Cardiac surgeon advocates for a fundamental shift—from treating to preventing heart disease
Have you ever wondered why, despite medical advancements, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States?
With a staggering statistic revealing that 88% of Americans are not in optimal metabolic health, a recent TEDx talk by Dr. Philip Ovadia, a cardiac surgeon and the founder of Ovadia Heart Health, shows a transformative journey triggered by the preventable crisis of a patient. Highlighting often ignored indicators like obesity and diabetes, he advocates for a fundamental shift—from treating to preventing heart disease. Drawing from personal experiences, including shedding 100 pounds, the talk challenges listeners to envision a world where proactive measures and seeking root-cause-focused healthcare keep individuals off the operating table. It's an invitation to rewrite the narrative and aspire to a future where heart disease is an avoidable exception rather than an unfortunate norm.
About Dr. Philip Ovadia
After growing up on Long Island, Dr. Philip Ovadia completed an accelerated Pre-Med/Medical School program at The Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College (now The Sidney Kimmel College of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University). He went on to complete a residency in General Surgery followed by a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr. Ovadia has been a practicing heart surgeon since 2005. He has been married to his wife Shelly since 2010 and they have two daughters, Eva (12) and Layla (10). Starting in 2016, Philip started a journey to fix his health challenges, a lifelong battle with obesity and pre-diabetes. He successfully lost nearly 100 pounds and maintained that weight loss. Dr. Ovadia is now on a mission to help as many people as possible to avoid the need for heart surgery. He recently authored the book, “Stay Off My Operating Table®.” Philip is excited to be returning to Jefferson to Redefine Possible and educate people to Feed Your Heart: The Secrets to Staying Off the Operating Table.