Program Director: Dr. Craig Alpert

Former Ambassador: Dr. Nazli Okumus

Nazli Okumus (@nazliokumus) is a cardiology fellow at Allegheny General Hospital. She attended medical school at Istanbul Medical School, in Turkey before completing Internal Medicine Residency at Case Western (MetroHealth) in Cleveland, Ohio. She is planning to pursue interventional and critical care cardiology. She is passionate about medical education and health equity. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys scuba diving, sailing and spending time with her dog Macy.

Program Director: Dr. Salim Virani

Ambassador:

Jerin is a current general cardiology fellow at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed his medical school at LECOM in Bradenton, FL and completed his internal medicine training as well as a chief residency year at University of Florida. He is passionate about medical education and will be pursuing advanced fellowship training in Electrophysiology. Outside of work, Jerin enjoys running, exploring the bike trails in Houston, expanding his Christian faith, and spending time with his family.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Jamal Hussain Mahar

Program Director: Dr. Omar Siddiqi

Ambassador: Dr. Kate Raiti-Palazzolo

I am a New York native, completing my undergraduate studies in Chemistry at SUNY Binghamton and Medical Degree at Jacobs School of Medicine in Buffalo, NY. I completed my Internal Medicine training at Boston University, staying an additional year as Chief Medical Resident. I then returned home to NYC to work two years as an Academic Hospitalist at Mount Sinai Hospital before being drawn back to Boston Medical Center for Cardiology Fellowship. My interests are in medical education, imaging and general cardiology. Outside of the hospital, I am passionate about long distance running (particularly along the Charles), enjoying the cooking of my husband (who is a chef) and traveling to Europe any chance we can get.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Alex Pipilas

Program Director: Dr. Yee-Ping Sun

Ambassador: Dr. Amanda Garfinkel

Amanda Garfinkel is a cardiology fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After studying history of medicine as an undergraduate at Duke, she attended Weill Cornell for medical school and Brigham and Women’s Hospital for internal medicine residency. She has interests in cardiac critical care, advanced heart failure, genetics, and medical education. In her free time she enjoys hiking, skiing (both snow & water!), trying new Mediterranean restaurants, and planning her next travel adventures.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Maria Pabon 

Program Director: Dr. Katherine French 

Ambassador: Dr. Vishnu Kadiyala 

Vishnu Kadiyala (@VKadiyalaMD) is a cardiology fellow at Brown University. He received his MD at the University of Rochester, after which he completed IM residency at Brown. He is passionate about medical education, clinical trials, and the future of cardiac research. Outside of work, he is a keen astrophotographer, and enjoys cooking, reading, and travelling

Former Ambassador: Dr. David Louis

Program Director: Dr. Joshua Goldhaber

Ambassador: Dr. Paul Marano

Paul Marano (@pjmarano1) is a cardiology fellow at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He completed medical school at Harvard Medical School before moving cross country to UCSF for internal medicine residency and chief residency. He is interested in critical care cardiology and hopes to complement his clinical work with translational research and medical education. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys learning guitar, watching soccer and spending time with friends and family.

Former ambassador: Dr. Natasha Cuk

Program Director: Dr. Venu Menon

Ambassador: Dr. Vincent Chen

Cardiovascular medicine fellow at the Cleveland Clinic. The son of a math professor, he had bounced around from Australia to New Zealand and then to Canada before finally landing in the Midwest. He liked people more than numbers so he decided to be a doctor. He received his MD from Northwestern and stayed there for residency in internal medicine. He spends most of his free time telling his 18-month-old son to stop sitting on their maltipoo.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Tiffany Dong

Program Director: Dr. Harsimran Singh

Ambassador: Dr. Jaya Kanduri

Jaya Kanduri (@jaya_kanduri) is a cardiology fellow at Weill Cornell. She received her medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson, and completed internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is planning to pursue interventional cardiology. Other interests include shock, echo, and medical education. In her spare time Jaya loves music, wandering in NYC, and playing with her dog.

