Current Fellows

Seyed Hossein Aalaei-Andabili, M.D.

Hometown: Andabil/Talesh, Iran
Medical School: Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science
Clinical Interest: Interventional and structural cardiology
Research Interest: Innovative techniques in cardiac procedures, clinical trials

Originally from Andabil, a small village in northwest Iran. After completion of his medical school in Tehran, he moved to the United States and established a productive interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery research center at University of Florida. Hossein completed his internal medicine residency at University of Florida, Gainesville and general cardiology fellowship at University of Maryland, Baltimore. He is very passionate about complex coronary procedures and innovation in structural heart techniques.

headshot of Seyed Hossein Aalaei-Andabili

Maeve Jones-O’connor

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Medical School: University College Dublin, Ireland
Clinical Interest: Cardiac critical care
Research Interest: Prevention, digital health

Maeve is a native of Dublin, Ireland where she completed her medical degree at University College Dublin. She completed her transitional intern year at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin before moving to Boston for internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. From there, she has made the move southward to Baltimore to complete her cardiology training. She has a particular clinical interest in cardiac critical care, and in developing this subspecialty as it integrates the leading edges of cardiology, cardiac surgery, critical care and medical device technology. She also plans to develop her research interests in prevention and digital health during her fellowship years. Outside of the hospital, she spends as much time as possible hiking, cycling, running or travelling.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Maeve Jones-O’connor

Structural Fellows

Hooman Bakhshi, M.D.

Hometown: Tehran, Iran 
Medical School: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences 
Clinical Interest: Interventional and structural Cardiology
Research Interest: Outcomes research and using novel cardiovascular biomarkers for risk stratification

Hooman was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He attended medical school at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. He completed his medical residency at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and cardiology fellowship at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, Virginia. He is very passionate about medical education and academic cardiology. His research studies are focused on using novel biomarkers to predict cardiovascular disease in population at risk. He is also interested in outcomes research. 

Hooman Bakhshi

Sumon Roy, M.D.

Hometown: Raynham, MA
Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
Clinical Interest: Interventional and Structural Cardiology
Research Interest: Advancement in Intracoronary Anatomic and Hemodynamic Technology

Sumon was born and raised on the South Shore of Boston, MA. He attended college, graduate school, and medical school in Boston, MA. He continued on to complete his internship and residency in Internal Medicine in Rochester, NY, and then his fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease in Richmond, VA. His primary career interests are to perform impactful percutaneous coronary and structural procedures while participating in research to minimize risks associated with these procedures. He is very excited to continue the pursuit of his career goals in Baltimore, MD.

Sumon Roy

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellows

Nino Isakadze, M.D.

Hometown: Tbilisi, Georgia
Medical School: David Tvildiani Medical University
Clinical Interest: General Cardiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology
Research Interest: Atrial Fibrillation, Medical Innovation, M Health

Dr. Nino Isakadze is a fourth-year cardiology fellow with research interests at the intersection of digital health and atrial fibrillation. In collaboration with the American Heart Association and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, Dr. Isakadze incorporated Human Centered Design methodology to develop mobile application for management of atrial fibrillation in a way that will meet the needs of diverse groups of patients and clinicians. Dr. Isakadze currently plans to conduct a pilot randomized clinical trial to evaluate clinical outcomes with the use of atrial fibrillation application. She received a Master of Health Science Degree in Graduate Training in Clinical Investigation at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health during her third year of fellowship. She was also selected to be the American Heart Association Health Technology and Information Scientifically Focused Research Network fellow. Dr. Isakadze received The Michael Mirowski and Semyon and Janna Friedman Friedman Fellowship awards given to fellows with the greatest potential for academic success.

Nino Isakadze

Rachit Vakil, M.D. – Chief Fellow 

Hometown: Manahawkin, NJ
Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Clinical Interest: Electrophysiology, heart failure
Research Interest: Obesity related cardiovascular comorbidities, prevention, epidemiology

Rachit attended Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School for medical training. He received his Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he focused on epidemiology and biostatistics. He completed his internal medicine training in the Osler Residency Program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is interested in cardiovascular epidemiology with a focus on risk stratification of sudden cardiac death. After general cardiology, he plans to pursue training in cardiac electrophysiology. Outside of the hospital he enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and strolling down to the harbor with his wife and young daughter to get gelato.

