He took great care of me. When a doctor at a LB hospital told me I did not have a cardiovascular issue after I told him I was having severe pain in my chest while playing tennis, I decided to go to Keck hospital of USC and doctor Heger recommended a triple by-pass based on the angiograph results. Probably saved my life.
Ever cross paths with this super diehard USC FB fan?
Reference:
Pioneer Cardiologist Joel Heger makes the move to USC
By Mary Ellen Stumpfl, October 2, 1998
Pioneer Cardiologist Joel Heger makes the move to USC - USC News
If there’s ever a fire in his office, Joel Heger will flee with his prized possessions – four thick albums filled of letters, photos, cards and even construction paper crafts.
Tucked under his desk, the albums contain chronicles of his 27 years as a physician: thank you letters and cards from patients, patients’ family photos and crafts from patients’ children and grandchildren.
“I even have the notes I took on my first patient, a 15-year-old girl in a diabetic coma,” said Heger, who was appointed professor of clinical medicine in the division of cardiology this July. “These albums are what I’m most proud of.”
Heger left his position as a founder and senior partner of the largest cardiology practice in Southern California to assume his faculty position and his role as director of clinical cardiology at USC University Hospital. But he’s not leaving his patients behind. Most have followed him to USC.