Meet Our Team

A Team of Specialized Medical Professionals

The Adult Congenital Heart Program brings together an expert multidisciplinary team that includes experts in pediatric and adult cardiology, interventional cardiology, congenital cardiac surgery, echocardiography, radiology, and anesthesiology. A support staff of many specialized healthcare professionals completes the team. The skill, experience and unique collaboration of all team members help to ensure that each patient receives state-of-the-art care. Our physicians also are pioneers in cutting-edge research and minimally invasive techniques. As leaders in clinical treatment, teaching and research, our staff provides the full range of patient care.

Highly Skilled Team

nullStephen R. Ramee, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Medical Director 
Dr. Ramee, who also heads Interventional Cardiology and is Director of the Ochsner’s Catheterization Lab, completed a Fellowship in Cardiovascular Diseases at Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, he joined Ochsner in 1988. Dr. Ramee is board-certified in cardiovascular disease.

 

 

null Ivory Crittendon, MD, Pediatric Interventional Cardiology
Dr. Crittendon attended medical school at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR.  He completed his pediatric residency at the University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas in Dallas, TX. He then completed a pediatric cardiology fellowship at Texas Children's Hospital (Baylor College of Medicine) in Houston, Texas. He also completed an additional fourth year in pediatric interventional catheterization at Texas Children's Hospital. 

 

false J. Stephen Jenkins, MD, Interventional Cardiology
Dr. Jenkins is Ochsner's Associate Section Head, Interventional Cardiology, and Director, Interventional Cardiology Research. He completed fellowships in Internal Medicine at the University of Missouri Health Science Center and in Interventional Cardiology at Ochsner Clinic Foundation. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, he is board-certified in cardiovascular diseases, internal medicine and interventional cardiology.

 

false Sammy Khatib, MD, Electrophysiology

Dr. Khatib completed a fellowship in cardiology at Ochsner where he was Chief Cardiology Fellow. He pursued additional training in Electrophysiology at the University of Florida at Shands Hospital and is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology and clinical cardiac electrophysiology. His interest is management and radiofrequency ablation of complex arrhythmias.

 

 

falseGina Langlois, RN, BSN, Pediatric Interventional Cardiology
Gina completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Tulane University, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from LSU Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. She enjoys working as a nurse and has been at Ochsner for over 12 years in PICU and Pediatric Cardiology, specializing in Interventional Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease.  Gina also volunteers for 2 non-profit organizations created by families to help people with congenital heart disease. 
 
 
 

false Victor “Sam” Lucas, MD, Pediatric Interventional Cardiology
Ochsner’s Section Chief, Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Lucas completed a fellowship at the University of Florida. He is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology. His clinical interests include interventional cardiac catheterizations, pediatric arrhythmias/pacing and sudden cardiac death.

 
 
 
 

false Dennis Mello, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Ochsner's Chief, Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Dr. Mello completed a fellowship in pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and was director of pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery at The Connecticut Children's Medical Center and a staff surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital. He is board-certified in general and cardiothoracic surgery.

 

false Sangeeta Shah, MD, Adult Congenital Cardiology
Dr. Shah completed a cardiology fellowship at University of Texas and received additional training in advanced echocardiography and cardiac MRI at Washington Hospital Center/Georgetown University. She is board-certified in cardiology, nuclear cardiology and echocardiography. Her expertise includes cardiovascular MRI, advanced echocardiograph and adult congenital heart disease. 

 

 

nullLaurie Ventura, RN, BSN, Interventional Cardiology
 
Laurie completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from LSU School of Nursing.  She has worked as a nurse in Interventional Cardiology for over 25 years and has recently expanded her role to include Structural Heart and Adult Congenital Disease.  She volunteers much of her time to the Louisiana American College of Cardiology as the state Liason and also volunteers in several other nonprofit organizations.  "I love being a nurse and helping others and I could not imagine any other profession."
 

false Michael White, MD, Pediatric Non-Invasive Cardiology
Dr. White earned a PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology before earning his medical degree, both at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia before completing a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Texas Childrens Hospital. He served on the faculty at Penn State Medical Center and the LSU Medical Center at New Orleans before joining the staff at Ochsner. He is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology and is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. 

 

false Thomas Young, MD, Pediatric Congenital Cardiology
Dr. Young completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia.  As a specialist in pediatric cardiology, his areas of interest include adult congenital heart disease, pediatric heart transplant, general pediatric cardiology and inpatient pediatric cardiology.  He is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine.