CardioNerds Academy
Academy
Welcome to the CardioNerds Academy!
The CardioNerds Academy is a year-long digital media and medical education fellowship dedicated to training the next generation of medical educators for the modern era. We equip our fellows with skills in scientific writing, visual figure/infographic creation, and podcast development—grounded in adult learning theory and digital media best practices.
Beyond content creation, we foster a thriving community of educators united in the mission to elevate traditionally underrepresented voices in cardiology and promote a culture of equity, compassion, and humanism.
What’s New for 2025:
This new iteration of the Academy features a revised curriculum tailored to the evolving landscape of digital medical education. Fellows will:
- Develop skills through interactive workshops and one-on-one mentorship
- Learn to teach and communicate effectively across multiple digital formats
- Lead the creation of three cornerstone educational products:
- A written scientific review
- A visual infographic or figure
- A podcast episode
House of Cards Structure
Fellows are divided into four collaborative houses, each led by a Chief Fellow who is an Academy alum. The houses—named after cardiology legends Vivien Thomas, Helen Taussig, Edith Jones, and Willem Einthoven—form the foundation for mentorship, creativity, and teamwork.
Fellows also have the opportunity to engage with the broader CardioNerds ecosystem, including Ambassadors from Honor Roll programs, podcast guests, collaborators, and participation in national conferences.
Capstone Projects & Awards
Fellows produce high-quality asynchronous digital educational products (DEPs) such as infographics, tweetorials, blogs, and podcasts. We honor exceptional work annually at our Academy graduation with the DEP Award, recognizing those who stand out as digital medical educators.
We are recruiting the next class of fellows for the CardioNerds Academy! The CardioNerds Academy is a digital medical education fellowship, focused on marrying content creation with personal and professional development. Current internal medicine residents, including combined medicine programs (e.g. IM/Peds, IM/EM) and cardiovascular medicine fellows are welcome to apply!
Click Here to Apply by April 28th at 11:59 PM EST
Anticipated Start: August 2025
CardioNerds Academy Class of 2024
Academy leadership
Dr. Tommy Das – Academy Program Director
Dr. Gurleen Kaur – Assistant Program Director
Dr. Akiva Rosenzveig – Director of Internship
Dr. Devesh Rai – Director of Journal Club
Chief
Dr. Ronaldo Correa
Fellows
Dr. Anna Radakrishnan
Dr. Sahitya Allam
Dr. Shazli Khan
Dr. Apoorva Gangavelli
Interns
Dr. Shivani Reddy
Dr. Atefeh Ghorbanzadeh
House Faculty
Dr. Teodora Donisan
Dr. Ahmed Ghoneem
Dr. Alaa Diab
Dr. Colin Blumenthal
Dr. Sukriti Banthiya
Chief
Dr. Rachel Goodman
Fellows
Dr. Chelsea Tweneboah
Dr. Natalie Marrero
Dr. Abhi Gami
Dr. Carla Rodriguez
Dr. Nidhi Patel
Interns
Adriana Mares
Christiana Dangas
House Faculty
Dr. Dinu Balanescu
Dr. Karla Asturias
Dr. Maryam Barkhordarian
Dr. Patrick Zakka
Chief
Dr. Cali Clark
Fellows
Dr. Georgia Vasilakis
Dr. Swagata Patnaik
Dr. Saihariharan Nedunchezhian
Dr. Miriam Riad
Interns
Pacey Wetstein
Grace Qiu
House Faculty
Dr. Ty Sweeney
Dr. Christian Faaborg-Andersen
Dr. Eunice Dugan
Dr. Jesse Holtzman
Dr. Saahil Jumkhawala
Emory Katz - CardioNerds Educational Design Intern
Emory Katz is a high school senior with a background in digital design, from graphics to websites. She holds certifications in Visual Design and Video Design in various Adobe programs, as well as Responsive Web Design. In recent years, Emory has developed an interest in the medical field, focusing on cardiology, as well as general physiology, including acceptance to the 2023-24 ACC Young Scholars Program. In addition to the maintenance of school-related social media accounts and infographics, Emory worked on the creation of a website focused on ECG teaching with the CardioNerds, and is very excited to continue to work with and learn from everybody involved with CardioNerds and USC!