Rachit Vakil

Marc Engels, M.D., Ph.D.

Hometown: Willemstad, Curaçao
Medical School: Leiden University
Clinical Interest: Electrophysiology
Research Interest: Atrial fibrillation, sudden cardiac death

Marc was born and raised in Curaçao, a small island in the Caribbean. He graduated from medical school at Leiden University in the Netherlands and completed PhD training there as well. During his PhD training he focused on arrhythmia research and specifically shockless defibrillation using optogenetics. He subsequently moved to the US for residency training at Emory University. He plans to pursue a career in cardiac electrophysiology.

Marc Engels

Steven Liskov, MD  

Hometown: Kingston, PA   
Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine 
Clinical Interest: Cardiac electrophysiology  
Research Interest: Cardiac pacing and resynchronization therapy, cardiovascular hemodynamics, atrial fibrillation, innovative technologies

Steven attended Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine for medical training. He completed his Internal Medicine training at University of Maryland Medical Center and Cardiology training at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, PA. Steven’s research interests include cardiac pacing and resynchronization therapy, hemodynamic properties of conduction system pacing, and atrial fibrillation.

headshot of Steven Liskov

Keva Garg

Hometown: Bethesda, Maryland
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Clinical Interests: Preventative Cardiology
Research Interests: HIV related cardiac disease

Keva is a Maryland native. She earned her undergraduate degree at Columbia University, and returned to the area for her masters and medical degree from Georgetown University. She completed her residency at Duke University Hospital, and has returned home to complete her training in cardiology. Her clinical passion lies in preventative cardiology, with a special academic interest in HIV’s impact on the risk for ischemic cardiac disease. Ultimately, she hopes to work as an academic cardiologist, working to improve preventative cardiac care to marginalized populations locally and abroad.

headshot of Keva Garg

Renato Quispe Ayala, M.D.

Hometown: Lima, Peru
Medical School: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Lima, Peru)
Clinical Interest: General Cardiology, Prevention, Heart Failure
Research Interest: Prevention, lipids, risk modeling, big-data, machine learning/artificial intelligence, genomics

Dr. Renato Quispe is a third-year cardiology fellow interested in preventive cardiology and lipidology. Using big-data and epidemiologic approaches, his research has focused on the role of coronary calcium score in refining prediction of cardiovascular risk, the metabolism of different lipoproteins and its effect on atherosclerosis, and the importance of emerging lipid markers such as remnant particles and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Dr. Quispe obtained a Master of Health Science in Graduate Training in Clinical Investigation from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (JHSPH) in 2016. He has been a finalist for the AHA Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award in 2018 and Samuel A. Levine Young Investigator Award in 2020. Dr. Quispe is currently pursuing a PhD degree in Clinical Investigation at JHSPH, with a focus on machine learning/artificial intelligence and genomics in cardiovascular disease. His training and research have been supported by the Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional Research Training Program (T32) and the Trone Family Foundation.

Renato Quispe Ayala image

Advanced Echocardiography and Imaging Fellows

Erin Goerlich

Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Medical School: University of Texas at Houston, McGovern Medical School
Clinical Interest: Cardiovascular imaging, coronary artery disease
Research Interests: Noninvasive imaging, novel echocardiographic techniques, endothelial dysfunction

Erin was born and raised in San Antonio, TX and completed medical school at the University of Texas at Houston. She went on to complete Internal Medicine training in the Osler Residency Program at Johns Hopkins. She then joined the Hopkins T32 post-doctoral cardiology research fellowship studying noninvasive assessment of endothelial dysfunction via MRI and investigation of novel echocardiographic findings in a variety of CV disease states. She plans to pursue an academic cardiology career focusing on clinical research. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys spending time with her son, husband, and 2 doodles.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Erin Goerlich

Heart Failure Fellows

Pei Jun Zhao, M.D., M.P.H.