 

Program Director: Dr. Anna Lisa Crowley

Ambassador: Dr. Aman Kansal

Former Ambassador: Dr. Kelly Arps

Program Director: Dr. Stephen Little

Ambassador: Dr. Stephanie Fuentes

Stephanie Fuentes is a cardiology fellow at Houston Methodist Hospital. She completed medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch followed by residency training at Houston Methodist Hospital. She is passionate about medical education, clinical research and reducing health disparities. She plans to pursue a career in electrophysiology. She is excited to represent Houston Methodist as a CardioNerds ambassador and collaborate with cardiology colleagues from across the country in an effort to share knowledge and science. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog Kusi.

 

 

Program Director: Dr. Deepak Bhakta

Ambassador: TBD

Former Ambassador: Dr. Asad Torabi

Program Director: Dr. Steven Schulman

Ambassador: Dr. Anjali Wagle

Former Ambassador: Dr. Ali Wand

Program Director: Dr. Muqtada Chaudhry

Ambassador: Dr. Sonu Abraham

Sonu Abraham @sonuabrahammd is a cardiology fellow at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Massachusetts. She completed medical school at Government Medical College, Kozhikode, India and internal medicine residency at Saint Vincent Hospital, MA. Sonu is interested in advanced heart failure therapies, infiltrative cardiomyopathies, unique challenges in treating heart failure in pregnant women and precision medicine. She loves getting together with friends and family, writing and painting.

Program Director: Dr. Jeanine Romanelli

Ambassador: Dr. Yousif Al-Saiegh

Born in Iraq, moved to Germany when I was six Lived most of my life in Germany. Came to the US for the excellent and structured training Love traveling, food, cooking and working out.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Ben Horn

Program Director: Dr. Nandan Anavekar

Ambassador:

Mary-Tiffany Oduah is a cardiology fellow at Mayo Clinic Rochester. She was born and raised in Nigeria. She received a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry and biotechnology (summa cum Laude) from Minnesota state university Moorhead, then obtained her medical degree in Poland. She returned to the U.S. to pursue residency at Mayo Clinic. Career interests include mentorship, medical education, global health and improving quality of medical care in low resource settings with special interest in critical care cardiology. Mary-Tiffany enjoys family time, faith based retreats, travel, and trying new foods!

Former Ambassadors: Dr. Mays Ali, Dr. David Harmon

Program Director: Dr. Frank Brozovich

Ambassador: Dr. David Soma

David Soma (@somadr5) is a cardiology fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He attended medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University before completing Internal Medicine Residency at Case Western (Metrohealth) in Cleveland, Ohio where he also served as chief resident. He is passionate about teaching cardiology in a way that is easy to understand for all levels of training and, most of all, spending time with his wife and two goofy dogs.

Program Director: Dr. Gaby Weissman

Ambassador:

Merna Hussien is a cardiology fellow at Georgetown Hospital and Washington Hospital Center. She earned her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine- Qatar and then completed internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her passion for cardiology and in particular advanced heart failure grew from the rich clinical exposure at both institutions. She is an International medical graduate who looks forward to assisting others navigating different medical systems.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Nitin Malik

Program Director: Dr. Doreen DeFaria Yeh

Ambassador: Dr. Danny Pipilas

Danny is originally from New Hampshire, and went to Boston University for undergrad followed by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He did his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s and is a general cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is pursuing a career in cardiac electrophysiology. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, running, spinning, and cooking.

Program Director: Dr. Scott Maffett

Ambassador: Dr. Alli (Allison) Bigeh

Dr. Alli Bigeh (@AlliBigeh) is a Cardiovascular Medicine fellow at The Ohio State University. She attended medical school at ATSU-KCOM in Missouri before completing both her Internal Medicine training and Chief Resident year at the University of Arizona College of Medicine ⎼⎼ Phoenix. Her current interests include preventive cardiology, women’s cardiovascular health and medical education. Outside of work she enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with her two rescue dogs.

