Cover Story
June/July 2006
Dr. Raps
Healing Song
by Margie Anne Clark
““Life is fast, enjoy the
ride. Here I stand by your side. Keeping it real is my vision. Healing
hearts is my mission.”
- Dr. Rap
With a license to heal,
interventional Cardiologist, Samuel Kojoglanian, M.D., is a physician
in tune with the rhythm of his patients. And whether you call him
Dr. Rap, Dr. Kojoglanian, Dr. K or Dr. Sam, this is one doctor who
doesn’t mince words when he tells you straight from his heart,
that it’s going to take great perseverance and a whole lot
of love and attitude to make your life the best it can be.
“Everything in
life requires dedication,” observes Kojoglanian, a popular
heart doctor and a member of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital’s
medical staff since 2001.
It’s that very
sentiment that resonates loud and clear from the tracks of his two
CDs, Licensed to Heal and Cut to the Heart, as well as from the
pages of his books, Playing on Your Last String and Mirror, Mirror
on the Wall, soon to be available on eBay and currently available
at the HMNMH gift shop.
True to his calling,
Kojoglanian will be among a select group of interventional cardiologists
qualified to perform coronary angioplasties at Henry Mayo Newhall
Memorial Hospital’s Roberta Veloz Cardiac Catheterization
Laboratory slated to open in 2007.
“It’s such
a rush and thrill and an incredible honor, to save lives and touch
souls with an unquenchable passion. That’s my reward,”
says the Newhall resident who divides his life’s work between
his Valencia practice and his work as an interventional Cardiologist
at the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.
With sultry handsome
looks — and talent to match, Kojoglanian possesses enough
charm and charisma to have become an American Idol. After all, this
multi-talented rapper artist and book author has the distinction
of being a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts
and Sciences Inc.
Yet Kojoglanian —
who was recently voted the most popular doctor at Holy Cross —
chose to follow his dream, taking the road less traveled, in a baptism
of fire, learning from life’s hard knocks along the way.
“Med school ain’t
no dress rehearsal, it’s the real thing, baby,” says
Kojoglanian in syncopated rhythms, rapping à la Justin Timberlake
in a line from Playing on Your Last String. “Staying true
to my calling required tenacity, faith, zeal and intense focus.”
As a doctor in practice, the intense pressures of Kojoglanian’s
work can take him in an instance, from his routine visits with patients,
to the operating table, where every second can mean life or death.
“It’s
like you’re on stage,” he notes. “I liken doing
an angioplasty during a heart attack, to being in the World Series,
where the pressure is on and timing is everything,” explains
Kojoglanian, whose signature metaphors have become his trademark
in every aspect of his life.
“People are living
in the fast lane these days and a myocardial infarction is like
a major traffic jam on the 405 Freeway that needs to be cleared
up in a hurry,” he adds. “In situations like this, we
have 90 minutes, or what we call a golden hour window to restore
the blood flow in a clogged artery to save a life.”
For Kojoglanian, the
new Cath Lab will be a vital link in saving lives, by saving precious
minutes when the unthinkable happens.
“I work with
an incredible team of doctors, nurses and technicians at Holy Cross
and I am excited about working with the team at Henry Mayo when
the new Cath Lab opens,” says Kojoglanian. “This is
one of the few fields of medicine where we, as physicians, can make
a difference nearly instantly. And by the grace of God, not only
can we enhance the quality of a person’s life, but we can
add years to their life as well.”
As a board certified
interventional Cardiologist, Kojoglanian routinely performs angioplasties,
a procedure that involves opening the heart-arteries and taking
detailed pictures of the afflicted areas. Arteries are opened utilizing
balloons and stents. Stents are comprised of an intricate web of
steel meshing that holds the arteries open.
As a partner of the
Cardiovascular Consultants Medical Group — with offices in
Valencia, Mission Hills, Northridge, Van Nuys, Tarzana and on the
campus of the University of California, Los Angeles — Kojoglanian’s
work has expanded into the area of peripheral vascular disease,
in which doctors perform angioplasties on kidney and leg arteries.
“It’s a
delicate process,” notes Kojoglanian. “But there are
many nuances to good health, so I spend a lot of time listening
to and educating my patients about the importance of prevention.”
As part of his educational outreach efforts, Kojoglanian presents
ongoing lectures to the community on Henry Mayo’s campus,
speaking on what to eat and what to look for as far as warning signs
and ways to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease.
“I encourage
my patients, and give them love and support, because that’s
what they deserve.”
•••
A 1995 graduate of
University of Southern California School of Medicine, Kojoglanian’s
success in the field of medicine had its humble beginnings in his
youth, growing up in an Armenian family in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“As a kid, I dreamt of becoming a heart doctor, but I knew
it wouldn’t be easy,” Kojoglanian reflects of the many
hurdles he encountered in his youth and young adult years.
Born in Jerusalem,
Israel, Kojoglanian moved from the land of milk and honey at the
age of nine, to the promised land of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where
Bethlehem was compared to Graceland, and the rhythms of jazz, blues
and rap would play a pivotal role in the evolution of Kojoglanian’s
life. Fluent in five languages when he first arrived, the young
Kojoglanian’s command of those languages dwindled down to
two, but he grew up learning the language of soul, imbued in him
by his “homeys.”
His parents —
Glendale residents Asadour and Hosanna Kojoglanian — were
always there to encourage him and Kojoglanian looks up to them as
his heroes, even to this day.
“Mom and Dad
have made my dreams possible with their unconditional love and support,”
he says.
His close east-coast
friends Chuck and Mary Carlton, whom he regards as his second set
of parents, have helped Kojoglanian spread his message. With the
help of the Carltons, he recently wound up a cross-country rap tour,
visiting elementary schools not far from the region where he grew
up. Through his rap, he emboldens youth to stay off of drugs and
plan for healthy and successful futures during his regular visits
to school campuses. A role model for today’s youth, Dr. Rap’s
own prescription for success in life is quite simple.
“Perseverance,
attitude, hard-working habits and prayer have all served me well,”
says Kojoglanian, who “rapped” up this interview with
some heart-to-heart advice of his own.
“Always dream
big and go beyond your limits. Always give, always hope and always
love.”
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