Dean Medical Wellness Center, Naples

Dr. Edwin James Dean went into emergency medicine to save lives, but the loss of one particular patient forever changed his perspective on healthcare, and the course of his career. Paramedics had rushed a businessman in his 40s into the emergency room where Dr. Dean was the supervising physician. The man had no significant prior medical history, but was in full cardiac arrest and was not responding to resuscitation efforts. Dr. Dean and his team exhausted all of their medical options to no avail. As the caring doctor informed the man's wife and children of his untimely passing, he asked if there had been any untreated symptoms, risk factors, or other health clues that would have caused concern, searching for something that could have prevented the man's tragic death. There was simply no explanation. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated event, but something that Dr. Dean witnessed time and time again. He began to wonder if there was a way to prevent health crises before the internal damage was done.

To help diminish this problem, the Cornell University–trained doctor developed a multifaceted heart-health screening to check for asymptomatic heart and vascular disease. The noninvasive Pharmanex BioPhotonic hand scanner and the comprehensive Spectra Cell system help him to ferret out vitamin deficiencies, which could contribute to chronic illness. Dr. Dean uses this technology and his extensive and varied experience—including time spent as a medical missionary in the Amazon, a cruise-ship physician, and a hyperbaric-chamber physician treating scuba-diving injuries—to guide patients toward longer, happier lives.