every three weeks . Jennifer started feeling better after the third dose .
“ I ’ m getting the best medical care in Rhode Island ,” Jennifer says . “ Dr . Ventetuolo ; Mary Whittenhall , her nurse practitioner ; my cardiologist , my neurologist — I trust them . They communicate with each other about my treatment plan . They ’ re all on the same page .”
That “ on-the-same-page ” approach is one of the defining characteristics of the recently opened Center for Advanced Lung Care , which Ventetuolo oversees and where Jennifer now receives her care . The center ’ s mission is to provide comprehensive , state-of-the-art care to patients with advanced lung and heart-lung diseases . Located in Providence , the CALC has brought many of the Medical School ’ s internationally recognized pulmonary programs and practitioners under one roof , and offers destination care for pulmonary hypertension , acute and chronic pulmonary embolism , interstitial lung disease , pregnancy-related breathing disorders , and advanced airways disorders such as severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , or COPD . It also features an Advanced Lung Nodule Program , for early detection of lung cancer .
With a footprint of 3,500 square feet and plans to expand , the center also houses a wide range of testing capabilities , including echocardiography , pulmonary function testing , exercise testing , and laboratory and radiology . Crucially , this means that CALC patients , for whom traveling from one location to the next is burdensome , can undergo evaluation and see their provider at the same time , in the same place .
But that ’ s not all . Unlike the country ’ s other top lung care centers , Ventetuolo says , the CALC was designed to care for the “ whole patient ” by providing integrated wraparound services : dedicated pharmacists , to supply the specialty medications used to treat complex lung diseases ; psychologists , to provide patients with support as they cope with the anxiety , depression , and other mental health challenges that
12 HEALTH DISCOVERIES @ BROWN l WINTER 2025 can accompany these conditions ; nurses and advanced practice providers such as nurse practitioners and physician ’ s assistants , to help patients manage the day-to-day details of their health ; and , importantly , navigators , to advocate for patients and help guide them on what is often a complicated health care journey .
“ These patients have complex conditions that require a higher level of care ,” says Professor of Medicine Ghada Bourjeily , MD , a pulmonologist who runs the CALC ’ s Pregnancy-Related Breathing Disorders Program ( see sidebar , p . 15 ). “ Having the right people in the right place assisting patients means we don ’ t have to refer them across town ” for different components of their treatment , “ so patients are not overwhelmed by their chronic conditions , and they feel well taken care of .”
Providing this high level of transformative care is important to Ventetuolo , a native of Cranston . “ One of the things I ’ m passionate about is giving back to my community and making sure Rhode Islanders get world-class care ,” she says , adding that she hopes the CALC will become a national referral center .
UNDER ONE ROOF That ’ s great news for patients in the Ocean State — as well as in neighboring Connecticut , Massachusetts , and beyond — who have chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension , or CTEPH . A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot forms , often in a deep vein in the leg , travels to the lung , and blocks an artery there ; with CTEPH , such clotting becomes chronic , creating scar-like tissue in the pulmonary arteries . The result is reduced blood flow to and increased blood pressure in the lungs . Unlike acute pulmonary embolism , which can be addressed with anticoagulants , or blood thinners , these clots cannot be effectively treated with such medication alone .
But while CTEPH can lead to heart failure and death , it
“ One of the things I ’ m passionate about is giving back to my community and making sure Rhode Islanders get world-class care .”