Hypertension Expert Witnesses

Gerald W. Smetana, MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, is a General Internist with over 31 years of experience in an academic primary care practice at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School where he teaches internal medicine to medical house staff and also extensively to practicing clinicians in continuing medical education settings. Practicing in an outpatient setting, Dr. Smetana cares for a panel of patients that is weighted towards those with multiple chronic illnesses and high disease complexity. In addition to all aspects of office based general internal medicine, his areas of interest include Preoperative Medical Evaluation, Hypertension, and Headache. Dr. Smetana has been repeatedly selected as a Best Doctor in a national survey and has received a national award for scholarship in medical education. He publishes in the peer reviewed medical literature and medical texts, has edited textbooks, and has helped to develop national guidelines on topics in internal medicine. He has been invited to deliver seminars and presentations on various topics within his area of expertise nationally and internationally. Litigation Support - Dr. Smetana reviews cases for both plaintiffs and defendants, and has testified at deposition and trial as an expert more than 45 times. He has reviewed several hundred medical malpractice cases over the past 10 years both for plaintiffs and doctors. Dr. Smetana also consults for risk management insurers. His primary care, record review, and medicolegal consultation services are available throughout the United States.

Michael Blumenkrantz, MD, FACP, FACN, CNSP, dFASN has over 40 years of experience specializing in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Dr. Blumenkrantz is an internationally recognized expert in Internal Medicine, Dialysis, Kidney Disease, Total Parenteral Nutrition, and Nutrition. Achieving the rank of Associate Professor of Medicine (in residence) at UCLA, he has been in private practice for the past 30 years. Dr. Blumenkrantz is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology.

Litigation Support - Dr. Blumenkrantz has been offering litigation support services to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense for 15 years. Approximately 40% of his cases involve renal issues and the remainder are in the field of internal medicine. Dr. Blumenkrantz has been involved in 350 cases in the past 15 years and has been deposed approximately 120 times. He has testified at 30 trials and arbitrations.

Areas of Expertise:

Internal Medicine Dialysis Hemodialysis Peritoneal CAPD Kidney Disease Obesity Nutrition Support

Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) Critical Care Hypertension Long Term Geriatric Care Medical / Legal Quality Assurance Personal Injury Medical Malpractice

View Dr. Blumenkrantz's Consulting Profile.

Brent W. Sherwood, MD, is Board Certified in Family Medicine with a license to practice in Texas and Kansas. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering with 15 years experience in the industry as an Engineer. Dr. Sherwood holds 4 United States Patents.

Education & Training

• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Residency
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Medical School

Litigation Support - Dr. Sherwood provides expert witness services for cases involving Family Medicine. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include medical record review, thorough reporting, deposition, and trial testimony as needed.

Anthony C Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of Pediatric Cardiology. Dr. Chang has 30 years of experience and special expertise in Congenital Heart Disease and Perioperative Care as well as Cardiomyopathy and Sudden Death in pediatric patients.

Dr. Chang has a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from University of Miami School of Business and a master's degree in Biomedical Data Science from Stanford University. He also has a master’s degree in Public Health from UCLA, from which he graduated with the Dean’s Award for academic excellence.

Doctor Chang - Being A DoctorDr. Chang has been offering litigation support services to the legal community for many years. His expertise is available to attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense. Dr. Chang has been deposed and/or testified over 200 times since 1990.

Areas of Specialization:

Congenital Heart Disease Cardiac Surgery Sudden Death Cardiac Intensive Care Heart Failure

Postoperative Care Pulmonary Hypertension Public Health Sports Medicine Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

A world-renown leader in pediatric cardiology innovation, Dr. Chang is a member of the grant review committee for pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health. Respected in his field, Dr. Chang is a member the board of directors for the American Heart Association. Providing leadership in education, he has served with the faculty of UCLA School of Public Health (eMPH program) and has taught global health for UCLA’s eMPH. He also teaches pediatric cardiology to cardiology fellows and holds a volunteer faculty appointment at the UCLA School of Medicine.

A prolific author, Dr. Chang is the chief editor of the textbook Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care and the past president-elect of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS). He is the chief editor of the textbook Heart Failure in Children and Young Adults. He is a regular reviewer for “Circulation,” “Pediatric Critical Care Medicine,” “Critical Care Medicine,” and numerous other journals.

