Class of 2023 Fellows
Fellow Spotlight
Muhammad Bajwa, MBBS
Where did you grow up? Lahore, Pakistan
Where did you go for residency? University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
Why did you go into cardiology? Allows you to learn procedural and non-procedural (clinical) skills, and percutaneous procedures to save lives and make patients feel better
Why did you choose UT? High volume tertiary care center, opportunity to excel in your clinical skills, busy cath lab for coronary and structural interventions, and the location.
What specific fields of cardiology are you interested in/ what are your plans after fellowship? Interventional coronary interventions. I’d like to practice in a hospital/community-based practice in a large metropolitan area like Houston.
What are your hobbies/ what do you like about Houston? Food, culture, opportunities, no state income tax, Houston Rodeo.
Jawad Chohan, MD
Where did you grow up? Oklahoma City, OK
Where did you go for residency? UT Houston
Why did you go into cardiology? It’s a great combination of procedures, critical care and longitudinal care of patients
Why did you choose UT? This program has excellent clinical training with exposure to the full spectrum of disease. You also get to work with different patient populations by training at both a tertiary care center and a community hospital for the underserved population.
What specific fields of cardiology are you interested in/ what are your plans after fellowship? Interventional cardiology
What are your hobbies/ what do you like about Houston? There is a never-ending list of new restaurants to try.
Rafael Francisco Go, MD
Where did you grow up? Manila, Philippines
Where did you go for residency? Cook County Health, Chicago, IL
Why did you go into cardiology? I wanted to be in a progressive field where you had to constantly improve and challenge yourself.
Why did you choose UT? I wanted to become a strong clinical cardiologist who had exposure to all aspects of modern cardiology.
What are some strengths of the UT program? Strong clinical training and exposure to different types of institutions
What specific fields of cardiology are you interested in/ what are your plans after fellowship? General cardiology/imaging
What are your hobbies/ what do you like about Houston? Working out, hiking, traveling, watching sports, trying new food and coffee
Amit Koduri, MD
Where did you grow up? I grew in up here in Houston.
Where did you go for residency? University of Georgia/Augusta University Medical Partnership
Why did you go into cardiology? I found it extremely rewarding to participate in the care of patients who are admitted with life limiting and threatening cardiac issues, receive excellent cardiac care, and discharge from the hospital with just a pill regimen and a clinic follow up.
Why did you choose UT? I chose this program because of the dedication to education represented by our many conferences, clinical competency through the high volume of patients, and opportunities for advanced cardiac training afterwards. It allowed me to achieve my specific career goals while at the same time serving the community I grew up in.
What specific fields of cardiology are you interested in/ what are your plans after fellowship? Electrophysiology
What are your hobbies/ what do you like about Houston? I enjoy running in Hermann Park, hanging out with my co-fellows, and eating out.
Dorothy Pei, MD
Where did you grow up? Millington, NJ
Where did you go for residency? Baylor College of Medicine
Why did you go into cardiology? I really enjoyed my CCU rotation during residency. I liked how with the right medications or interventions, patients had the potential to have great outcomes.
Why did you choose UT? I liked the opportunity to rotate at multiple hospitals, each with very different patient populations. I also liked how the program had strong advanced heart failure, EP, and interventional programs.
What are some strengths of the UT program? In addition to the above, I think the CCU and night float rotations at UT really prepare you for acutely sick patients. After coming out of those rotations, I felt confident about managing shock.
What specific fields of cardiology are you interested in/ what are your plans after fellowship? I plan on pursuing academics as a general cardiologist.
What are your hobbies/ what do you like about Houston? I enjoy spinning, biking, and baking in my free time. I like the diversity in Houston and you cannot beat the cost of living. Houston’s Chinatown is also pretty awesome.
Carl Zehner, MD
Where did you grow up? London, UK
Where did you go for residency? Baylor College of Medicine
Why did you go into cardiology? The variety of experience: the opportunity to be a bedside clinician, imager and proceduralist at the same time.
Why did you choose UT? The most important factor for me in choosing a fellowship was ensuring that I would be well trained when I finished. The complexity and diversity of the patients we care for in the Heart and Vascular Institute at Memorial Hermann make me confident that I will be ready to handle almost anything when I graduate.
What are some strengths of the UT program? UT’s biggest strength is the diverse exposure. Between LBJ, MD Anderson and Memorial Hermann, fellows experience the spectrum from resource limited practice to the latest procedures and devices.
What specific fields of cardiology are you interested in/ what are your plans after fellowship? General Cardiology
What are your hobbies/ what do you like about Houston? Reading, tennis, soccer, nice weather most of the year, affordable, plenty of activities during non-COVID times.