Healthy You: Meet United Regional’s newest physicians, Dr. Nwosu and Dr. Tauriainen

For nearly three decades, United Regional has provided the community with advanced cardiac care. Now, two new physicians are joining the team; show us how their extensive medical backgrounds will positively impact the Wichita Falls community and beyond.

From a young age, Dr. Mikko Tauriainen knew he wanted to get into medicine.

“In medical school, I had some mentors that were heart surgeons and did some rotations and heart surgery, and then did more heart surgery training during general surgery. The mentors did amazing things. The surgery was very gratifying. Life-saving, complex, challenging. And that’s what drew me to it initially. And the physicians and surgeons that I met encouraged me to do it,” Tauriainen said.

Dr. Ifeanyi Nwosu was also inspired to pursue medicine at an early age, with his parents serving as his first mentors.

“My parents were in the medical field. My dad was a surgeon. So growing up I watched him do many surgical procedures, especially when I was in the medical school. So I thought that my career would end up being in surgery. My mom was a nurse, so she really gave me the nursing care firsthand,” Nwosu said.

Both offering up a unique set of medical skills.

“Coronary bypass. Surgery is where you bypass arteries on the heart. And that’s because that’s still one of the number one killers of patients in the United States and elsewhere also operate in other aspects of the heart, such as the heart valves. Sometimes if you have a hole in the heart or other defects, also operate on the arteries and veins in the body,” Tauriainen said.

“For the noninvasive cardiologist, we tend to do more of diagnosis and medical management of various cardiac conditions. And that would include electrical abnormalities, what we call cardiac arrhythmias. Various of them we specialized in treated them medically, diagnosing and treating them,” Nwosu said.

And now both are bringing their skills, along with compassion, on board United Regional’s team.

“First of all, you need to try to talk to patients in a language and using words that they can understand. You can read the patient and make sure that you feel that they are understanding what you’re telling them. Sometimes you need to go over the information more than once. Fortunately, most patients trust their physicians, and once you explain their condition and explain what their options are, then they will most of the time agree to go ahead with the treatment plan,” Tauriainen said.

“I’ve recently joined United Regional. And, you know, my experience has been amazing; what we have at our disposition to really help patients with cardiac conditions, diseases of the coronaries, and valves. It’s amazing, and we have the strong backing of the cardiothoracic surgical unit. And when we pair that together, it’s an amazing outcome,” Nwosu said.

With advanced cardiac care and a team approach, United Regional is providing patients with the care they need in Wichita Falls and beyond.

see the full interview video here