter of the national Unite for Sight Organization. He then entered medical school at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, FL. During medical school, he was president of the University of Florida's History of Medicine Organization and was selected to the Medical Student Admissions Committee. He received a research grant from the American Heart Association to study heart disease in women as part of the Women's Ischemic Syndrome Evaluation (WISE). He graduated in 2013 and subsequently completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. In residency, he served as the House Staff Representative for the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Ethics Committee. Dr. Panakos subsequently began a three year fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH), University of Miami Hospital (UMH), and the Miami VA Hospital in Miami, FL. He remained at JMH/UMH/Miami VA for one additional year of training in Interventional Cardiology. While in cardiovascular training, he developed skills and experience in cardiac catheterization, percutaneous coronary intervention including angioplasty and stent placement, atherectomy, intracoronary imaging, mechanical circulatory support, and structural heart disease. He has particular interest in complex coronary interventions, mechanical circulatory support in cardiogenic shock, post-cardiac arrest care, and radial artery access for cardiac catheterization. Dr. Panakos has published several manuscripts in prominent journals, presented abstracts and posters at national meetings, and co-authored a book chapter on Best Practices for Large Bore Vascular Access for the Society of Coronary Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). During his interventional cardiology fellowship year, he won first place in the Fellows Case Competition at the national Northwell Health Annual Fellows course. He participated on Team Florida during the 2019 American College of Cardiology's national annual fellow Jeopardy competition. He has been actively involved in medical education and leadership positions, serving as a chief fellow his final year of general cardiology fellowship as well as during his interventional cardiology fellowship year. As chief, he served as a mentor for his peers and helped direct the curriculum for fellow education. He has also led longitudinal teaching sessions with medical students for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's cardiovascular module. He is currently board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Nuclear Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology and practices at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. He is a member of the Society for Coronary Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. His wife, Patricia, is an emergency medicine physician and the assistant program director of the Jackson Health System/University of Miami Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Panakos and his wife reside in South Florida. In his free time, he enjoys sports such as golf, tennis, basketball, and football, as well as traveling and dining out with his wife.

Barry S. Merrill M.D. has been practicing cardiology in the Boca Raton and Delray Beach area since 2002 as a clinical and interventional cardiologist. Originally based out of Delray Beach, he joined Bartzokis, Rubenstein and Servoss, M.D., P.L. in 2012. Dr. Merrill's interest in medicine began early and he received an American Heart Association scholarship in high school and performed physiology research at NIH and the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland. He then attended Wesleyan University where he graduated with honors with a combined degree in biology and psychology in 1990. While at Wesleyan, he obtained a Howard Hughes research grant to perform cognitive neuroscience research on the human visual system. After college he worked at Johns Hopkins University performing molecular genetics research for a year prior to medical school. He then went to the University of Maryland for medical school and graduated in 1995. Dr. Merrill then completed an internship in residency program in internal medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans finishing in 1998. He then went on for training in cardiology at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago. He then went for additional training to the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky for interventional and peripheral vascular training for a year before coming to south Florida to begin his practice. While at Delray Medical Center, Dr. Merrill took on several leadership rolls including Director of Echocardiography and played an active role on the Cardiovascular Committee and Cardiovascular Peer review. He currently holds an academic appointment as an affiliate assistant professor of clinical biomedical science at the Charles E. Schmitt College of medicine, Florida Atlantic University. He was a South Florida Super Doctor in 2008, 2009, 20011, 2012, 2013 and has received several other towards recognition throughout his career and most recently was physician of the month at Boca Raton Regional Hospital in February 2016. He is a fellow the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Merrill is board certified in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology and is currently practicing at Boca Raton Regional Hospital where he is medical director of the cardiac catheterization lab. He specializes in clinical cardiology and interventional cardiology. He is currently working on developing a special interest in structural heart disease and working towards becoming more active in this area as well. Dr. Merrill resides in South Florida with his 2 teenage children in the Boca Raton area.

Mr. Linden has been Chief Financial Officer for the practice since its inception. His expertise in accounting, medical office management, and business development has allowed the practice to continue to grow over the ensuing years. Mr. Linden graduated from C.W. Post College School of Business with a B.S. degree in Accounting. His business experience has been diverse. He has been employed by such entities as CPA firms, manufacturing, service industries, and banking institutions. In addition, he has had Wall Street experience which has afforded him the opportunity to interact with the Securities and Exchange Commission during quarterly and annual reporting periods. This experience combined with his employment by numerous CPA firms has provided Mr. Linden with unique skills in managing the multifaceted business requirements of a large cardiology practice. Mr. Linden is also highly experienced in office management and has served as office manager for Bartzokis, Rubenstein & Servoss, M.D., P.L. Mr. Linden's contributions to the practice have afforded the physicians the opportunity to maximize their efforts in patient care rather than business management. In addition to this, Mr. Linden somehow finds time to continue playing softball, traveling with his wife Arlene of over 40 years, and visiting with his two adult children. He currently resides in South Florida where he has lived since 1989, and he has been a vital contributor to the local community.

Debra Becker is a non-invasive cardiologist who has been practicing in the Boca Delray area for over twenty years. Her clinical expertise involves all aspects of clinical cardiology including Coronary Artery Disease, Arrhythmias, Coronary Risk Reduction. and, Congestive Heart Failure. As a non-invasive cardiologist, Dr. Becker performs stress testing, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography as part of her daily practice. As one of the only female clinical cardiologists on staff at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, she has a special interest in heart disease in women. Over the years she has given numerous lectures to local civic groups on this important topic. Dr. Becker's medical career began with her acceptance into the prestigious six year Honors Program in Medical Education at the University of Miami. This highly competitive program only accepts fifteen students a year and combines college and medical school into six intensive years of training. After receiving the Henry King Stanford academic scholarship, she graduated Cum Laude and with University Honors. While in medical school Dr. Becker became interested in cardiology. Despite the rigorous demands of medical school, she received grants from the American Heart Association and American Lung Association to perform research in the areas of critical care medicine and cardiology. In addition she served the community by training paramedics, firefighters, and civilians in the skills of basic life support and CPR. After completing a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, she returned to Florida to finish her cardiology fellowship training at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital. She is Board Certified in Cardiology and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. In addition, she has been designated a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Becker has remained committed to teaching and training new physicians. She served as a voluntary faculty member at the University of Miami from 1997-2001. Her dedication to teaching earned her the Community Based teacher Award for excellence in 1999 by the Florida chapter of the American College of Physicians. After the opening of the medical school at FAU, she became a voluntary assistant professor of medicine, training first and second year students in the art of history and physical exam. Currently, she supervises internal medicine residents as they complete their cardiology rotations at Boca Regional Hospital as part of the FAU Medical Residency training program. Outside of the office Dr. Becker keeps busy as well. She has 3 wonderful children and a husband who is also a practicing physician. She has been active in the Greater Miami Federation for several years serving on the executive board of the Young Leadership Council in the past. She and her husband founded the Rebecca Leah Berger Tuberous Sclerosis Foundation whose goal was to raise money for therapy for children affected with Tuberous Sclerosis. They subsequently worked to create a multidisciplinary clinic to care for children diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis at the Miami Childrens/Niklaus Childrens Hospital in Miami. Dr. Becker has been designated Top Doctor by Castle Connolly and listed as one of the Best Doctors in America. Throughout her career, Dr. Becker's goal has been to provide quality compassionate care to her patients.

