HAVE A HEART, SAVE A HEART PHYSICIANS
NICOLE WEINBERG, MD
Dr. Nicole Weinberg grew up on the East coast in New Jersey. She attended Emory University in Atlanta where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Honors Biology. She received her medical degree from MCP Hahnemann University School of Medicine, now a part of Drexel University, and completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson School of Medicine -- both in Philadelphia. She moved to the West Coast for her cardiology fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Weinberg has published extensively in subjects ranging from imaging modalities to evaluation of cardiac disease. She has lectured locally on Preventative Heart Disease and Women's Heart Disease and is also part of the Women's Health Initiative at St. John's Hospital. Dr. Weinberg is board certified in Echocardiography and Nuclear Cardiology.
Through the Women’s Heart Center at the Pacific Heart Institute, she has been a co-director of the annual Women’s Heart Symposium which focuses on current cardiovascular topics. She helped found the Have A Heart, Save A Heart charity in the hopes of increasing awareness and prevention to the community and beyond.
When not working, she enjoys spending much needed quality time with her husband and three children. Although she misses her family in New Jersey, she loves the excuse to travel home for a visit.
SARINA VAN DER ZEE, MD
Dr. Sarina van der Zee is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiac Electrophysiology. She practices at the Pacific Heart Institute, where her specialty is interventional therapies for arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, as well as pacemaker/defibrillator management. She is particularly interested in arrhythmias in women and athletes. She is part of the Women’s Heart Center at Pacific Heart Institute, as well as an athlete’s screening program.
After graduating from Yale University, she was awarded a Fulbright-Netherlands America Foundation scholarship to study drug metabolism at a preeminent laboratory in the northern Netherlands, where her family is from.
Her medical training was at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2004. After internship and residency in Internal Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center, she completed Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowships at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She joined Pacific Heart Institute in 2011.
In her free time, she enjoys jogging, from 5K to marathon distances, as well as reading fiction and spending time with her husband and young son.
ALEXANDRA LAJOIE, MD
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Dr. Alexandra Lajoie is a non-invasive cardiologist with extensive experience in cardiac imaging. She is originally from New York and attended Princeton University, followed by medical school at Columbia University. She moved to Los Angeles for cardiology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Lajoie is board-certified in echocardiography, vascular ultrasound, nuclear cardiology, and cardiac CT. She has published work on imaging, the effects of diet on atherosclerosis, and cardio-oncology, about which she has given presentations to both the community and academic circles.
Dr. Lajoie is passionate about helping patients understand their cardiac conditions and working with them on individualized therapies. She believes in the importance of prevention and early diagnosis, and she is committed to creating the best treatment plan for each patient’s specific needs. In addition to general and consultative cardiology, she has expertise in preventing and managing heart disease related to cancer therapy.
When she is not caring for patients, Dr. Lajoie enjoys running, hiking, skiing, and traveling.
CHRISTIANE SCHAEFFLER, MD
Dr. Christiane Schaeffler is a non-invasive cardiologist who joined Pacific Heart in 2022.
She was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended UC Berkeley where she graduated with degrees in Molecular Biology and English Literature. She then attended medical school, as well as internship and residency at USC, Keck School of Medicine. Following this training she completed a cardiology fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell. She also served as a chief fellow for the program in her final year. She then moved back to California for an additional fellowship year in echocardiography at UCSF. She served as an assistant professor and attending physician in cardiology at the Keck School of Medicine and LA County Hospital, teaching and working alongside fellows, residents and medical students on consultative cardiology services, in the CCU and in the echocardiography lab. She remains a clinical faculty member. She has extensive experience in structural echocardiography for the use of percutaneous interventions such as Mitra-Clip and Watchman placement. She also has special interests in prevention as well as the use of multi-modality imaging to guide care. Dr. Schaeffler is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Echocardiography.
Dr. Schaeffler is committed to working with each of her patients to develop individualized care plans in order to prevent and manage existing cardiovascular disease. She has spent time throughout her career invested in research to better understand mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease and has published several articles, reviews and chapters as well as presented at national and international meetings.
When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children as well as her extended family and friends. She also enjoys cycling, running and traveling.