Hometown: London, Canada  
Medical School: Western University  
Clinical Interest: Heart Failure, Transplant, Mechanical Circulatory Support
Research Interest: Cardiovascular Genetics, Public Health, Digital Health

 
Pei Jun completed an honors bachelor of science at the University of Toronto, medical school and residency (internal medicine, cardiology) at Western University, and master of public health at Harvard University. He has experience in genetics, bioinformatics, and cardiovascular risk prediction. He is interested in creating digital health tools for precision medicine in advanced heart failure and for personalized prevention of cardiovascular disease among the public. 

headshot of Pei Jun Zhao

T32 Fellow

Edwin Yoo

Hometown: Millbrae, California
Medical School: Temple (MD), UPenn (PhD)
Clinical Interests: HFpEF, Pulmonary Hypertension, RV Failure, Preventative Cardiology
Research Interests: Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Biomarkers, Proteomics, Epigenetics

 
Edwin was born and raised in San Francisco, California and went on to study Biochemistry at UC San Diego, followed by medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia. During a summer research internship at the University of Pennsylvania, Edwin discovered a novel drug target in smooth muscle which led him to develop a passion for translational research. He completed a PhD in Pharmacology at UPenn where he was awarded a NIH NRSA grant, a patent, and several publications on his thesis research. Edwin subsequently completed residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York where he confirmed his aspirations to become a physician-scientist in Cardiology. Outside of the hospital, Edwin enjoys spending time with his wife and playing the electric guitar.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Edwin Yoo

Cardiovascular Disease Fellows

Year 1

Rishi Chandiramani, M.B.B.S.

Hometown: Mumbai, India 
Medical School: Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai, India
Clinical Interest: Interventional and Structural Cardiology 
Research Interest: Antiplatelet strategies in complex coronary artery disease patients; Cardiovascular risk assessment; Primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease

Rishi was born and raised in Mumbai and earned his medical degree from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College. He then moved to the US to pursue a research fellowship in Interventional Cardiology and Clinical Trials at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where he had the privilege of closely collaborating on international, multicenter randomized trials focusing on novel antiplatelet strategies in high-risk patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Rishi subsequently completed his Internal Medicine residency at the Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine program, where he further cultivated his passion for cardiovascular disease. He has a clinical interest in Interventional and Structural Cardiology, aiming to explore innovative approaches and techniques in the field as an academic cardiologist. Outside of medicine, he enjoys soccer, tennis, exploring global cuisines and watching documentaries.

headshot of Rishi Chandiramani
Omar Chehab, M.D., M.Sc.

Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon  
Medical School: American University of Beirut 
Clinical Interest: Preventive cardiology, heart failure, and cardiac imaging  
Research Interest: Microvascular disease, coronary artery disease, myocardial fibrosis, and what determines cardiac aging

Omar received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Doctor of Medicine from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. During this time, he contributed to significant projects such as the development of a pre-operative cardiac risk calculator and exploring the relationship between podocyturia levels, a new novel biomarker, and cardiovascular disease. Following his initial education, Omar moved to the United Kingdom, where he pursued a Master's in Preventive Cardiology at Imperial College London, and graduated with distinction. He was also the recipient of the Philip Poole-Wilson Award for academic excellence. In 2018, Omar relocated to the United States to complete his Internal Medicine residency. He then joined the Johns Hopkins University Hospital to pursue training in advanced cardiac imaging under the mentorship of Dr Joao Lima. His work at Hopkins has led to him being a finalist for the American College of Cardiology Young Investigator Award and a recipient of the Jay D. Coffman Young Investigator Award. When not engaged in his professional pursuits, Omar is an avid traveler, often spending his weekends exploring new places and hiking with his wife.

headshot of Omar Chehab
Jae-Hoon Chung, M.D., Ph.D.