Learn about our CardioNerd HeroEs
Vivien Thomas (1910-1985)
Vivien Theodore Thomas (1910-1985) was an African-American laboratory technician and instructor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. He was born as the grandson of a slave in Lousiana, working as a carpenter and subsequently as a laboratory technician after the great depression and the loss of his savings derailed his plans to become a doctor. In his role as a laboratory technician, he overcame challenging personal circumstances to become an innovator in paediatric cardiac surgery, despite having no formal college education. He played an important role in assisting Alfred Blalock and Helen Taussig in the development of the ‘Blalock-Taussig’ shunt, a procedure used to improve the survival of children with cyanotic congenital heart defects. He also contributed to major breakthroughs in research covering a spectrum of disorders such as traumatic shock, coarctation of the aorta and transposition of the great arteries. He acted as a teacher and mentor to a generation of surgical residents and technicians who went on to become leaders in their field across the USA. A television film based on his life was premiered by HBO in 2004 titled ‘Something the Lord made’.
(Soylu et al., 2017)
Kennedy DM. In search of Vivien Thomas. Texas Hear Inst J. 2005;32(4):477-478.
Helen Taussig (1898-1986)
Taussig, a pioneering pediatric cardiologist, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She earned an A.B. from the University of California in 1921 and an M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1927. Following graduation, Taussig served as an Archibald Fellow in Medicine at Johns Hopkins and worked at the hospital’s heart station until 1928.
She then interned in pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1930, Edwards Park appointed Taussig physician-in-charge of the Harriet Lane Cardiac Clinic. In 1959, she became the second woman at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to be appointed full professor. In 1963, Taussig stepped down as physician-in-charge and became professor emeritus of pediatrics.
Taussig was a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease. In 1944, along with surgeon Alfred Blalock and surgical technician Vivien Thomas, she developed the surgical procedure commonly known as the “blue baby” operation to correct a debilitating and life-threatening congenital heart defect that exhibited blue skin pigmentation, or cyanosis, in children. In addition to saving thousands of lives, the procedure was a major contribution toward the establishment of open heart surgery. Taussig also helped to avert a thalidomide birth defect crisis in the United States, testifying to the Food and Drug Administration on the terrible effects the drug had caused in Europe.
In 1954, she received the prestigious Lasker Award for her work on the “blue baby” operation. In 1964, Taussig received the Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon Johnson. She was elected president of the American Heart Association in 1965.
Taegtmeyer H. Helen taussig. Texas Hear Inst J. 2010;37(2):254.
Robays J Van. Helen B . Taussig (1898-1986 ). Facts, Views Vis OBGYN. 2016;8(3):183-187.
Edith Irby Jones (1927-2019)
Edith Irby entered the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in September 1948, becoming the first African American to desegregate a Southern medical school. Seventy years later, she has become a hidden figure in the history of medical education.The author provides a brief biography of Irby (later Jones) and analyzes the factors that led the University of Arkansas to admit Irby, most notably her scholastic excellence and an innovative legal strategy launched by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to eliminate racial inequalities in graduate and professional education. Irby’s admission prompted intensified efforts by medical civil rights activists to desegregate all U.S. medical schools.The author concludes that the 70th anniversary of Irby’s groundbreaking accomplishment provides an opportunity to acknowledge her significant contribution to the history of medical education and to recognize the continued need to erase persistent racial inequalities in the physician workforce.
Gamble, VN (2013)
Willem Einthoven (1860-1927)
Willem Einthoven (1860–1927), known as the creator of the electrocardiograph, won a Nobel Prize in 1924 for his contributions to the field of electrocardiography. He was dedicated to research and learning. In developing the electrocardiograph, Einthoven built on the work of earlier physiologists who had studied the electrical mechanisms of the heart.
(Rivera-Ruiz et al., 2008)
Ershler I. Willem Einthoven \ p = m- \ TheMan The String Galvanometer Electrocardiograph. 2015:6-8.
Bernadine Healy (1944-2011)
Dr. Bernadine Healy was a cardiologist with a diverse career spanning the government, nonprofit organizations, and academia. Dr. Healy was the first female Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), serving from April 1991 to June 1993. She also served as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy appointed by Ronald Reagan. She was President of both the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross. Dr. Healy was a Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Chair of the Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Professor of Medicine at Ohio State University. – https://www.womenofhopkins.com/healy
Healy B. Bernadine Healy, M.D. August 4, 1944 – August 6, 2011. 2012;(1):2012.
