Meet the RMCVA General Cardiology Physicians
Claudia Benedict MD, FACC 
General Cardiology
Dr. Benedict was born and raised in Ohio and attended college at the University of Colorado, where she graduated with a degree in molecular biology. She then attended the University of Cincinnati Medical School. She returned to do her residency and fellowship at Presbyterian/St Luke's Hospital here in Denver.
Dr Benedict's medical interests include heart failure, and echocardiography. She also focuses on the specific issues of women's health. When she's not practicing medicine, she enjoys skiing, fly fishing, and especially being a mom.
John C Breckinridge MD, FACC
General Cardiology 
Dr Breckinridge attended Harvard College in Massachusetts, and after graduation in 1961, he went on to receive his MD from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. He stayed east for his internship at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, but made his way to Colorado in 1970 to complete his residence and fellowship at the University of Colorado. He has been in practice with the RMCVA group since 1983.
In his spare time, Dr Breckinridge enjoys spending time at home with his family. He also can be found playing bluegrass music or reading, and he makes sure to stay active with regular exercise and travel.
Darlene Eyster, MD, FACC
General Cardiology
Dr. Darlene Eyster earned her medical degree from the St. Louis University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in cardiovascular disease through the Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis. Dr. Eyster is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and nuclear cardiology. She is a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology. Her professional areas of interest include heart failure and coronary vascular disease management through healthy lifestyle changes in combination with research supported medication and procedural treatments. Her focus is to help provide patients with improved quality of life.
Dr. Eyster has practiced cardiology since 1998 primarily in the St. Louis, Missouri area. She and her husband have moved to Colorado in order to be closer to their family. She is very excited to face the new challenges that await her as she begins medical practice in Boulder County and Lafayette, Colorado.
William Gurdin MD, FACC
General Cardiology
After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1987, Dr. Gurdin attended the Sackler School of Medicine New York State/American Program at Tel Aviv University. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY in 1996. He completed his cardiology fellowship at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri before joining the Rocky Mountain Cardiovascular Associates practice in July of 1999.
Dr. Gurdin is currently board certified in Cardiovascular Diseases, Nuclear Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Computerized Tomography (CT). His areas of interest include valvular heart disease and acute coronary syndrome. Dr. Gurdin is trained in cardiac catheterization, nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).
In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, hiking, learning to play golf, and spending time with his son.
Robert Henson MD, FACC
General Cardiology
Robert Henson is originally from the largest wine making town in rural Missouri. He first moved to Denver in 1989 for his internal medicine residency. He has called Denver home ever since, and was an internist for six years before beginning a cardiology fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, where he also did research in cardiac MRI. Dr Henson came back to Colorado in June of 1999 to join the Rocky Mountain Cardiovascular practice.
Dr. Henson is currently Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease. His areas of interest include consultative cardiology, echocardiography, and congestive heart failure. Dr. Henson's special area of interest is cardiac MRI. With the assistance of Denver NMR and Rocky Mountain Cardiovascular Associates, the Rocky Mountains' first comprehensive cardiac MRI program has been developed at Denver NMR.
In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, hiking, biking and practicing his fly-casting in the numerous Colorado rivers.
Kelly Kim MD, FACC FHRS
General Cardiology/Electrophysiology 
Dr Kim attended Brown University for both university and medical school. He left Rhode Island in 1994 and headed north to Boston, where he completed his internship and residency at Beth Israel Hospital. In 1997, he moved to Seattle, Washington for his fellowship in cardiology. He furthered his cardiology studies by doing a second fellowship in electrophysiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2000. Dr Kim became a Rocky Mountain Cardiovascular physician in 2001.
As an electrophysiologist, Dr Kim's professional medical expertise is the electrical system of the heart. His interests include pacemakers and defibrillators, as well as electrophysiology (EP) studies and ablations, in which heart rate disturbances are rectified by damaging the electrical tissue to allow the heart's normal rhythm to resume.
Always on the move, Dr Kim's hobbies include skiing, traveling, and running. he also enjoys classical music and spending time with his kids.
Jody Kleinman MD, FACC FACP
General Cardiology
Before attending medical school, Dr Kleinman studied History of Art at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After receiving her MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Kleinman stayed in the Bronx for her internship and residency. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles for a cardiology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In 1989, Dr Kleinman moved to Denver to join the faculty at the University of Colorado Medical Center before joining the Rocky Mountain Cardiovascular practice in 1991.
Dr Kleinman's particular medical specialties include consultative cardiology, cardiac catheterization, temporary and permanent pacemaker placement, transthoracic and transesophogeal echocardiography, and holter monitoring.
When she's not working, Dr Kleinman enjoys spending time with her teenage children, her husband, and their dog. She stays active by bicycling, hiking, and skiing, and she also enjoys reading and traveling.
Timothy W. Leavitt MD, FACC
General Cardiology
Dr Leavitt graduated from the University of Chicago in 1967 and from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1971. He then moved to Ohio for his internship and residency, and then on to Texas for his fellowship in cardiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Dallas before making his way back to Colorado. He has been in practice with the RMCVA doctors since 1978.
When not seeing patients, Dr Leavitt enjoys music, skiing, and fishing.
Donald Thompson MD, FACC
General Cardiology
Dr Thompson grew up in Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma State University, where he graduated with a degree in psychology. After college he worked in Arkansas as a psychology assistant, and completed a Master's Degree in clinical psychology in Mississippi. He spent 11 years in Boise, Idaho working for the state of Idaho, initially as a psychologist and then as a manager/administrator for a state facility.
Dr Thompson's medical journey began 13 years after those of most of his classmates. He completed medical school at the University of Oklahoma and his internship and residency at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He then moved on to a cardiology fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Thompson practices general adult cardiology, but has a special interest in valvular heart disease and congestive heart failure. He has maintained an interest in the psychological aspects of health care including those related to cardiac conditions. Throughout his cardiology practice, he has been with Rocky Mountain Cardiovascular Associates, PC. He is an active representative for our group and medical staff.
Tatiana O. Tsvetkova MD, FACC
General Cardiology 
Dr Tsvetkova earned her Physician Diploma, with honors, at the Leningrad Medical Institute in 1989. Dr Tsvetkova moved to the United States in 1996 and completed her residency and fellowship in cardiology at the University of Colorado. After receiving advanced training in heart failure and echocardiography, she joined the RMCVA doctors in practice in 2006. Dr Tsvetkova is particular interested in the diagnosis and care of chronic heart failure.
Dr. Tsvetkova enjoys spending time with her two teenage daughters. She also enjoys practicing yoga and traveling, and looks forward to going to her two favorite places: Paris and Italy.
Martin G Yussman MD, FACC
General Cardiology
Dr Yussman grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. He left Kentucky briefly to attend college in Wisconsin, but returned for medical school at the University of Louisville, and graduated in 1997. He then moved to Ohio, where he completed his internship, residency and fellowship at the University of Cincinnati. His love of the mountains helped convince Dr Yussman to move to Colorado, and he joined the RMCVA group in 2004. Dr Yussman's medical interests include chronic heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease and its complications.
Outside of the hospital, Dr Yussman enjoys staying active by going to the gym, running, and snowboarding.
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