Hometown: Pupyeong, South Korea   
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine  
Clinical Interest: Critical care, heart failure, interventional 
Research Interest: Cardiac muscle physiology, hemodynamics

Jae was born in South Korea and grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He studied chemistry at Northwestern University where he developed an interest in research. He attended The Ohio State University College of Medicine where he completed his combined MD/PhD degrees. In graduate school, he studied the kinetics of contraction and relaxation in intact human cardiac muscle which was supported by the American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. He then pursued internal medicine residency at The Ohio State University where he confirmed his passion in cardiology. When he’s not working, Jae likes to play tennis and spend time with his wife and son. He also likes to watch Tottenham Hotspur games in the Premier League.

Jae-Hoon Chung
Ian Everitt, M.D.

Hometown: Durham, NC 
Medical School: Emory University School of Medicine 
Clinical Interest: Preventive cardiology, heart failure, LGBTQ+ health 
Research Interest: Cardiovascular epidemiology, health equity

Ian grew up in Durham, North Carolina and received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He subsequently obtained a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine before completing residency training in internal medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. His clinical and research interests include preventive cardiology with a focus on heart failure prevention, cardiovascular risk reduction in sexual and gender minorities, and the utilization of population-based cohorts and electronic medical record data to enhance risk prediction and guide the implementation of new health policies and programs. Outside of medicine, Ian spends most of his time at Trader Joe’s or traveling.

headshot of Ian Everitt
Essa Hariri, M.D.

Hometown: Sour (Tyre), Lebanon & Charlotte, NC 
Medical School: Lebanese American University School of Medicine (Byblos, Lebanon) 
Clinical Interest: Cardiovascular prevention, coronary and aortic valve calcification, Multimodality imaging  
Research Interest: Understanding the pathophysiology and natural history of calcific aortic valve disease. Leveraging prospective and diverse cohort studies to unravel modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. Using cardiac imaging to guide early detection of coronary and valve diseases. Investigating medical interventions for calcific aortic valve disease

I was born in Charlotte, NC then moved to Lebanon at the age of 6, where I grew up and received my undergraduate and medical education at the Lebanese American University. I moved back to the States in 2016 to pursue a postdoctoral TL1 research fellowship and a Master's in Clinical Investigation at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester, MA. I then moved to Cleveland to do my residency in Internal Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and stayed for an additional year as a Chief Medical Resident, overseeing the Ambulatory Care training of 150+ residents and precepting them in the outpatient continuity clinics and inpatient medicine services. 

I chose Johns Hopkins for my Cardiology fellowship due to its rigorous clinical and research training, supportive and collegial environment, and limitless opportunities for growth and mentorship from leaders in Cardiovascular Medicine. 

I plan to leverage the collaborative and diverse academic environment at Johns Hopkins to grow as a clinician-scientist with a clinical focus in Cardiovascular Imaging and research focus in the pathophysiology and modifiable risk factors of coronary and valvular calcification. 
Outside of work, I spend most of my time with my better half, my wife Jessica, who joined me in my journey at Hopkins as a GI fellow. We love to travel and explore the world together. I also enjoy cooking, watching soccer and playing tennis.

Essa Hariri
Gloria Hong, M.D.

Hometown: South Korea & Amherst, MA 
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 
Clinical Interest: Heart failure 
Research Interest: Inflammatory cardiomyopathies, cardiovascular sequelae of COVID-19

Gloria was born in Michigan and grew up in South Korea and Amherst, Massachusetts. She received her medical degree from Johns Hopkins. During medical school, she participated in research on adult-onset immunodeficiency syndrome through the National Institutes of Health Medical Research Scholars Program. Gloria then completed her internal medicine training in the Osler Medical Residency Program at Hopkins. Her clinical and research interests include advanced heart failure, inflammatory cardiomyopathies and cardiovascular sequelae of COVID-19. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys listening to podcasts, hiking, and exploring new restaurants.

Gloria Hong
Shengyuan Luo, M.B.B.S.

Hometown: Canton, China 
Medical School: Sun Yat-sen University 
Clinical Interest: General cardiology 
Research Interest: Cardiorenal disease 

Shengyuan was born and raised in Canton, China, and went to medical school there.  Aspiring to become a physician scientist, he earned his master’s degree in cardiovascular disease and clinical epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health prior to completing internal medicine residency at Rush University. After general cardiology training, he would like to focus on fostering improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of cardiorenal diseases. Outside of the hospital, Shengyuan enjoys photography and classical music.

headshot of Shengyuan Luo
Srikanth Palanisamy, M.D.

