The team at St. Luke’s Children’s Cardiology in Nampa specializes in treatment and consultative services for children and adolescents from birth to age 18 with cardiovascular disease or cardiac-related signs or symptoms. We’re committed to delivering compassionate, expert care for your child.
We provide a full spectrum of pediatric cardiology services throughout the region for varying diagnoses, including but not limited to: chest pain, murmurs, dizziness, syncope, rhythm disorders, abnormal EKG, palpitations or abnormal heartbeat, congenital anomalies, hyperlipidemia, genetic diagnosis, and others.
If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 or go directly to the Emergency Department. The on-call cardiologist is available by contacting the answering service at (208) 381-7384.
Melissa Agoudemos, MD, PhD specializes in pediatric cardiology with a broad range of interests including neonatal congenital heart disease, myocarditis, Marfan’s syndrome and other connective tissue disorders, and arrhythmias such as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). She has additional interest in echocardiographic evaluation of congenital heart disease utilizing transthoracic echo and fetal echo.
Dr. Agoudemos received a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering with a concentration in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, where she graduated with honors and as a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. She then entered the specialized Medical Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin to earn both her medical degree and a doctorate degree in physiology. During that time, she spent extensive time researching the process by which the body grows new blood vessels (angiogenesis). This led to multiple awards from the American Physiological Society.
Dr. Agoudemos completed her pediatrics residency at the University of Iowa, a referral center focused on treating the most critical pediatric patients across Iowa. Her residency included a specialized research track where she focused on the effects of maternal disease on the cardiovascular health of children. This was followed by a three-year pediatric cardiology fellowship at the University of Iowa. During this time, she continued her research and won the F. M. Kenny Memorial Award in Pediatric Research. Clinically, Dr. Agoudemos developed her interest in imaging with extra training in echocardiography.
Dr. Agoudemos is originally from the Midwest, and spent her early career working at Southern Illinois University. Now that she's in Idaho, she never plans to leave! She feels honored to provide specialized pediatric cardiac care to the children of Idaho.
In her free time, Dr. Agoudemos enjoys spending time with her two teenagers, three cats, and husband.
Susan Etheridge, MD is a pediatric cardiologist and an electrophysiologist. She has clinical and research interests involving young patients with channelopathies and other conditions with a risk of sudden death. She is also interested in Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.
Dr. Etheridge has been a part of many multicenter research studies involving children and young adults with arrhythmia issues, and is a recipient of the Helen Taussig Lifetime Achievement Award through the American Academy of Pediatrics. Patients with inherited arrhythmias are her clinical and research focus.
Dr. Etheridge travels to Alaska periodically to see pediatric electrophysiology patients and adult congenital heart disease patients, and is committed to providing excellent care to this population. Congenital heart disease procedures and surgeries cannot be done in Alaska and patients need to travel for proper care.
Dr. Etheridge is the vice president of the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Foundation and is a past chair of the American Board of Pediatrics Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology. She is a present member of the American College of Cardiology Adult Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology Committee and chair the Education Committee and a past member of the Heart Rhythm Society Communications Committee. She is presently on the Board of Trustees of the Heart Rhythm Society. In addition, she is an associate editor for the journal Europace.
Elizabeth “Tess” Vickers Saarel, MD, FAAP, FACC, FHRS is a pediatric cardiologist and electrophysiologist with special expertise in heart rhythm disorders, sports cardiology, and syncope. She treats patients of all ages, including newborns, children, teens, adults, and pregnant women. Her goal is to improve the quality and longevity of life for adults and children born with heart problems.
Prior to joining St. Luke’s, Dr. Saarel practiced cardiology at the University of Michigan, the University of Utah, Primary Children’s Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic. She is a professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at CWRU. Her academic research is in the prevention of sudden cardiac death in youth, the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders in children and adults with congenital heart disease, sports cardiology, and quality improvement.
Dr. Saarel now serves on the executive committees for the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society, the Section on Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery for the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young Task Force, and the ACC National Cardiac Data IMPACT Registry. She also holds leadership positions at the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Pediatric Heart Network. Past activities have included leadership in the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.
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With MyChart, you’re able to view test results, contact your provider, request medication refills, schedule appointments and more. We encourage you to sign up for easy access to the tools and information you need to proactively manage your health. You can also set up online proxy access requests for medical records of children, spouses, or dependents.
There's also an easy-to-use MyChart app available for your mobile devices!