About Stephanie

Stephanie has had a long career in Cardiology starting with 18 months as an ECG technician in the US Navy 1985-1986. She attended Cardiopulmonary Technologist school at the Naval School of Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, and Graduated Aug, 1987. She was then stationed in Portsmouth VA where she work 5 years in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab followed by 5 years as a Registered Echocardiography Technologist. She was approved for Duty under instruction commissioning program and attended Old Dominion University where she completed her BSN. Stephanie was stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in the CCU for four years. She was cross-trained to the General ICU and Post-anesthesia Unit. During this time she was attending night classes at ODU toward her MSN, Clinical Nurse Specialist degree. Stephanie was fortunate to spend all of her clinical hours working with the CNS for the Left Ventricular Assist/Open Heart Program at Sentara Norfolk General in Norfolk, VA. Stephanie returned to SNGH 12 years later as the CNS for the Advanced Heart Failure Unit in the same program. The AHFU cares for the Heart Transplant and LVAD patients when they step down from the CSICU. Additionally the unit cares for the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension patients on advanced therapies. All three programs are nationally certified and Sentara Norfolk General's Heart Hospital is ranked in the top 50 Hospitals in the United States. She as been in the CNS Role in Cardiac Medicine and Surgery for a combined 15 years and Surgical Recovery for 7. Stephanie's passion is optimizing care for vulnerable, special patient populations such as Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.