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA 
Medical School: Weill Cornell Medical College 
Clinical Interest: Preventive cardiology, general cardiology 
Research Interest: Secondary prevention of coronary artery disease, coronary artery calcium scoring, cardiometabolic mediators of atherosclerosis

Sri was born in India and raised in Pittsburgh, PA (Go Steelers!). He completed a research post-baccalaureate year at the NIH and then received his MD at Weill Cornell Medical College. He completed his internal medicine training at Stanford before making his way back east for cardiology fellowship. His research interests include the role of coronary artery calcium scoring in diverse populations; he is also interested in the role of cardiometabolic risk factors in the development of atherosclerosis. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys hiking, brewery tours, and 10K races.

headshot of Srikanth Palanisamy
David Polhemus, M.D., Ph.D.

Hometown: San Francisco, CA 
Medical School: Louisiana State University SOM 
Clinical Interest: General Cardiology, Heart Failure 
Research Interest: Translational research in heart failure and vascular biology

David was born and raised in San Francisco, CA into a loving home with his older sister, mom, and dad. He graduated from Emory with bachelor's degrees in Economics and Chemistry and he quickly fell in love with translational cardiovascular research. David then completed his Ph.D. in Pharmacology in the Lab of Dr. David Lefer at LSU in New Orleans. Following graduate school, he entered medical school (also at LSU), with the career goal of becoming an academic physician scientist. He then came to Hopkins, where he was an Osler Internal Medicine resident.  David, his amazing wife (Jordan), and daughter love adventurous travel, staying active, and being involved in their church. 

headshot of David Polhemus

Year 2

Rawan Amir, M.D.

Hometown: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Medical School: University of Dammam
Clinical Interest: Adult congenital heart disease, electrophysiology
Research Interest: Advancing care and improving outcomes in adults with congenital heart disease

Rawan Amir received her medical degree from the University of Dammam in Saudi Arabia and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. She has a special interest in adult congenital heart disease and hopes to be one of the first Saudi physicians to specialize in the field and to one day start a robust ACHD program back in Saudi. Rawan, under the guidance of her physician parents, has been involved in research from a very young age and aims to further advance her career as a physician scientist. She is also very committed to trainee wellness and served as the wellness chair for her residency program for two years running. Outside of work, she enjoys scuba diving, playing tennis and training her pet parrots.

Rawan Amir
Matthew Belanger, M.D.

Hometown: Stamford, CT
Medical School: University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Clinical Interest: Preventive cardiology, lipidology, cardiovascular imaging
Research Interest: Diet and nutrition, exercise, biomarkers

Matt grew up in Connecticut and received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, where he majored in English. While a member of the UC Berkeley springboard diving team, he developed a passion for health and wellness, exercise, and nutrition. He completed medical school at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and then moved to Boston for his internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His clinical interests are related to preventive cardiology, lipidology, and cardiovascular imaging. Matt plans to continue research on the prevention of cardiovascular disease through nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle interventions.

Matthew Belanger
Chloe Duvall, M.D.

Hometown: Butler, PA
Medical School: University of Maryland
Clinical Interest: Prevention, heart failure, cardiac imaging
Research Interest:Cardiac sarcoidosis

Originally from Western PA, Chloe moved to Baltimore to complete her medical degree at the University of Maryland, followed by internal medicine residency in the Osler Medical Residency Program. Here she had the opportunity to foster her interests in both prevention and heart failure through involvement with the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and the Cardiac Sarcoidosis Program, where her research focused on sex and race differences in cardiac sarcoidosis. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with her husband.

Chloe Duvall
Michael Goetsch, M.D.

Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama
Medical School: The University of Alabama School of Medicine
Clinical Interest: Comprehensive cardiovascular prevention, hypertension, clinical lipidology, cardiovascular imaging, digital health, and medical education.
Research Interest: Clinical research in early cardiovascular risk assessment and stratification, digital health, and optimization of ASCVD risk factors

Michael grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he graduated with honors and degrees in biology and Spanish. He earned his MD at the University of Alabama in Birmingham before completing his internal medicine training in the Osler Medical Residency as a member of the Thayer Firm. He is interested in a career in preventive cardiology. His clinical and research interests include effective risk stratification, early intervention and risk factor modification to prevent coronary artery disease, cardiovascular imaging, and medical education. Outside of fellowship, he enjoys taking his dog for walks, cooking and hosting friends for dinner, hiking, fishing, and white-water rafting. He is also an avid fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Michael Goetsch
Jelani Grant

Hometown: Cumuto, Trinidad and Tobago
Medical School: The University of the West Indies, Trinidad Campus
Clinical Interest: Preventive Cardiology, Cardiovascular Imaging
Research Interest: Cardiometabolic risk reduction, healthcare disparities, and the application of deep machine learning for assessing coronary calcification

I was born in Trinidad and Tobago, where I completed my medical degree with distinction at the University of the West Indies. I completed internal medicine at the University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial Hospital where I served as the first non-US medical school graduate to be a chief medical resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital. My clinical interest includes preventive cardiology with a focus on cardiometabolic risk reduction. My research interests include outcomes research using large datasets, assessing the role of healthcare disparities in cardiovascular disease, and utilizing deep machine learning to assist with reporting coronary calcification. Following cardiology fellowship, I plan to pursue a career in academic cardiology, further my research interests and utilize my training to assist with preventive efforts in my home country. Outside of medicine, I am a huge soccer and Manchester United fan (GGMU!).

Jelani Grant
Kellen Knowles, M.D.

Hometown: Nassau, Bahamas
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Clinical Interest: Preventive cardiology
Research Interest: Medical devices, mHealth, application of mHealth and medical devices to improve primary and secondary prevention strategies

I was born and raised on New Providence, a 7x21 mile island off the coast of Florida, which is a part of the 700 island archipelago of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I attended Purdue University where I studied Biomedical Engineering and during graduate school, I realized I had an interest in clinical medicine. It was in medical school that I discovered a love of cardiac physiology and a desire to combine my interests in engineering with cardiology. I love to travel and met my wife in Germany. We have two children. My wife is definitely the secret of my success and my children inspire me to keep fighting to maintain balance in my career pursuits. Besides traveling, I enjoy SCUBA diving, backpacking, snowboarding, tennis, volleyball, playing board games, lifting weights, and quality time with friends.

Kellen Knowles
Hassan Mirbolouk, M.D.

Hometown: Rasht, Iran
Medical School: Shahid Beheshti Medical University
Clinical Interest: Prevention, Arrhythmias, Cardiovascular Imaging
Research Interest: Cardiovascular epidemiology

Hassan was born and raised in Rasht, Iran. After graduating from medical school, he joined Johns Hopkins’ Ciccarone center for a research fellowship, followed by internal medicine residency in Yale. His clinical and research interests include population health, risk prediction, cardiovascular imaging, arrhythmias, and data science. Hassan’s hobbies include soccer, Olympic wrestling, and literature.

Hassan Mirbolouk
Mohammad R. Ostovaneh, M.D.

Hometown: Salmas, Iran
Medical School: Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Clinical Interest: Advanced cardiac imaging, prevention, and electrophysiology
Research Interest: Cardiac imaging, clinical trials, machine learning and its utility in clinical trials

Originally from Salmas in northwest Iran, Mo earned both his medical degree and master of public health at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. He then spent two years working on a large clinical trial of fixed-dose combination therapy (polypill) for cardiovascular prevention in rural areas of Iran which was ultimately published in the Lancet. Later he joined Dr. Joao Lima’s research lab at Johns Hopkins University and worked on several clinical trials and other epidemiological studies. He has been a finalist for the AHA Melvin Judkins Early Career Investigator Award in 2020. Before returning to Johns Hopkins for clinical cardiology fellowship, Mo completed his internal medicine residency at the Pennsylvania State University. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, and watching documentaries.

