Paul Hanna, M.D., specializes in cardiology at Oklahoma Heart Institute.
Growing up, Dr. Hanna’s favorite subjects in school were science and math. He continued to study these two subjects in college, which would later turn into a biochemistry degree. He said, “After graduating from college, I was a research chemist for a large corporation and although I enjoyed the challenges of research, there was something lacking in that I spent all of my time working in a laboratory.”
During medical school, his favorite disciplines were cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology.
“It seemed like a natural progression to specialize in cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Hanna. “An additional motivation to study cardiovascular disease was the prevalence of this disease throughout several generations of my own family.”
Now, Dr. Hanna says, “As an avid cyclist, I firmly believe that regular physical activity is essential in maintaining good cardiovascular health and I also believe that diet contributes to the maintenance of good health. I try to motivate patients to lead healthy lifestyles by reviewing with them the American Heart Guidelines and recommendations for regular physical activity.”
Dr. Hanna is originally from the east coast and completed the majority of his training in the New York metropolitan area. “My father was born in Sallisaw and grew up in Tulsa; therefore, my father’s family has strong roots based in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area and I’m proud to relocate and reside in this area,” he said.
Dr. Hanna’s education includes:
• Fellowship in cardiology at Penn State University College of Medicine, 2000
• Residency in internal medicine at New York University Medical Center (Bellevue Hospital), 1997
• Medical degree at New York Medical College, 1994
• Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at St. John’s University, 1984