Program Director: Dr. Benjamin Freed

Ambassador: Dr. Johnny Hourmozdi

Johnny Hourmozdi, MD, MA is a cardiology fellow at Northwestern Medicine. He is from Indiana and completed his undergraduate studies at Indiana University before coming to Northwestern to complete medical school and a Master’s in Medical Humanities and Bioethics, where he fell in love with the city of Chicago and also his partner. He did briefly adventure out to the Pacific Northwest for residency and chief residency at the University of Washington, and he has brought back with him a passion (and perhaps a snobbery) for all things coffee. Within cardiology, Johnny is interested in medical education, cardiac critical care, management of RV failure, and palliative care. He is still figuring out how to work all of those interests together.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Lauren (Loie) Farina

Program Director: Dr. Hind Rahmouni

Ambassador: Dr. Christian Inchaustegui

Christian is a Cardiology Fellow at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Cayetano Heredia University School of Medicine in Peru, and completed his Internal Medicine residency and Chief Residency at Baylor College of Medicine. His research interests include anticoagulation management and adverse events in MCS, early diagnosis of non-ischemic cardiomyopathies, and optimizing medical education during subspecialty consultation. He enjoys jogging, biking, playing guitar, and exploring the great outdoors with his wife and their Shiba-Chow pup. He will be pursuing a career in Critical Care Cardiology.

Program Director: Dr. Malhar Patel

Ambassador: Dr. Christine Shen

Christine Shen @iconsideritjoy is a cardiology fellow at Scripps Clinic. She completed medical school at Loma Linda University and went on to residency training at Scripps Clinic. Passions include whole person care, health and technology, medical education, and women’s cardiovascular health.

Program Director: Dr. Joshua Knowles

Former Ambassador: Dr. David Wang

David is a third year cardiology fellow at Stanford. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in public health, with a focus on biostatistics and epidemiology. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School. He trained in internal medicine residency at the Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. During residency, his research focused on improving outcomes in cardiogenic shock. He plans to pursue a career in interventional cardiology and structural heart disease. His academic interests focus on improving the care of patients with advanced heart failure and cardiogenic shock with transcatheter therapies. After general cardiology fellowship, he will be continuing his training as an interventional fellow at Stanford. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring the outdoors through hiking, skiing, and rock climbing.

Program Director: Dr. Marc Penn 

Ambassador: Dr. Bassman Tappuni

Bassman Tappuni (@bassmantappuni) is a cardiology fellow at Summa Health. He is originally from Iraq and has lived in different countries (Russia, Lebanon, Canada). He completed his undergraduate degree at McGill University and medical school training at University of Balamand in Lebanon. He completed his internal medicine training in Cincinnati at TriHealth, where he also served as a chief resident. Cardiology is his passion with particular interest in preventive cardiology and cardiac imaging. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with family, friends, and Toby (his furry Maltese dog!), outdoor activities (soccer and tennis), cooking and travelling.

Program Director: Dr. Pravin Patil

Ambassador: Dr. Naima Maqsood

Naima Maqsood is a cardiology fellow at Temple University Hospital. She graduated from the Aga Khan University Medical College in Pakistan. She then started Internal Medicine residency at Temple where she was part of the Medical Education Track. Her career interests include electrophysiology, hemodynamics, advanced mechanical circulatory support, exercise physiology and Medical Education. Outside the hospital, she enjoys watching horror movies, learning about astrophysics and stargazing.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Matt Delfiner

Program Director: Dr. Gregary Marhefka

Ambassador: Dr. Sebastian Rodriguez 

Sebastian is a cardiology fellow at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He graduated from University of Pennsylvania med school and completed his residency at UC San Francisco. Outside of reading EKGs and hemodynamics his interests are in medical education and bioethics. In his free time he enjoys cooking, soccer and terrible television.

Program Director:Dr. Steven G. Lloyd

Ambassador: Dr. Usman Hasnie

Usman grew up in Michigan and started his undergraduate at University of Michigan (Go Blue!) before entering the 6-year BA/MD program at University of Missouri-Kansas City. He did his internal medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and stayed on for fellowship. He plans to pursue a career in interventional cardiology. In his free time he enjoys traveling, running, soccer and flag football.

Program Director: Dr. Karol Watson

Ambassador: Dr. Soniya Rabadia

Soniya Rabadia @soniyarabadiamd is a cardiology fellow at University of California, Los Angeles. She obtained her medical degree from University of California, San Diego and completed internal medicine residency at University of California, Los Angeles. Soniya is interested in prevention, women’s cardiovascular health and medical education. cardiovascular outcomes. In her spare time, she can be found hiking in the Santa Monica mountains, drinking boba, or eating brunch in the best brunch spots in LA.

