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Growing up in Colombia, Jorge Gomez-Amedor was always interested in science and medicine. He received his B.S. degree at Colegio de Boyaca in Tunja and his medical degree at the National University in Bogota before coming to the United States for training.

While at the Lutheran Medical Center in Cleveland for his internship, he rotated through many different disciplines but was most fascinated by cardiology. He was exposed to the innovative work going on at the Cleveland Clinic in the late 1960s, where the coronary bypass procedure was being pioneered by Argentine cardiac surgeon Rene Favaloro.

“Before this new procedure was developed, there was not much that surgeons could do to really restore a patient who was suffering from angina or reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease,” he said. “Of course, at that point, we also thought a cholesterol reading of 308 was normal!” he observed.

After completing his internship, Gomez moved to Miami for a clinical cardiology fellowship at Jackson Memorial and the VA Hospital. He had married during his last year in Cleveland and his wife, also from Colombia, had not been crazy about the winter temperatures in Ohio so they were both glad to get back to a balmier clime.

After he completed his training, he moved with his family to Orlando to begin a cardiology practice in 1971, just two years before the Disney corporation changed the face of central Florida, setting off an incredible boom in everything from babies to buildings. Gomez has enjoyed his 36 years in the area and the many changes, both geographically and in his practice he has seen.
His interest in cardiology has been sustained by the opportunities to help patients in Florida, which ranks first in heart disease in the country.

“We were so limited when I started in practice, in terms of what we could do for patients,” he says. There weren’t even intensive care units--patients were kept in regular rooms following surgery.

He focuses his practice now in the area of preventive cardiac medicine. “I try to be aggressive in terms of prevention,” he says.

He has a dietician on staff to work with his patients, particularly the ones for whom obesity is an issue. He appreciates that there are “many wonderful medicines” to control high blood pressure and that so much can be accomplished within the practice setting.

Gomez makes a point to keep up with research and is interested in ongoing work on cell restructuring by projects to improve ventricular activity for those suffering from congestive or enlarged heart problems. He is excited that “so much can be accomplished”.

One of his interests is in new techniques such as cardiac surgery without the bypass procedure, and new methods to correct coronary blockage.

“When I was training there was no nuclear cardiology, no use of isotopes, no echo cardiology—look how much more we can do for our patients now,” he says with enthusiasm. “It’s been incredible over the last 35 years!”

With the opening of the UCF Medical School in the next few years, he thinks there will be even more opportunities for continuing education with this state-of-the-art facility and looks forward to having students as “shadows” with whom he can share what he has learned over the years. Dr. Gomez enthuses about the new dean for the medical school, Dr. Deborah German, and her plan to raise enough money to provide free tuition to the school’s first class.

Dr. Gomez’s office has moved closer to his home and, because there is so little traffic, he can practice what he preaches to his patients, by running or biking the two miles between the two.

His three children are adults and have chosen interesting careers. A son is an environmentalist working to reduce pollution. One daughter is in Human Resources at Universal Studios and works in the area of diversity training with GE’s Telemundo Network.

His other daughter, a photographer, is in Seville shooting a book of images of bullfighters and bullfighting.

Gomez is a runner who enjoys participating in 5K and 10K runs with his daughter.
He has always been a “bookworm,” and is particularly interested in history and biographies.

He volunteers with a Shepherd’s Hope clinic for uninsured patients who cannot afford medical care.

But he doesn’t see having extra spare time available for these activities because it “would be hard to imagine retiring.”



November 2007

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