ADVANCED CARDIAC & VASCULAR CENTERS - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Chief Operating Officer, Director of Cardiology & Vascular Medicine

That's what drives Fadi A. Saab, MD, FASE, FACC, FSCAI. "In this age of consolidation, with everything becoming bigger and larger and centralized, it's sometimes difficult to establish that personal connection between a physician and patient, especially with the existing push that time is of the essence," he says. "We knew we wanted to practice in a different way." This is why Dr. Fadi A. Saab and Dr. Jihad Mustapha, founded Advanced Cardiac & Vascular Centers for Amputation Prevention. It is their vision that this center, which opened in February 2018, will be the first of many, creating a nationwide network focused on treating patients who are seeking specialized cardiac care and alternatives to limb amputation. A native of Lebanon but born and raised in Kuwait, Dr. Fadi A. Saab was forced to flee his war-stricken home at just 13. He and his family returned to their native Lebanon before he moved to the United States in 1999. Dr. Fadi A. Saab completed his residency at Wayne State University and earned his Cardiovascular Fellowship through Tufts University School of Medicine in Massachusetts.

Job Titles:

• President & Chief Executive Officer, Director of Endovascular Interventions

Jihad Mustapha, MD, FACC, FSCAI, has held many academic and professional titles throughout his career, but the one he's most proud of is the simplest: "The Leg Saver." A board-certified interventional cardiologist, Dr. Jihad Mustapha developed the notion early in his practice that a device to unblock arteries leading to the heart might be used to perform the same thing for legs. Dr. Jihad Mustapha performed his first peripheral vascular limb-salvage treatment more than a dozen years ago, preventing the amputation of the leg of a 52-year-old woman suffering from severe peripheral artery disease, or PAD. Today, Dr. Jihad Mustapha is recognized throughout the world as a pioneer for his groundbreaking work in critical limb ischemia, or CLI, which is marked by the severe obstruction of arteries drastically reducing blood flow to the extremities. Left untreated, CLI can result in amputations. He has authored numerous papers and teaches and speaks internationally on the topic. Dr. Jihad Mustapha's story is even more incredible considering that at just 15, he fled his war-torn homeland of Lebanon, landing alongside not a single friend or family member at JFK airport, with $80 to his name and little more than a single change of clothes. By the next day - despite knowing no English - he was hawking umbrellas and flowers on the streets of New York. He enrolled in night school to learn the language, lived with a sister to save money, and eventually moved to Michigan, where he worked at a restaurant cleaning toilets and bussing tables. In time, Dr. Jihad Mustapha enrolled in college to become a physicist, but to honor the memory of a brother who died before realizing his own dream of becoming a doctor, switched gears and entered the pre-med program at Wayne State University. He later earned his medical degree from St. George University School of Medicine in Grenada. "If anything," he says, "I do know a bit about loss and deficits, and I hope that has helped me to develop empathy for the many patients we have the privilege of treating. Dr. Jihad Mustapha is a board-certified interventional cardiologist specializing in endovascular revascularization of PAD, specifically CLI. He serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and is a Founder and Director of the AMPutation Prevention Symposium, and a Founding Board Member of the CLI Global Society.

Dr. Mohamad Saab knows what it's like to endure hardship. He and his parents and four siblings immigrated to the United States from his homeland of war-torn Lebanon with little more than the clothes on their backs. "I was 17 at the time," he remembers, "and opportunities where I grew up were very limited. Though my parents were not educated with high degrees themselves, they placed a great value on education, and hence the move. Our parents sacrificed everything so that we had the chance to excel." The family settled in Michigan, where Saab attended Henry Ford Community College while working in a restaurant seven days a week in order to cover tuition and help with family expenses. "During the first three years I lived in the States, I never had a day off," he recalls. He eventually transferred to the University of Michigan's Dearborn campus, where he earned undergraduate degrees in biology with a minor in psychology. He then earned his medical degree from Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. Saab practices what he preaches when it comes to maintaining health, as he works out with an emphasis not only on cardiovascular fitness, but resistance training to maintain and build muscle mass. He combines that with an appreciation for medically approved fasting that can help people who are battling diabetes, hypertension and other maladies. Too many people, he observes, "want the easy way out" with only pills and medications in play, where in fact they are better served by a well rounded approach that also considers exercise as a core ingredient in maintaining their health. As an interventional cardiologist, Saab is qualified to do especially invasive procedures, and he was drawn to ACV because of its reputation as a cutting-edge practice with an international reputation for excellence. "I appreciate their mission, and what they're trying to accomplish, which is to raise awareness not just about heart disease, but circulation problems in your legs," he says. "In this day and age of modern technology, to hear about people having their legs amputated is just disheartening.