Program Director: Dr. Daniel Blanchard

Ambassador: Dr. Patrick Azcarate

Patrick Azcarate is a cardiology fellow at UCSD. He is passionate about medical education, advanced imaging and heart failure. He was born and raised in Miami where he received his medical degree at the University of Miami then went on to complete his internal medicine residency at UCSF. Fun Fact: The fastest way to his heart is through his radial artery.

Program Director: Dr. Parker Wand

Ambassador: Dr. Shirlene Obuobi

Program Director: Dr. Joyce Meng

Ambassador: Dr. Audrey Ready

Audrey is originally from Connecticut and went to the Lake Erie of College of Osteopathic Medicine before pursuing her residency in internal medicine at Baystate Medical Center. She is currently a third-year cardiology fellow at the University of Connecticut and will be continuing her training in interventional cardiology at the University of Vermont. Outside of cardiology she is passionate about improving the trainee experience and advocating for inequality in medicine. In her free time she enjoys cooking, searching for the best chicken wings around, traveling, and spending time laughing with friends and family.  

Program Director: Dr. Alex Auseon

Ambassador: Dr. Erik Simon

Erik Simon (@simonsays_MD) is a third-year cardiology fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Erik studied molecular and cellular biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (’14) where he completed his undergraduate education. Following the acquisition of his medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (’18), he pursued his internal medicine residency (’21) and cardiovascular fellowship training (’24) at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he now serves as Chief Fellow. He is currently applying for advanced fellowship training in cardiac electrophysiology and is dedicated to the philosophy of lifelong learning with a passion for medical education. Beyond the cardiology realm, Erik is an avid golfer, connoisseur of Victorian literature, a trombone virtuoso, and tea aficionado.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Brody Slostad, Dr. Owais Abdul-Kafi

Program Director: Dr. Mustafa Mohammed Ahmed

Ambassador: Dr. Ana Florencia Becerra 

Flor grew up in Argentina, and went to medical school at Universidad Nacional de Cordoba in Argentina. She then pursued a 4-year residency in Internal Medicine, followed by a 2-year fellowship in Vascular Medicine at Hospital Privado de Cordoba, in Argentina. Flor later did a thrombosis fellowship at McMaster University in Canada. Inspired by her mentors, Flor migrated to the US and did her residency in Internal Medicine at University of Connecticut. She is currently a fellow in cardiology at University of Florida. She is passionate about vascular medicine, medical education, physician gender advocacy and wellness. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her goofy dog and her friends, hiking and anything outside in nature, and watching movies.

Program Director: Dr. Dipanjan Banerjee

Ambassador: Dr. Isaac Mizrahi

Isaac Mizrahi is a cardiology fellow at the University of Hawaii. He completed medical school at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine before moving to Brooklyn, New York to complete his internal medicine residency and a chief resident year at Maimonides Medical Center. He has a passion for teaching and is excited to join his colleagues around the country in democratizing cardiac education. In his free time he enjoys botany, traveling, and surfing. He is perpetually trying to convince people that there are actually two Isaac Mizrahis.
 

Program Director: Dr. Mukta Srivastava

Ambassador: Dr. Andrew Lutz

Dr. Andrew Lutz is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and Tufts University with an undergraduate degree in economics, and later went on to medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and spent one year as a hospitalist before entering cardiology fellowship back home at the University of Maryland. He is passionate about medical education, humanism in medicine, cardiovascular prevention, the Baltimore Ravens, and is an avid tennis player in his free time.

Program Director:Dr. Melinda Davis

Ambassador: Dr. Katie Fell

Katie Fell is a general cardiology fellow at the University of Michigan. She is originally from Ohio and went to Loyola University in Chicago for undergrad and medical school. She completed internal medicine residency and chief residency at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Katie is passionate about medical education and echocardiography and hopes to pursue a career in academic cardiology. Outside of medicine, she is working her way through each of Ina Garten’s recipes, bike commuting, and drinking too much coffee.

Program Director: Dr. Tre Clark

Ambassador: Dr. Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown @AndrewBrown221 is a cardiology fellow at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He completed medical school, residency, and a chief residency at the University of Mississippi. During residency, Andrew co-founded the program’s wellness committee and completed quality improvement work on accurate blood pressure measurement in clinic. Currently, he is interested in all things CV and plans to pursue a career in academics focusing on fellowship education and noninvasive cardiology. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys.