Dr. Chang has been voted “Physician of Excellence” by the Orange County Medical Association and also selected as one of America’s “Top Doctors,” “Top Pediatricians,” and “Best Cardiologists” by several organizations.

View Dr. Chang's Consulting Profile.

Ivy-Joan Madu, MD, JD, is a University of Southern California-trained Board-Certified Endocrinologist and Fellow of the  American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. With nearly 40 years of experience in health care and medicine, and 25 in clinical practice, Dr. Madu recently earned a Juris Doctor in 2019.

Dr. Madu treats adults with Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders. She is an expert in Insulin Pump Therapy. She has medical staff privileges at St. Joseph Hospital, in Orange, California, and Hoag Hospital in Newport, California. Dr. Madu has been the Principal Investigator for clinical research studies in her field of expertise. She serves on the Board of Directors of Lestonnac Free Clinics and is the Medical Director of a Home Health Nursing service.

Litigation Support: Dr. Madu offers Expert Medical opinions for cases involving Diabetes,  Endocrinology, and  Internal Medicine standard of care. She has provided Expert Medical Opinion for the California Medical Board and for the Orange County Public Defender.  Her services include medical chart review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.  

Areas of Expertise:

Diabetes Hypoglycemia Ketoacidosis Hyperthyroidism / Hypothyroidism Thyroid Cancer Osteoporosis Pituitary Issues

Adrenal Issues Hypertension Cholesterol Testosterone Hypogonadism Hypercalcemia Hypeparathyroidism / Hypoparathyroidism

Prolactin Steroids Aldosterone Cortisol Obesity insulin Pumps PCOS

View Dr. Madu's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Matthew Lee, MD, RPh, MS. is a Physician, Pharmacist, Pharmacologist and Toxicologist who also practices as an Expert Witness and Legal Strategy Consultant. Specific Benefits Include:

• Increased quality and integrity of written expert reports, based on an expanded knowledge base
• Time savings by only having to coordinate and discuss a case with one expert as opposed to two or more
• Since there is so much overlap between fields in the medical profession it is often hard to determine where one scope ends and another begins. This ambiguity is dramatically decreased , and scope increased by combining physician, pharmacist, and pharmacologist into one
• Communication skills of a pharmacist and experience dealing directly with the lay-public, in addition to the knowledge and background of a physician is extremely beneficial describing technical details to a jury
• Practicing in different realms within the healthcare field has allowed Dr. Lee to integrate the multiple facets giving him a unique and distinct perspective that no other expert has.

Case Experience Includes:

Criminal and Civil Cases Anaphylactic Reactions Overdosel Wrongful Death Cardiac Arrest Respiratory Arrest Fentanyl Overdose Dilaudid Overdose Pharmacist Mis-Fills Pharmacist Dispensing Errors

Pharmacy Standard of Care Medication Adverse Effects Falls Related to Medications (in and out of hospital) Toxicology/Toxic Reactions Medical Marijuana Positive Drug Screens in the Workplace Workplace Safety Fit for Duty Testing

Education/Work Highlights

Owner of three physician nephrology group that practices full time with less than 10% of my professional time spent as an expert

•        Stanford educated

•        I have been practicing nephrology for 12 years with experience

•        I care for over 250 dialysis patients

•        I am a medical director of two-dialysis facilities in Washington, DC  – In 2018, both facilities were rated 5 out of 5 star for safety by Medicare guidelines

•        I speak at national events about hemodialysis and nephrology products

•        I taught nephrology and internal medicine to medical residents

My background as an expert witness over the last five years are below:

•        I have reviewed over 35 medical malpractice cases with 60 percent plaintiff and 40 percent defense.

•        I have performed 14 depositions.

•        I have testified at trial twice.  

Awards.

• Castle Connolly Top Nephrologist
• America’s Top Physician in Nephrology by Consumer Research Council of America and as one of the “Top 10 Nephrologist” by the American Registry.
• Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN).
• Selected to serve on the Practicing Nephrology Group and the Nephrology Diversity and Inclusion Work Group. and the  American Society of Nephrology Workforce and Training Committee.

