Spotlight Archive
Name: Matthew Brown, MD
Where Are You From? Fort Wayne, IN
How did you get into Cardiology? While in residency, I gravitated towards Cardiology because I felt there was a great balance of high acuity, procedures and longitudinal care in an innovative field. Each day, I believe we have the opportunity to utilize multiple disciplines in order to take care of someone during the most difficult time in their life, and I find that very humbling and gratifying.
Tell us about your current research and what you love about it. As fellows at UT, we are very fortunate to provide cardiovascular care to patients afflicted with cancer at MD Anderson, one of the premier cancer centers in the country. I really enjoyed the challenge of providing care to such a vulnerable patient population. Pairing this with my passion for interventional cardiology, I have been evaluating the use of transcatheter valve replacement and repair in patients with cancer. Unfortunately this patient population tends to be poor surgical candidates, so our hope is that with ongoing improvements in transcatheter options we can continue to help patients in their ongoing fight and recovery from cancer.
Where Are You From? Fort Wayne, IN
How did you get into Cardiology? While in residency, I gravitated towards Cardiology because I felt there was a great balance of high acuity, procedures and longitudinal care in an innovative field. Each day, I believe we have the opportunity to utilize multiple disciplines in order to take care of someone during the most difficult time in their life, and I find that very humbling and gratifying.
Tell us about your current research and what you love about it. As fellows at UT, we are very fortunate to provide cardiovascular care to patients afflicted with cancer at MD Anderson, one of the premier cancer centers in the country. I really enjoyed the challenge of providing care to such a vulnerable patient population. Pairing this with my passion for interventional cardiology, I have been evaluating the use of transcatheter valve replacement and repair in patients with cancer. Unfortunately this patient population tends to be poor surgical candidates, so our hope is that with ongoing improvements in transcatheter options we can continue to help patients in their ongoing fight and recovery from cancer.
Name: Shiva Reddy, MD
Where Are You From? Easton, PA
How did you get into Cardiology? I was first drawn to Cardiology as a first-year medical student while learning about cardiac anatomy and physiology. Later, my clinical rotations showed me how gratifying and diverse the practice of Cardiology can be. I enjoy being able to provide both outpatient longitudinal care and inpatient acute care by using a wide variety of tools, including physical examination, imaging, and procedures. The continually evolving landscape of Cardiology also makes it very exciting.
Tell us about your current research and what you love about it. During fellowship, I have been evaluating the use of 3D echocardiography in left atrial appendage occlusion procedures to help determine if it provides an advantage over traditional 2D imaging. I’ve really enjoyed being able to learn more about intra-procedural imaging while at the same time gathering helpful data from the high volume of cases performed at our institution. This has provided me with a unique opportunity to develop both clinical and academic skills at the same.
Where Are You From? Easton, PA
How did you get into Cardiology? I was first drawn to Cardiology as a first-year medical student while learning about cardiac anatomy and physiology. Later, my clinical rotations showed me how gratifying and diverse the practice of Cardiology can be. I enjoy being able to provide both outpatient longitudinal care and inpatient acute care by using a wide variety of tools, including physical examination, imaging, and procedures. The continually evolving landscape of Cardiology also makes it very exciting.
Tell us about your current research and what you love about it. During fellowship, I have been evaluating the use of 3D echocardiography in left atrial appendage occlusion procedures to help determine if it provides an advantage over traditional 2D imaging. I’ve really enjoyed being able to learn more about intra-procedural imaging while at the same time gathering helpful data from the high volume of cases performed at our institution. This has provided me with a unique opportunity to develop both clinical and academic skills at the same.
Name: Shruti Singh, MD
Where Are You From? I was born in India, then moved to Katy, TX when I was in high school.
How did you get into Cardiology? Learning cardiovascular physiology and hemodynamics in medical school is what initially piqued my interest in cardiology. My interest in grew during residency training when I had the opportunity to learn from patients with common and uncommon cardiac diseases, as well as teach my patients about their cardiovascular health. The wide scope of practice and constant evolution of evidence in the field of cardiology made me excited to pursue a career in this field.
What are your current research interests and projects? My research project involves studying atrial strain and other echocardiographic parameters of atrial function and deformation in patients with AL amyloidosis with and without cardiac involvement and assess the impact of these parameters on outcomes such as mortality. I have enjoyed working under the mentorship of Dr. Koutroumpakis for this project and learned a lot about leading a research project.
Where Are You From? I was born in India, then moved to Katy, TX when I was in high school.
How did you get into Cardiology? Learning cardiovascular physiology and hemodynamics in medical school is what initially piqued my interest in cardiology. My interest in grew during residency training when I had the opportunity to learn from patients with common and uncommon cardiac diseases, as well as teach my patients about their cardiovascular health. The wide scope of practice and constant evolution of evidence in the field of cardiology made me excited to pursue a career in this field.
What are your current research interests and projects? My research project involves studying atrial strain and other echocardiographic parameters of atrial function and deformation in patients with AL amyloidosis with and without cardiac involvement and assess the impact of these parameters on outcomes such as mortality. I have enjoyed working under the mentorship of Dr. Koutroumpakis for this project and learned a lot about leading a research project.
Name: Leslie Ynalvez, MD
Where Are You From? Baton Rouge, LA
How did you get into Cardiology? My role models in medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch instilled in me how amazing the heart works. Then during my residency at Baylor College of Medicine, the practice showed me how many ways you can care for your patients: from exercise and therapeutic drugs – with so many up-and-coming trials at the time especially in the HFrEF arena – to the application of physics and engineering (EP, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, mechanical circulatory support devices, and hemodynamics) and transplantation.
What are your current research interests and projects? My interest in looking at peripartum heart failure with preserved ejection fraction really stemmed from my mentor, Dr. Pansy Tung. While most prior studies have evaluated systolic heart failure, there is emerging data that diastolic heart failure is an important clinical entity, especially in pregnant women with certain cardiovascular comorbidities. We sought to elucidate if echocardiographic parameters of diastolic dysfunction are more prevalent in those with cardiometabolic risk factors during pregnancy.
This project is also meaningful in a personal level as it defined mentorship for me – thanks to Dr. Tung. On my end, I witnessed AK and Atia (who were my research residents at the time we were pulling late nights to complete our raw database) become cardiology fellows!
Where Are You From? Baton Rouge, LA
How did you get into Cardiology? My role models in medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch instilled in me how amazing the heart works. Then during my residency at Baylor College of Medicine, the practice showed me how many ways you can care for your patients: from exercise and therapeutic drugs – with so many up-and-coming trials at the time especially in the HFrEF arena – to the application of physics and engineering (EP, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, mechanical circulatory support devices, and hemodynamics) and transplantation.
What are your current research interests and projects? My interest in looking at peripartum heart failure with preserved ejection fraction really stemmed from my mentor, Dr. Pansy Tung. While most prior studies have evaluated systolic heart failure, there is emerging data that diastolic heart failure is an important clinical entity, especially in pregnant women with certain cardiovascular comorbidities. We sought to elucidate if echocardiographic parameters of diastolic dysfunction are more prevalent in those with cardiometabolic risk factors during pregnancy.
This project is also meaningful in a personal level as it defined mentorship for me – thanks to Dr. Tung. On my end, I witnessed AK and Atia (who were my research residents at the time we were pulling late nights to complete our raw database) become cardiology fellows!