UC Davis Medical Center names
cardiovascular medicine division chief

Reginald Low, former director of the Mercy Heart Institute in Sacramento and a nationally recognized clinical investigator in cardiology, has joined the faculty at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center as chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.

A cardiovascular specialist with more than 20 years of experience in patient care, Low seeks to incorporate the best of leading-edge technology with the highest quality of patient care at UC Davis Medical Center. His research focuses on coronary artery disease and developing minimally invasive methods of diagnosis and treatment.

A former UC Davis medical student, intern, resident, fellow and faculty member, Low said he is excited about the opportunity to return to UC Davis, where he can treat patients and train the next generation of physicians.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to return to an academic setting where I can help a larger number of patients by teaching doctors of the future,” Low said. “It’s my goal to build on the strengths within the division at UC Davis to develop a highly recognized, state-of-the-art cardiovascular service.”

Low is specifically interested in using new less-invasive diagnostic modalities to examine coronary arteries. These include electron beam “ultrafast” CT, new generation helical CT, and magnetic resonance angiography. He has also been involved in the development of percutaneous coronary revascularization, a family of techniques that re-establish blood supply to the heart by using standard balloon angioplasty (PCTA), intracoronary stenting, and other approaches.

His appointment comes at an exciting time for the UC Davis Medical Center as it prepares to expand its cardiology services with the addition of two new cardiac catheterization labs and 36 additional cardiac telemetry beds.

Frederick J. Meyers, professor of medicine and pathology and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, said Low’s skills as a superb educator as well as clinical investigator make him an ideal match for UC Davis’ growing cardiac program.

“Under Low’s leadership, Mercy Heart Institute developed into one of the finest heart centers in the western United States,” Meyers said. “He is a nationally recognized clinical investigator who has worked alongside investigators at academic medical centers throughout the country to improve the care of patients with heart disease. We are lucky to have him.”

A native of California, Low was born and raised in Stockton and attended UCLA as an undergraduate. He then attended the University of Pacific School of Dentistry and later graduated from UC Davis School of Medicine in 1975, where he completed his internship and residency training in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiology.

Low remained at UC Davis for a year as an assistant professor in cardiology before moving to Kentucky where he was director of the Coronary Catherization Laboratory and Coronary Care Unit at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and the VA Medical Center. He returned to the Sacramento area in 1983 and took over as director at the Mercy Heart Institute at Mercy General Hospital from 1989 through 1997.