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Specialties

Pediatric Cardiology

The pediatric cardiology specialists at St. Luke’s Children’s can support your child’s heart health with expertise covering a wide range of conditions including congenital heart defects and disease, murmurs, arrhythmias, acquired heart disease, extreme drops in blood pressure, and fast heart rate (tachycardia). We also evaluate fetal echocardiograms for any abnormalities suspected or identified during pregnancy. And if your child requires heart surgery out of state, we will coordinate their care.

Highlights & Resources

  • Article

    Congenital Heart Defects in Children

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Providers

  • Robert F. Adams, MD

    Pediatric Cardiology

    Biography

    Robert Adams, MD specializes in caring for children with a wide range of congenital and acquired heart diseases. His particular interest lies in imaging modalities, including transthoracic, transesophageal, and fetal echocardiography.

    As a core part of his practice, Dr. Adams prioritizes communication with families, referring providers, and outside referral centers. He and his staff recognize that cardiac referrals for children can be a scary experience, so they make a particular effort to educate families and put them at ease. 

    Dr. Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Georgia before attending medical school and completing his residency at the Medical College of Georgia, where he also served as chief resident. After completing his fellowship training at NYU Medical Center, he moved to Idaho with his wife and pets, who were thrilled to explore Idaho's wide open spaces after years in a tiny midtown Manhattan apartment.

    Dr. Adams and his wife love to explore Idaho’s natural beauty and enjoy biking, camping, and hiking with their dogs. They also love to travel and have had the privilege of serving the Syrian refugee community alongside a church in northern Jordan for several years.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

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  • Melissa M. Agoudemos, MD

    Pediatric Cardiology

    Biography

    Melissa Agoudemos, MD, PhD specializes in pediatric cardiology with a broad range of interests including neonatal congenital heart disease, myocarditis, Marfan’s syndrome and other connective tissue disorders, and arrhythmias such as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). She has additional interest in echocardiographic evaluation of congenital heart disease utilizing transthoracic echo and fetal echo.   

    Dr. Agoudemos received a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering with a concentration in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, where she graduated with honors and as a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. She then entered the specialized Medical Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin to earn both her medical degree and a doctorate degree in physiology. During that time, she spent extensive time researching the process by which the body grows new blood vessels (angiogenesis). This led to multiple awards from the American Physiological Society.  

    Dr. Agoudemos completed her pediatrics residency at the University of Iowa, a referral center focused on treating the most critical pediatric patients across Iowa. Her residency included a specialized research track where she focused on the effects of maternal disease on the cardiovascular health of children. This was followed by a three-year pediatric cardiology fellowship at the University of Iowa. During this time, she continued her research and won the F. M. Kenny Memorial Award in Pediatric Research. Clinically, Dr. Agoudemos developed her interest in imaging with extra training in echocardiography.  

    Dr. Agoudemos is originally from the Midwest, and spent her early career working at Southern Illinois University. Now that she's in Idaho, she never plans to leave! She feels honored to provide specialized pediatric cardiac care to the children of Idaho.  

    In her free time, Dr. Agoudemos enjoys spending time with her two teenagers, three cats, and husband.  

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

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  • Diana C. Alexander, MD

    Pediatric Cardiology

    Biography

    Diana C. Alexander, MD, MPH specializes in care of children with acquired and congenital heart disease. She enjoys caring for pediatric patients of all ages and supporting patients and their families in understanding and managing their heart health.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

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  • Chuanchau J. Jou, DO

    Pediatric Cardiology
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

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  • Gordon K. Mack, MD

    Pediatric Cardiology

    Biography

    Gordon Mack, MD cares for children with a wide range of congenital and acquired heart diseases. His particular interests lie in echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, and pediatric thrombosis. He completed his pediatric cardiology fellowship at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He trained in pediatric cardiac catheterization and pediatric clots in Edmonton.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

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  • Elizabeth V. Saarel, MD

    Elizabeth V. Saarel, MD

    Pediatric Cardiology

    Biography

    Elizabeth “Tess” Vickers Saarel, MD, FAAP, FACC, FHRS is a pediatric cardiologist and electrophysiologist with special expertise in heart rhythm disorders, sports cardiology, and syncope. She treats patients of all ages, including newborns, children, teens, adults, and pregnant women. Her goal is to improve the quality and longevity of life for adults and children born with heart problems.

    Prior to joining St. Luke’s, Dr. Saarel practiced cardiology at the University of Michigan, the University of Utah, Primary Children’s Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic. She is a professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at CWRU. Her academic research is in the prevention of sudden cardiac death in youth, the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders in children and adults with congenital heart disease, sports cardiology, and quality improvement.

    Dr. Saarel now serves on the executive committees for the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society, the Section on Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery for the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young Task Force, and the ACC National Cardiac Data IMPACT Registry. She also holds leadership positions at the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Pediatric Heart Network. Past activities have included leadership in the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     

  • Michael S. Womack, MD

    Pediatric Cardiology

    Biography

    Michael S. Womack, MD works in general clinical pediatric and adult congenital cardiology with special interests in cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, cardiac catheterization, and fetal cardiology.

    After earning bachelor's degrees in mathematics and chemistry from Duke University, Dr. Womack worked a year in industry and then taught chemistry and computer science for two years before earning a master's degree in medical physics and completing medical school. Following his residency, he spent a year studying Spanish and performing medical mission work in Latin America, inspired by the underserved Latino community he saw both within the United States and abroad. Next, he resumed training in pediatric cardiology with a fellowship at Duke University followed by an advanced fellowship in cardiac catheterization at Oregon Health & Sciences University and ongoing medical mission work in Central America, focusing on support and development of pediatric catheterization programs.  

    Dr. Womack still has the same sense of mission for program development and worked to develop the fetal and pediatric echocardiography and pediatric catheterization programs in Idaho. He also still has active projects in Central America. In 2012, he was decorated with the Order of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa by the government of Panama, its highest civilian award, for his work. He has presented at a number of national and international conferences in Central America to expand services for congenital heart defects in the region. These international experiences have been vital parts of his education that influence his local work.  

    In his free time, Dr. Womack enjoys downhill and backcountry skiing, trail running and hiking, and collecting old medical books, especially important works in general and pediatric cardiology. He lives in Boise with his wife Noreen, a general pediatrician, and their children.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

      see full profile

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

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Courageous Hearts of Idaho

Join our Support Group

Courageous Hearts of Idaho is the only pediatric heart disease support group in Idaho. We’re open to parents of children with heart disease, adults with congenital heart disease, extended families, caregivers, nurses—anyone who loves someone with a courageous heart.

Learn more about Courageous Hearts of Idaho

Articles & Resources

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  • Blog Post

    St. Luke’s Ranked in Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals

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Support the Kids and Families at St. Luke’s Children’s

You Can Make a Difference

You can make a real difference to kids and families facing medical challenges. We hope you’ll help us provide the exceptional healthcare these kids deserve. We encourage you to get involved by making a financial gift, sponsoring or attending events, or volunteering your time.

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Take Care, Someone Needs You.

You take care of others, so take care of yourself. Let us be your partner in health, whether you're recovering from an injury, checking in for your annual exam, or enjoying an online class.

Because when you take care of yourself, everyone around you benefits.

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