Mohammad R. Ostovaneh
Anjali Wagle, M.D.

Hometown: Gadsden, Alabama
Medical School: University of Alabama SOM
Clinical interest: Electrophysiology
Research interest: Procedural skill acquisition in trainees, AF

Anjali grew up in the Southeast, most recently living in Alabama. She attended UABSOM for medical school and Johns Hopkins Osler Internal Medicine Program for residency. She plans to pursue a career in EP. She enjoys hiking with her dog, Bella, and fiancé Michael!

Anjali Wagle
Edwin Yoo, M.D.

Hometown: Millbrae, California
Medical School: Temple (MD), UPenn (PhD)
Clinical Interests: HFpEF, Pulmonary Hypertension, RV Failure, Preventative Cardiology
Research Interests: Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Biomarkers, Proteomics, Epigenetics

Edwin was born and raised in San Francisco, California and went on to study Biochemistry at UC San Diego, followed by medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia. During a summer research internship at the University of Pennsylvania, Edwin discovered a novel drug target in smooth muscle which led him to develop a passion for translational research. He completed a PhD in Pharmacology at UPenn where he was awarded a NIH NRSA grant, a patent, and several publications on his thesis research. Edwin subsequently completed residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York where he confirmed his aspirations to become a physician-scientist in Cardiology. Outside of the hospital, Edwin enjoys spending time with his wife and playing the electric guitar.

Edwin Yoo

Year 3

Xuan Ding

Hometown: Houston, TX
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
Clinical Interest: Cardiovascular imaging
Research Interests: Ultrasound imaging, acoustics, technology development

 
Xuan grew up in Houston, TX and attended medical and graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed residency at Vanderbilt University. His clinical and research interests include cardiovascular imaging especially with echocardiography as well as development of novel ultrasound imaging technologies. Outside of medicine, he enjoys cooking and trying out new restaurants.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Xuan Ding
Richard Ferraro

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Medical School: Weill Cornell Medicine

 
Originally from Chicago, Rick Ferraro spent two years as a Teach For America Corps member teaching science before medical school at Weill Cornell Medicine in NYC. Previous senior resident at the Osler Medical Residency program. In addition to cardiology fellowship acts as a producer and content creator at the CardioNerds.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Richard Ferraro
Erin Goerlich

Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Medical School: University of Texas at Houston, McGovern Medical School
Clinical Interest: Cardiovascular imaging, coronary artery disease
Research Interests: Noninvasive imaging, novel echocardiographic techniques, endothelial dysfunction

 
Erin was born and raised in San Antonio, TX and completed medical school at the University of Texas at Houston. She went on to complete Internal Medicine training in the Osler Residency Program at Johns Hopkins. She then joined the Hopkins T32 post-doctoral cardiology research fellowship studying noninvasive assessment of endothelial dysfunction via MRI and investigation of novel echocardiographic findings in a variety of CV disease states. She plans to pursue an academic cardiology career focusing on clinical research. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys spending time with her son, husband, and 2 doodles.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Erin Goerlich
Joseph Goldenberg

Hometown: San Diego, CA
Medical School: University of Illinois at Chicago
Clinical Interest: Advanced heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, cardiovascular disease prevention
Research Interests: Myocardial recovery in heart failure, interactions between myocardial and systemic metabolism, obesity and cardiovascular disease, pulmonary hypertension

 
Joseph was born and raised in southern California. He studied biochemistry and cellular biology at University of California, San Diego, where he developed an interest in metabolism. This led him to focus on myocardial fatty acid metabolism in heart failure for his graduate doctoral thesis during medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He continued his medical training at the University of Chicago internal medicine residency program and where he cultivated his passion for cardiovascular disease. He continued heart failure research and studied the occurrence of myocardial recovery after LVAD implantation. He plans to focus on understanding the connections between systemic and cardiac metabolism to achieve myocardial recovery and improve heart failure outcomes.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Joseph Goldenberg
Alan Jacobsen

Hometown: Galway, Ireland
Medical School: National University of Ireland, Galway
Clinical Interest: Cardiovascular disease
Research Interests: Preventive Cardiology