Program Director: Dr. Frank Silvestry

Ambassador: Dr. Marius Chukwurah

Marius Chukwurah was born and raised in Maryland, and is currently a cardiology fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2014, obtained his medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine in 2018, and completed his internal medicine residency at Duke University Hospital in 2021. He is most passionate about mentorship and advancement of underrepresented minorities in medicine, community outreach in underserved populations and patient advocacy. In his spare time, he loves to cook, travel, workout and spend time with family and friends.

Program Director: Dr. Katie Berlacher

Ambassador: Dr. Jenna Skowronski

Jenna Skowronski is a cardiology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She completed her MD at Sidney Kimmel Medical College(Jefferson) with honors prior to moving across the state to complete her internal medicine residency at UPMC, where she also served as Chief Medical Resident. Jenna is passionate about women’s health and advanced heart failure in addition to medical education and health systems. Outside of work, she loves to travel, spend time with her dog Mavvy, and engaged in foodie pursuits.

Program Director: Dr. Zachary Goldberger

Ambassador: Dr. Amir Esmaeeli

Amir Esmaeeli is a general cardiology fellow at the University of Wisconsin. He is a native of the lovely city of Isfahan, but grew up as a “nomad” in various parts of the USA and Canada. He received his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis and completed internal medicine residency at Emory University. He worked as a hospitalist for several years prior to pursuing cardiology fellowship. He enjoys learning about all topics in cardiology, but is particularly fascinated by heart failure and cardiomyopathies. In his free time, he enjoys catching up on sleep, dabbling in bird watching, watching soccer, and visiting historical sites.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Rayan Rachwan 

Program Director: Dr. Rosario Freeman

Ambassador: Dr. Tomio Tran

Tomio Tran is a general cardiology fellow at the University of Washington. He completed medical school at the University of Washington and took a break from the rain for his internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado before returning to the Pacific Northwest for fellowship. His career interests include critical care, echocardiography, and medical education. Outside of medicine, he spends his time backpacking, skiing, and hanging out with his wife and dog.
 

 

Program Director: Dr. Clay Cauthen

Ambassador: Dr. Ryan Cooney

Ryan is soon-to-be cardiology fellow at UT Austin. She completed her combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency at the University of Michigan, and has been working as an adult hospitalist there for the past two years. She is passionate about caring for adults with congenital heart disease and women with heart disease during pregnancy, as well as about improving the transition from pediatric to adult-based care. She loves boating and watersports, all things chocolate, and spending time with her new puppy. She has lived in the Midwest since childhood but is excited about making the move to Texas!

Program Director: Dr. Gail Peterson 

Ambassador: Dr. Sonia Shah

Sonia Shah @sshah008 is a cardiology fellow at UT Southwestern. She obtained her medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency at Stanford University. Sonia is interested in cardiovascular disease in women and sex differences in cardiovascular outcomes. In her spare time, she can be found exploring hikes or choreographing Indian Bhangra dances with her co-fellow husband.

Program Director: Dr. Julie Damp

Ambassador: Dr. Victoria Thomas

Victoria Thomas @Drvic_thomas is a cardiology fellow at Vanderbilt University. She completed medical school at University of Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine followed by residency training at Indiana University. Victoria is fervent about medical and patient education along with promoting health equity and decreasing health disparities. She is currently deciding between a Master of Education or Science in Clinical Investigation. Her research interest are curriculum development, cardiac ATTR, and coronary artery disease.
 

Program Director: Dr. Gautham Kalahasty

Ambassador: Dr. Yuxuan Mao

Medical School:  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Residency:  East Carolina University / Vidant Medical Center 

Program Director: Dr. Andy Kates

Ambassador: Kristen Wong

Kristen Wong is a Cardiology Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis. She attended Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed Internal Medicine training at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is passionate about medical education, cardio-obstetrics, and advanced heart failure. Outside of the hospital, you’ll find her trying out new restaurants, spending time outdoors with her husband and dog.

Former Ambassador: Dr. Manuel (Manny) Rivera Maza