Paul R. Minton, MD, FACC, FACP, has over 40 years of experience practicing medicine as a Cardiologist. Certified in Internal Medicine and in Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Minton is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and was Governor for the American College of Cardiology in Maine. Licensed to practice in Maine and Georgia,Dr. Minton continues to practice as he is highly sought after by the legal  profession for his expertise in cardiac issues,especially myocardinal infarction and sudden death resulting from work and personal injury. 

Specialties Include:

• Weaknesses in Strategies of Coronary Heart Disease and Acute Myocardial Infarction Management
• Legal Implications of Adverse Reactions from Cardiac Drugs
• Weaknesses of the Electronic Health Record and Impact on Patient Care and Outcomes
• Impact of Uncontrolled Hypertension 

• Litigation Support - Dr. Minton has been a consultant in Forensic Cardiology to the legal profession for over 35 years. His special interest is the impact of personal injury and psychosocial and work stress on the heart, and as factors in sudden death. Dr. Minton's cases involve: Standard of Care issues in diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. His services are available to counsel representing Plaintiff and Defendant and include medical record review, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony when necessary.

Joshua A. Schwimmer, MD, FACP, FASN, is a Columbia-trained, double board-certified, full-time practicing Nephrologist and Internist based in New York City. He is on the medical staff at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. An award-winning physician-teacher of medical students and doctors, Dr. Schwimmer trained at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. Dr. Schwimmer has published more than 30 scientific papers, abstracts, and book chapters; his scientific publications are cited in the medical literature and in textbooks; and his research has been presented at national and international conferences. Dr. Schwimmer is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Nephrology.

Degrees / Certifications: Nephrology Fellowship, Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Internal Medicine Residency, Strong Memorial Hospital. M.D., University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Board Certified in Nephrology. Board Certified in Internal Medicine. New York State Medical License.

Awards / Honors: Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology. Clinical Fellowship Award, National Kidney Foundation of NY and NJ. Clinical Fellowship Award, Kidney and Urology Foundation of America. Medicine Fellow of the Year Award for House Staff Teaching, Columbia University Medical Center. Human Values in Health Care Award, University of Rochester Medical Center. Phi Beta Kappa, Wesleyan University.

Litigation Support - Dr. Schwimmer is a Nephrologist (kidney specialist) and internist (general medical doctor) available for expert witness consultations to both defense and plaintiff attorneys. His services include medical record review, causation determination, thorough reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. He has provided expert review and testimony in cases involving:

Acute Kidney Injury Kidney Failure Hyperkalemia Hyponatremia Rhabdomyolysis Electrolyte Disorders

Hypertension Urinary Tract Infections Pyelonephritis End Stage Renal Disease Dialysis Other Medical Conditions

C. Michael Wright, MD, FACC, DABCL, FNLA, is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Clinical Lipidology. With 30 years of experience, his main interest and focus is in preventing cardiovascular disease through a combination of lifestyle interventions, sophisticated risk assessment and, when appropriate, judicious use of medications. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Wright has been providing medical expert witness consultative services to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant for over five years. His services include medical record review, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony. Dr. Wright's cases include issues of: Cardiovascular Disease - Internal Medicine - Clinical Lipidology - Preventive Cardiology

Background - Dr. Wright is currently a Cardiologist in private practice at Scripps Memorial Hospital, Scripps Center for Executive Health, and a Staff physician at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California. Dr. Wright completed his cardiovascular fellowship at UCSD. 

From 1999 to 2007, Dr. Wright founded and served as CEO of the LifeScore Clinic. During this time, he performed over 15,000 comprehensive assessments on clients from all over the world. Dr. Wright combined sophisticated body imaging with extensive lab work, often including genetic testing and advanced biomarker testing. His published research, 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals, is the most comprehensive CT database. It demonstrates that standard chest CTs can be used to accurately predict cardiovascular mortality by quantifying the calcium in the coronary arteries. 

Dr. Wright is a voluntary Clinical Professor at UCSD, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, where he mentors post doctoral students and assists with research papers on data collected at LifeScore Clinic. He is also on the LipoScience Advisory Panel and Speaker Panel where he counsels on the various density lipoprotein (LDL) particles in the blood and provides physicians and their patients with information to personalize management of risk for heart disease.