Dr. Cammarata joined Bartzokis, Rubenstein and Servoss, M.D., P.L. in 2017. He grew up in Southwest Florida and attended the University of Miami, graduating with honors in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He began medical school later that year at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, FL where he was awarded the Jules B. Chapman Scholarship for academic excellence and humanism. He graduated in 2008 and began his internship and residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Internal Medicine. After completion of his residency, Dr. Cammarata spent a year as a hospitalist in Raleigh, North Carolina. He started a combined research and clinical cardiology fellowship in 2012 at Wake Forest University - Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, North Carolina. While he was in fellowship he completed a Master of Science degree in "Clinical and Population Translational Sciences" through the Wake Forest University Graduate School. He published several papers relating to cardiology in addition to writing a book chapter on Hybrid revascularization procedures. Upon completion of his General Cardiology fellowship in 2016, he began a fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at Wake Forest University. During this fellowship, he received training in cardiac procedures including: cardiac catheterization, coronary angioplasty, stenting, atherectomy, intracoronary imaging, structural cardiac interventions (balloon aortic valvuloplasty, Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), MitraClip, ASD/PFO closure, and Left atrial appendage exclusion) and peripheral vascular imaging and intervention. He developed special interests in radial artery access for heart catheterization, coronary interventions and trans-catheter interventions in structural heart disease. He is currently board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology and maintains privileges at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. He has held leadership positions at Boca Raton Regional Hospital serving as the medical director of echocardiography since 2020, the medical director of structural cardiology since 2022, and is the current Vice Chair of the Department of Cardiology.

Job Titles:

• Founding Member
• Chairman of the Local Heart Ball
• Chief of Cardiology at Boca Raton Community Hospital
• Chief of Cardiovascular Services
• Top Doctor for 24 Years, 1996 - 2020

Dr. Bartzokis is the founding member of Bartzokis, Rubenstein & Servoss, M.D., P. L., establishing his practice in Boca Raton in 1991. He was admitted to Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts on full scholarship as a recipient of the Charles River District Society Scholarship. He graduated with high honors in 1979 with a BA degree. Dr. Bartzokis continued at Harvard University completing his medical school training at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He subsequently went on to complete three years of internship and medical residency training at the New England Deaconess Hospital, a Harvard Teaching Hospital, in 1983. He then spent an additional year at Harvard to serve as the Chief Medical Resident from 1983 to 1984. Dr. Bartzokis then went on to complete a three year cardiology training program at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California, which included both clinical cardiology and clinical research in the field of coronary ischemia. He spent an additional year of cardiology training in specialized interventional techniques including coronary angioplasty and coronary atherectomy at Sequoia Hospital in California with Dr. John Simpson, the developer of this new technology. Dr. Bartzokis introduced this new interventional technique in South Florida in 1991, at which time, it became the only alternative to coronary balloon angioplasty. He was considered the regional expert in this technology in South Florida. Dr. Bartzokis has subsequently developed training and expertise in the newer interventional modalities including rotational atherectomy, brachytherapy, and coronary stenting. Dr. Bartzokis is triple boarded in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Bartzokis has authored and published over 21 research papers, with subjects including coronary ischemia, echocardiographic imaging techniques to aid during cardiac procedures, new interventional cardiology techniques, prevention of stroke with use of transesophageal echocardiography, nuclear medicine, the effects of emotional stress on myocardial function. He has presented this work at national cardiology symposia on several occasions. Dr. Bartzokis has served as Chief of Cardiology at Boca Raton Community Hospital and Chief of Echocardiography at Boca Raton Community Hospital. He has served on advisory boards both at Boca Raton Community Hospital and North Ridge Medical Center. He was selected as one of the top cardiologists in the South Florida area, an honor awarded to him by his medical colleagues and the Center for the Study of Services in Washington, D.C. This honor has been bestowed to only a handful of physicians throughout the United States. Dr. Bartzokis has served as Chairman of the local Heart Ball and is a member of the local American Heart Association. Dr. Bartzokis current practice includes consultative cardiology, cardiac nuclear medicine, interventional cardiology including coronary stenting, coronary angioplasty, coronary atherectomy, rotational atherectomy, and coronary brachytherapy. Dr. Bartzokis resides in South Florida with his family including his wife Peggy, and his two children. He remains an active member in the community since 1991.