Loyda Rivera

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Get to know Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Loyda Rivera, who serves patients in Wall, New Jersey.

A board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Rivera opened Monmouth-Ocean Children’s Heart Center in 1999, and has been practicing cardiology since 1990. Working closely with the Pediatric Cardiothoracic programs at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, she was able to provide complete diagnostic, treatment, and follow up, as well as long-term management programs, for the rapidly growing pediatric cardiology population and their families.

The doctor founded the center on the principle that every child she sees in her practice brings a unique set of circumstances to explore and consider when diagnosing murmurs, arrhythmias, and other signs and symptoms of complex congenital heart disease.

Back in 1980, Dr. Rivera graduated with her medical degree from the University Central del Caribe School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the San Juan Municipal Hospital in Puerto Rico in 1984, and completed a fellowship at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 1987. Later, she completed an additional fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the Schneider Children’s Hospital.

During her fellowship at Schneider Children’s Hospital, she focused on the then new and groundbreaking technique of diagnosing heart disease in utero, called fetal echocardiography. Bringing this technology to Monmouth and Ocean counties over 20 years ago, she provided more options to pregnant mothers-to-be and their doctors, at as early as 18 weeks gestation.

An authority in her field, she is board-certified in pediatric cardiology and pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The mission of the ABP is to advance child health by certifying pediatricians who meet standards of excellence and are committed to continuous learning and improvement.

Achieving fellowship status, Dr. Rivera is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), and Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC).

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents, while cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with the disorders of the heart as well as some parts of the circulatory system. Pediatric cardiologists specialize in diagnosing and treating heart problems in children. In those children who might need heart surgery, pediatric cardiologists work closely with pediatric heart surgeons to determine the best treatments and interventions. 

The American Heart Association recognized Dr. Rivera’s accomplishments and contributions in 2005 with the presentation of the Leadership Award in Cardiovascular Medicine. She remains the only pediatric cardiologist to be so honored. She also holds the distinction of winning the Stephen Auster Fellowship award two consecutive years, 1988 and 1989, and received the Patients’ Choice Award in 2012. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

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