Two topics usually not mentioned in the same sentence – radiology and horse racing – are both passions for Lawrence + Memorial Hospital’s Louis Mazzarelli.
“I’m an avid fan of thoroughbred horse racing,” he admits. “It’s something I fell in love with. I try to attend all the major events that are local, like the Belmont Stakes, for example. I love the grandeur of the animals. They’re the most fantastic athletes because they compete without any provocation for financial reasons, unlike our baseball and football players.”
And, as a diagnostic radiologist working at L+M’s Crossroads location in Waterford, Dr. Mazzarelli also finds it relaxing and entertaining to analyze the horses in the racing forms.
“As a scientist and a physician, when I see data, I like to try to take it and make something out of it,” he said. “I don’t bet much. And with the horses, I’m always wrong. But it’s fun.”
Fortunately, Mazzarelli, who directs the PET CT program at Crossroads, is a lot better when it comes to diagnosing the images of his patients. He trained at Yale University as an undergraduate, attended medical school at Albert Einstein University, and specialized in radiology at Columbia University. He has been working now with Ocean Radiology Associates at L+M for the past five years.
Dr. Mazzarelli says he loves working at L+M because the technology is state of the art. Just last week, for example, a new magnetic resonance imaging unit, with “3 tesla” magnet strength, was delivered from Germany, giving L+M capabilities equal to the best hospitals anywhere.
“It’s as good as any technology in the nation right now, in terms of what we’re able to offer patients: the highest quality of MRI, the highest quality of PET CT scans, the highest quality of CT scan imaging,” Mazzarelli said.
“And, also, when you’re dealing with MRI, you’re not dealing with radiation, because it’s a magnet,” he said. “And, with PET and CT changes that are coming to the hospital, radiation will be much lower as well, which is safer for the patients.”
Mazzarelli loves what he does because how imaging is interpreted often sets the course of treatment for the patient.
“We make a direct impact on a lot of patients lives,” he says.
“We have a very rewarding relationship with our referring physicians. That’s a wonderful thing about radiology – you deal with a very wide array of physicians,” he said. “Often, you’re generating reports about patients that are complex, but you’re getting excellent imaging that allows the surgeons and the doctors to treat the patient effectively and to plan surgery. If you’re a radiologist, you’re an important part of the team in a lot of different areas, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Mazzarelli lives in East Lyme with his wife and 3-year-old son.
“Having gone to Yale undergrad, I was familiar with Connecticut and southeastern Connecticut, and when I was looking for a place to live, I knew that this area offered a whole breadth of opportunity,” he says. “There’s so much to do from a family perspective and the schools are excellent. And the hospital is wonderful. I’ve had a great experience here.”
To learn more about Dr. Mazzarelli, click here.
