Vanessa J. Lucarella M.D.

Dr. Lucarella was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1957. She grew up in Princeton, NJ and ultimately graduated cum laude in biochemistry from Princeton University in 1975. She subsequently received her medical degree in 1983 at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, where she was recipient of the American Women Medical Association’s Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement in Medicine. Dr. Lucarella’s internship and residency were completed at Boston University Hospital, followed by her cardiology fellowship at Presbyterian-University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and the Philadelphia Heart Institute. Following her cardiology fellowship, Dr. Lucarella completed a three year military commitment during the Persian Gulf War from 1988 to 1991. She was a Major in the US Air Force Medical Corps at Malcolm Grow USAF Medical Center at Andrews AFB in Washington, DC where she served with honor as a staff cardiologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services School of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Lucarella joined CCC in August 1991, bringing her expertise in nuclear cardiology and contributes to the continued success of the echocardiography, vascular and nuclear cardiology laboratories. She is board certified in cardiovascular disease, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Lucarella is currently the Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Morton Plant Hospital. She is extremely active in the support of community education programs, particularly in the area of women and heart disease. She has also participated in the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign and enjoys preventive cardiology topics. Dr. Lucarella is available to see patients at the Clearwater and Bardmoor offices.