UNR Med, Carson Tahoe Health form partnership

RENO, Nev. — Following a collaborative recruitment between the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and Carson Tahoe Health, Lorrel Toft, M.D., F.A.C.C., a cardiovascular critical care physician and researcher, was recently hired as an associate professor for UNR Med's Department of Internal Medicine, as well as a cardiologist on staff with Carson Tahoe Health.

According to a joint press release, Dr. Toft's appointment comes "as both healthcare partners collaborate to improve patient care and community wellbeing, as well as increase research opportunities for health professionals and scientists."

Toft will will serve as a full-time faculty member at UNR Med while providing integrated clinical activities with the Carson Tahoe Health cardiology program in Carson City.

The appointment will also increase clinical cardiovascular research innovation that Toft will lead at UNR Med.

“Cardiovascular disease is a major problem in our community and in our nation,” UNR Med Dean Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., said in a statement. “We're extremely pleased to be partnering with Carson Tahoe Health to bring a physician of Dr. Toft's expertise to our community. Toft will work alongside established cardiologists to help expand top cardiovascular care in the region, grow care in rural areas and give patients more choice in their healthcare.”

According to the press release, Toft is a leading national authority on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education in U.S. schools; she directs a CPR training program called HEART CLASS, an interactive film-based training she produced for schools, offices and even homes.

Toft will bring a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant to UNR Med to continue her work in using interactive digital media to teach CPR to high school students. The grant, facilitated through CORAM technologies, was awarded from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“We are very pleased to have another high-caliber physician on staff at Carson Tahoe to accommodate the increasing number of patients in our community dealing with heart disease,” Alan Garrett, president and CEO of Carson Tahoe Health, said in a statement. “We're thrilled to see our partnership between Carson Tahoe Health and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine continue to grow, especially when it directly benefits our patients and community.”

Among other accomplishments, Toft is a nationally-recognized expert in cardiovascular medical education, and creator of a cardiology critical care core lecture series (www.LouisvilleLectures.org) with over 430,000 national and international views.

Most recently, she served as an assistant professor of medicine in the department of medicine, division of cardiology at the University of Louisville. Prior, she was a clinical instructor/assistant chief of service for the department of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Toft earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology (summa cum laude) from the University of California, Irvine, and her Doctor of Medicine from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Alpha Omega Alpha); and she completed residency in internal medicine and a cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins.