Meet Our New Cardiologist: Dr. Ross Butschek

St. John’s Health is proud to welcome Dr. Ross Butschek to our cardiology team.

“My colleagues refer to me as ‘the cardiomyopathy guy,’” says Dr. Butschek (pronounced “Boo-chek”). It’s a distinction that captures the different areas of cardiology that he focuses on, including heart failure, cardiomyopathies, genetic heart conditions, and preventive cardiology, among others.

In his new role, Dr. Butschek looks forward to working closely with a variety of patients — whether they're managing cardiovascular disease, navigating a condition like cancer that affects heart health, going through a pregnancy that requires extra cardiac attention, or simply looking for proactive ways to stay well.

“I always wanted to be a physician, even as a child,” says Dr. Butschek. During his residency at Carolinas Medical Center, he briefly considered different specialties but ultimately found cardiology to be the perfect fit. “It was the ability to see a patient, both inpatient and outpatient, and truly know them across the full continuum of health that really spoke to me.”

From reactive to proactive cardiovascular care

“I absolutely love helping patients through a new diagnosis,” says Butschek. “We’ll work together over months, adjusting medications, repeating tests.” He describes seeing a patient’s heart transform back to normal function as “truly a joy.”

In addition to supportive treatments, Dr. Butschek enjoys working with patients on proactive and preventive care that helps them catch potential issues, intervene early when needed, and ultimately live their best lives.

Sometimes, that means “putting on a detective hat” to understand the patient’s full health and family history.

“The historical dogma has always been to eat right and exercise—which sure, it helps,” says Dr. Butschek. “But the vast majority of risk is who your family is. When I approach care, not only is the patient before me critically important, but I also view the situation more holistically—whether that be the implications of genetic testing, screening, or encouraging relatives and loved ones to be checked. I want my patients to know I’m their advocate, and also their family’s.”

Shaping the future of heart health in the Tetons

Dr. Butschek looks forward to helping shape the future of cardiovascular care at St. John’s Health. “Heart failure is everywhere, both obvious and not obvious cases. From early cardiovascular management options to more aggressive, rapid interventions—my hope is to bring a broader approach to heart health and care, both in situations where cardiovascular disease is the focal point, and in situations where it’s secondary, but still important.”

When he’s not at work, Dr. Butschek says he’s most likely “fighting off the newest preschool infection” for one of his three young children, while looking forward to opportunities to enjoy life in the Tetons as a family. “I hope it will include fishing, hiking, mountain biking, basically anything outside where our semi-feral, maybe rabid—or maybe just teething, I’m not sure there is a difference—children can run wild and collect their piles of sticks and rocks while the dogs look on.”

Dr. Butschek earned his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and completed his residency at Carolinas Medical Center. He went on to complete a fellowship in Cardiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, and a fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Fellowship at University of Utah Medical Center.

Need to schedule an appointment?

Dr. Butschek will start seeing patients at St. John’s Health Cardiology this September. To schedule an appointment, please call (307) 739-7690 ext. 1.