Board of Directors

Barry W. Ramo, M.D. 

Medical Director, New Heart Fitness and Health

Barry W. Ramo, M.D. was born in Denver, Colorado, attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado and received his MD degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the honor medical society. He spent a year in London at Guy’s Hospital Medical School studying with Charles Baker, MD, one of the world’s leading cardiologists. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago while his wife Roberta attended the Law School.

Dr. Ramo trained in cardiovascular disease at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. At Duke, he was named Director of the Myocardial Infarction Research Unit, one of seven national research centers focusing specifically on improving therapy for patients with heart attacks.

Following his training at Duke, Dr. Ramo joined the United States Air Force as a major where he was stationed at Welford Hall Hospital, the Cardiology Center for the United States Air Force, where he was the director of the coronary care unit. While in San Antonio, Texas, he was on the faculty at the University of Texas Medical School.

He moved to Albuquerque where he and two other cardiologists started what has become the New Mexico Heart Institute. He holds clinical professorships at University of New Mexico and Duke University. He has been a visiting professor in China and Mexico and has had sabbaticals at the Mayo Clinic, the University of California in San Francisco and at Duke University. He has been a guest lecturer in China, Mexico and England.

For the past 25 years, Dr. Ramo has been the medical editor for KOAT TV, the ABC affiliate serving New Mexico. He writes a newspaper column on health for the Albuquerque Journal and the Roundhouse. He serves as the spokesperson for “Step it up Albuquerque” and hosts periodic health programs for the city called “Spotlight on Health”.

As an electrophysiologist, Dr. Ramo has a profound interest in sudden cardiac death and the role CPR and AEDs can play. Dr. Ramo created Project Heart Start New Mexico which is a program to teach all New Mexicans the new compression only CPR and to use the automated external defibrillator or AED. The program has trained more than 28,000 people since its inception. This life saving program Is sponsored by the New Mexico Heart Institute Foundation and is presented in schools, businesses and social organization including Intel and Sandia Laboratories. The goal is to take this program to a national audience.

Dr. Ramo is married to Roberta Cooper Ramo, an attorney practicing in Albuquerque. She is President of the American Law Institute and the first woman president of the American Bar Association. Their son, Joshua, is the Vice Chair of Kissinger Associates and is married to Nora Abousteit, founder of Kollabora. Jennifer Ramo, their daughter, is an attorney. She is executive director of New Mexico Appleseed, an organization that uses the legal system to help poor people. She is married to Dr. David Kutz, a psychologist, and has two sons, Carlos and Rafael.

In the community, Dr. Ramo has served or serves on the Board of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Albuquerque Museum for Art and History and the Albuquerque Community Foundation where he was President. His interests are his family and friends, music, opera, theater and eating really great usually pretty healthy food.

Mark Bieniarz, M.D., is a cardiology specialist working in the field of Interventional Cardiology with the New Mexico Heart Institute. He is originally from New Mexico. Dr. Bieniarz completed his Cardiology and Interventional Fellowships at Baylor College of Medicine and his Internal Medicine residency at Emory University School of Medicine. He obtained his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and his undergraduate degree from Duke University.

Dr. Bieniarz’ clinical interests include: coronary and peripheral arterial interventions, structural heart disease, radial artery catheterizations, emergent cardiovascular care, and medical systems of care. He is flu-ent in Spanish. Dr. Bieniarz is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan where he served as a flight surgeon with the Air Force Special Operations Command.

Sean P. Mazer, M.D., is a cardiology specialist working in the field of electrophysiology with the New Mexico Heart Institute. He is originally from New Mexico. Dr. Mazer completed his Cardiology and Electrophysiology Fellowships at Columbia University. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency and received his medical degree also from Columbia University.

Dr. Mazer’s clinical interests include: arrhythmias of all kinds especially atrial fibrillation, epicardial ablation, ablation for runners with arrhythmias, advanced heart failure therapy including LVAD and heart transplantation, and ventricular tachycardia.

Dr. Mazer practices at the major health centers in Albuquerque, including the Heart Hospital of New Mexico, Presbyterian Hospital, and Lovelace Medical Center. Dr. Mazer is the Director of Electrophysiology at the New Mexico Heart Institute. He is a Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society.

Serena Pettes, is the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Lovelace Health System. She is originally from El Paso, Texas and completed her bachelor of arts in communication studies from New Mexico State University and her master of arts in organizational learning and instructional technologies from the University of New Mexico.

Throughout her time with Lovelace, Serena has led award-winning marketing campaigns, assisted in strategic planning for the System, helped to develop state-wide outreach efforts with providers and payers and overseen internal, external communications, community engagement and media relations. In addition, She has assisted in promoting and/or managing community programs including Care Concierge, Silver Elite, Labor of Love and G.R.A.C.E.

Serena has sat on a number of boards and philanthropic event committees, such as the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Mexico, Albuquerque Community Foundation’s Future Fund and the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Executive Committee and Circle of Red.

Yaw A. Adjei-Poku, MD

President, New Mexico Heart Institute Foundation

Dr. Adjei- Poku is a cardiology specialist working in the field of cardiac electrophysiology with the New Mexico Heart Institute. He is originally from Ghana and moved to the United States at the age of six. Dr. Poku completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Boston University Medical Center where he also served as a chief medical resident. He went on to complete his Cardiology and Electrophysiology Fellowships at Harvard University. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Utah and undergraduate degree from Yale University.

Dr. Poku’s clinical interest include: arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation and the use of cardiac imaging to assist in the management of these arrhythmias. Other interests include the use of cardiac devices in the management of patients with complex arrhythmias.

Fenton McCarthy, M.D., M.S. is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon and a candidate member of the Society for Thoracic Surgeons. Fenton was born and raised in Colorado. He received his bachelor of arts in History and Spanish Literature from Dartmouth College. He briefly studied and lived in Latin America before completing his medical degree, Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency, and Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Steven A. Rogers, BBA, MBA is an independent registered investment advisor with Mark J. Napolin & Associates.  He acts in a fiduciary capacity to assist his clients in financial planning and investment management.  For twenty years prior to that Steven was a senior private banker in Albuquerque with a large national bank.  Before relocating to New Mexico, he worked in a family business in Michigan, importing automotive engine rebuilding machinery from Denmark and Italy for distribution throughout the United States.  Steven holds an BBA and MBA from The University of Michigan.  He is involved with several non-profit organizations, including Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, The Rotary Club of Albuquerque, The National Dance Institute (NDI) and the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe.  In his free time, Steven enjoys skiing, golf, travel and cheering for Michigan Wolverine sports teams.