Piedmont Heart Institute’s Physician of the Year

Piedmont Heart Institute’s 166 peer cardiologists awarded Dr. Steve Sigman Physician of the Year at their September annual retreat at the Whitley Hotel.

The award recognizes one Piedmont Heart physician who best represents Piedmont’s vision and culture. Sigman best summarized his own philosophy to the AJT, “Make an accurate diagnosis, formulate a plan, and execute the plan in a timely fashion.” Sigman is known for his modesty, patient-centered approach, and kind bedside manner.

Dr. Sigman is board certified in both cardiovascular diseases and nuclear cardiology. He currently serves as the director of Nuclear Cardiology for Piedmont Atlanta Hospital and the Piedmont Heart Institute. He also serves as a cardiology consultant both in the office and at Piedmont Atlanta.

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His interests include diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, vascular disease, and cardiac manifestations of complex medical conditions. Dr. Sigman is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. He has authored and co-authored several publications and abstracts, and he frequently lectures on the topic of cardiac imaging.

Some peer tributes were Charles L. Brown III, M.D., CEO of Piedmont’s Physician Enterprise, and a practicing interventional cardiologist.

Piedmont Heart Institute’s 166 peer cardiologists awarded Dr. Steve Sigman Physician of the Year at their September annual retreat at the Whitley Hotel.

“The positive difference he’s [Sigman] made in the lives of the patients he cares for is clear in the remarkable feedback received from his many patients and his peers. His efforts to help each patient’s specific needs often go above and beyond his usual duties as a cardiologist, making him very deserving of this recognition,” Dr. David Kandzari said.

“Dr. Sigman is known for treating those impossibly complicated, yet curable, diseases. He spends time with the patients and listens to figure out an appropriate diagnosis and is someone you want helping you out. He loves his work and always brings so much joy to the unit.”

Dr. Sigman was a pioneer in using amyloid PYP scans to determine if a patient has cardiac amyloidosis, how severe it is and what treatment options are best. He also started the cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) scan program at Piedmont Atlanta, which is a cardiac scan that can detect whether areas of the person’s heart muscle are receiving enough blood, if there is heart damage or scar tissue in the heart, or if there is a buildup of abnormal substances in the heart muscle. These pictures help cardiologists identify disease or poor blood flow in the heart and more accurately diagnosis cardiac issues.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Sigman received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio, and subsequently completed a medical residency and cardiology fellowships at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, and Emory respectively. Following that he served as chief resident at Grady Memorial Hospital, and prior to joining Piedmont Heart Institute, was assistant professor of medicine (cardiology) at Emory University.

He moved to Atlanta in 1994 and joined Piedmont Heart Institute in 2009. Steve and wife Carolyn, also a physician at Piedmont (Brookhaven Internal medicine), have five children from the ages of 21 to 28. Members of Congregation Shearith Israel and serving on their board, Sigman described his busy family life, “All five of my kids were very involved at the Marcus Jewish Community Center from their early preschool years to high school, including summer camp, sports, and all kinds of things. I commonly had Sundays where I had five sporting events occurring on the same day [most at the same time] at the Marcus JCC!”

Piedmont Heart Institute ranks in the top 5 percent in the country among cardiovascular organizations. Local philanthropist Bernie Marcus, through The Marcus Foundation, is a major donor of Piedmont Healthcare and Piedmont Heart.

He was also a patient and received care from the Marcus Heart Valve Center that his foundation established at Piedmont. The foundation gifted Piedmont $75 million in 2016, then six years later in 2018 The Marcus Foundation gave an additional $20 million to establish the Marcus Heart Valve Center. Bernie Marcus was a recipient of the world-class cardiovascular care he helped to develop.