Heath Wilt, DO, FACC

Heath Wilt, DO, FACC, is an experienced, award-winning invasive cardiologist with AdventHealth Medical Group. He also serves as medical director for AdventHealth Shawnee Mission's non-invasive imaging lab and the cardiac and peripheral arterial rehabilitation units.

Dr. Wilt is Board-certified in cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and cardiac CT. He earned his medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. He completed a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a fellowship in adult cardiology and cardiovascular disease at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

In 2019, Dr. Wilt was named a Kansas City Top Doctor by Ingram's magazine, which printed the following profile of him:

A career in medicine did not come as a revelation to Health Wilt—in some ways, it chose him.

“I can always recall a calling to help others and interest in medicine,” says Wilt, a specialist in cardiovascular disease for AdventHealth’s cardiovascular consultancy. “I was always more familiar with science kits and mechanics rather than having any particular athletic skills,” he says, so he headed to college and medical school “knowing that a career in medicine would likely keep me fulfilled helping others yet keeping me challenged on a daily basis.”

Wilt has already distinguished himself by becoming medical director for both the non-invasive imaging lab and the cardiac and peripheral arterial rehabilitation units at the medical center.

“I’ve always had a fondness for cardiology,” he says. “To me, there’s something inherently intimate about the heart—both from a physical, but also emotional aspect. Although literally a simple pump, its inherent mechanism of pumping with regularity and capacity for tremendous accommodation and adaptation to provide life is fascinating and extraordinary.”

Like every other aspect of health care, cardiology is awash in change. “We are not only learning more about prevention and individualized treatment approaches,” he says, “but we are in an era where we are moving more towards minimally-invasive procedures that are significantly reducing the need for open-heart procedures. This is significantly reducing recovery time while also expanding options to more complex patients and reducing risks of complications.”

Not every case will yield an optimal outcome, but even in those instances, he can take pride in the level of care his team provides. “I am more honored when we help patients and families through difficult times,” he says. “I feel the most emotional situations, and sometimes the most rewarding, are helping patients or families deal with terminal illness with dignity. It’s hearing the genuine and heartfelt “thank you’s” after difficult conversations or situations that are often the most rewarding.”