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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 B9 HEALTHCARE HEROES | 2024 Awards Winner Category | Physician Dr. Joshua Jones Wheeler Health Primary Care Physician, Family Health & Wellness Center (Hartford) D r. Joshua Jones is a primary care physician at Wheeler Health's Family Health & Wellness Center in Hartford, a feder- ally qualified health center. He has focused a significant part of his work helping patients in their recovery from substance use disorder. What makes you a Healthcare Hero? e heroes are actually my patients who are in addiction recovery and want a better tomorrow. I am a passionate advocate for medication-assisted treat- ment for addiction, which is an effective, evidence-based outpatient therapy. One recovery hero I recently treated had been using fentanyl and had "failed" in his attempts to transition to the medi- cation Suboxone. We found an exam room where he could stay most of the day, and I was able to coach him through a microinduction, small amounts of Suboxone at a time, which prevents withdrawal. He was able to successfully transition, and is still in recovery today. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. e primary challenges are those that we, as a society, place on our most vulner- able neighbors. ankfully I have an amazing team that is able to fill in my gaps of knowledge, allowing us to help guide patients to their best possible outcomes. What's your next major goal and/or challenge? I hope to expand our access deeper into the community by increasing use of our Mobile Family Health & Wellness Center to help those who are simply unable to get out to doctor's appointments. Personal side: Residence: Simsbury Favorite way to relax: Spending time with my wife and young son, eo. Hobbies: Art and playing golf badly Favorite movie: "Lord of the Rings" trilogy Currently reading: "Lesson in Classical Drawing," by Juliette Aristides Favorite cause: Universal Pre-K Fun fact: My undergraduate degree is actually in classical guitar performance, which is what brought me to Hartford in 2005. Winner Category | Physician Dr. Claudio Benadiva The Center for Advanced Reproductive Services, A First Fertility Center Medical Director and Lead Physician, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, UCONN Health D r. Claudio Benadiva is the medi- cal director and a reproductive endocrinologist at e Center for Advanced Reproductive Services. He is also a professor of Obstetrics & Gynecol- ogy at the University of Connecticut and is board-certified in OB-GYN and reproduc- tive endocrinology and infertility. What have been your significant contributions to your organization? Under my leadership, the center has helped parents to conceive over 18,000 babies. I have dedicated my career to innovation in the field of reproductive endocrinology, and I am one of a small group of physicians who is certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis as a high-complexity laboratory director. In addition, last year I was the recipi- ent of the Kavoussi Family Outstanding Teacher Award, awarded by the Ameri- can Society for Reproductive Medicine to an ASRM member who is recognized as an outstanding educator in reproduc- tive biology and medicine. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. As I grew up in Argentina and immi- grated to the United States in 1986, I had to learn a new language, a new culture, and repeat my OB-GYN residency. Learn- ing the medical jargon, abbreviations and acronyms was a big challenge in the beginning of my career! What's your next major goal and/or challenge? My next challenge is to continue the significant expansion and growth of the center, while preserving our standards for excellent care, quality and high patient satis- faction we have maintained all these years. Personal side: Residence: Farmington Favorite way to relax: Reading a book at the beach Hobbies: Boating, mountain biking, Peloton Favorite movie: "Mission Impossible" (all of them) So proud of Joshua Jones, MD and our team of 1,000 other Health Care Heroes Learn More wheelerhealth.online/heroes One Hope Street, Bristol, Connecticut 06010 and, most importantly, preparing the younger generation for success. Personal side: Residence: Greenwich Favorite way to relax: Watching sci-fi movies Hobbies: Playing guitar Favorite movie: "Dances with Wolves" Currently reading: "How to Build a Time Machine," by Paul Davies Favorite cause: Dissemination of "Stop the Bleeding" Fun fact: I have an unparalleled Greek accent. Winner Category | Physician Dr. Athanassios Petrotos Yale Medicine Surgery/ Greenwich Hospital D r. Athanassios Petrotos gradu- ated from the medical school of Patras, Greece in 1991. After serving for almost two years in the NATO forces in Naples, Italy, he moved to the United States where he completed his general surgery residency in 2001 at the then-St. Luke's-Roosevelt Medical Center, now part of the Mount Sinai hospitals. He was recruited in 2005 to Green- wich Hospital and joined Yale Medicine Surgery in 2020. He practices general, acute care and minimally invasive surgery at Greenwich Hospital. He holds the position of trauma medical director at Greenwich Hospi- tal, a level-two trauma center. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. Changing the paradigm from tradi- tionalism to evidence-based medicine has been a major challenge and contin- ues to be. Nevertheless, significant improvements have been made in the last few years. What's your next major goal and/or challenge? My next challenges include continu- ing to excel in providing care, staying on the frontlines of surgery, keeping up with the pace of changing technology