Job Titles:

• Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery
• Founders of ACV

Rick Bernstein, MD, has been around the block a time or two. But in landing in West Michigan recently, he's enthused about working with ACV and its patients in a long-term commitment. A native of Chicago, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, and then advanced degrees at Howard University in Washington, D.C. From there, he studied cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at the University of Alberta in Canada, then a year of pediatric vascular surgery in England, followed by an endovascular fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. After meeting the founders of ACV, Bernstein said he decided to stop performing heart surgery and instead "concentrate on preventing amputations and saving people's legs." He joined the practice in November 2019. Prior to that, Bernstein had been practicing in Las Vegas, where his grown son Jordan is a professional musician. Daughter Shane is a speech and language pathologist in New York. Wife Valerie works as a fitness instructor. Bernstein was drawn to ACV because of its values and mission, and "also because of the world-class expertise that is available there," he says. "Doctors Mustapha and Saab are really, in my opinion, the best in the world at what they do, and working with them and learning from them has been one of my great pleasures and an amazing medical experience." In his spare time, Bernstein tries to hit the gym most days, and he's looking forward to testing area golf courses on Sunday mornings come more fitting weather. He calls it "an honor to be with ACV," and says he looks forward to "making it the duty and joy of the remainder of my career to prevent amputations and save people's lives."

Sarah Shepler has always been passionate and excited about improving the lives of others. Even at a young age, Sarah knew she wanted to help others for a living by entering the medical field, but didn't know in what capacity. Driven by an eagerness to learn, Sarah started working at the age of 15 to earn a vehicle so she could travel to high school. Sarah's drive continued in college as she worked in Eastern Kentucky University's food court to pay for tuition. During her time at EKU, Sarah entered the pre-medicine track and realized she wanted to take a different path. Following her passion for helping others, she decided to focus on nursing so she could be at bedside and positively impact patients when they are most vulnerable. After earning a nursing degree from EKU, Sarah began her adventure as a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic in one of the CVICUs. After three years, Sarah moved to West Michigan and began her career in cardiovascular medicine working in a cardiovascular lab. During this role, she was able to impact patients' lives directly through assisting with procedures to re-open necessary vessels to the heart and legs - but she knew she wanted to be more involved and build stronger relationships with her patients. As a result, she went back to school and earned a DNP from Grand Valley State University. Sarah joined ACV Centers to help shine a brighter light on PAD - a disease that goes untreated far too often. She respects her patients and understands many of them have been told, "there is nothing more to do," and amputation is the only solution. However, Sarah and the ACV team work tirelessly to improve quality of limb and life and ensure amputation does not occur. She admires ACV Center's focus on building relations with patients while ensuring the best care is provided. "Each individual brings a different personality and perspective to the table that allows patients to receive world-class care," she says. "We hope to spread the message of PAD and improve the lives of those in our community on a daily basis." Sarah is affiliated with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She is also certified with ACLS, BLS and CCRN. When not helping to improve the lives of her patients, Sarah enjoys being a mother to two wonderful children who are developing their own unique personalities and making her life much more interesting. Sarah's husband, AJ, is a R&D chef who makes the best food in town and acts as her own personal meal prepper. As a family, the Sheplers enjoy participating in warm and cold-weather activities, including swimming and going to the beach when the sun's out, and sledding when the snow falls.