 
Alan was born in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. He attended medical school at National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). He moved to Baltimore to complete internal medicine residency in the Osler Medical Residency Program. Here he was welcomed by members the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease where research interests such as antithrombotic therapies and hypertension were fostered. Outside of medicine he enjoys cycling and listening to podcasts.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Alan Jacobsen
Maeve Jones-O’connor

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Medical School: University College Dublin, Ireland
Clinical Interest: Cardiac critical care
Research Interests: Prevention, digital health

 
Maeve is a native of Dublin, Ireland where she completed her medical degree at University College Dublin. She completed her transitional intern year at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin before moving to Boston for internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. From there, she has made the move southward to Baltimore to complete her cardiology training. She has a particular clinical interest in cardiac critical care, and in developing this subspecialty as it integrates the leading edges of cardiology, cardiac surgery, critical care and medical device technology. She also plans to develop her research interests in prevention and digital health during her fellowship years. Outside of the hospital, she spends as much time as possible hiking, cycling, running or travelling.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Maeve Jones-O’connor
Chang Kim

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea ; San Diego, CA
Medical School: State University of New York Upstate Medical University
Clinical Interest: General cardiology, prevention, cardiac imaging
Research Interests: Big data, risk modelling, machine learning/artificial intelligence

 
Chang was born in Seoul and grew up in San Diego. He pursued his MD degree in upstate New York followed by internal medicine training and hospitalist work at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Anticipating a paradigm shift towards precision medicine enabled by big data and artificial intelligence, he pursued a PhD degree in biomedical informatics at Rutgers University, applying machine learning to the electrocardiogram for long-term cardiovascular risk prediction. Following cardiology fellowship, Chang plans to further pursue his clinical and research interests as an academic cardiologist.

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Chang Kim
Minhal Makshood

Hometown: Albany, NY
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Clinical Interest: Prevention and Heart failure
Research Interests: Understanding the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease in South Asians

 
Originally Sri Lankan but born in Saudi Arabia. I I came to the United States at the age of 17 as an undergraduate at University at Albany. I subsequently went to medical school at Albany Medical college and completed internal medicine residency and one year as Assistant Chief of service at Johns Hopkins Bayview. I enjoy cooking, hiking, fashion designing and travel!

cardiology fellowship johns hopkins - image of Minhal Makshood
Nestor Vasquez

Hometown: Lima, Peru
Medical School: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Lima, Peru)
Clinical Interest: Preventive cardiology, cardiovascular imaging, critical care
Research Interests: Lipoprotein (a), lipids, cardiovascular disease in Hispanics/Latinos

 
I was born and raised in Lima, Peru. I completed medical school at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia after which I joined the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Center of Excellence at Johns Hopkins to investigate left atrial myopathy in HCM patients with atrial fibrillation. Subsequently moved to Dallas for residency at University of Texas Southwestern, becoming very interested in cardiovascular disease prevention, particularly using lipids and lipoprotein (a) to predict atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. I plan to pursue a career in academic cardiology focusing on clinical research. Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending time with my dog, grilling, and trying new restaurants.
 

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Year 4

Rick Carrick

Hometown: Wakefield, MA
Medical School: University of Vermont College of Medicine
Clinical Interests: Critical Care, Electrophysiology
Research Interests: Computational modeling and simulation in electrophysiology

 
Rick grew up in New England, attended medical school at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and completed his internal medicine residency at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. He plans to pursue a career that combines clinical cardiology with his interest in computational modeling and simulation based research. Recent projects have focused on using machine learning to develop prediction models for new onset atrial fibrillation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients. Outside of medicine, he enjoys running, painting, and playing music.
 

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Jana Lovell – Chief Fellow 

Hometown: Lutherville, MD
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Clinical Interests: Advanced Heart Failure
Research Interests: Translational research, heart failure, immunology

 
Jana was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. She completed medical school at Johns Hopkins. During medical school, she participated in translational research involving primary immunodeficiency disorders through the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program. She then completed internal medicine training in the Osler Medical Residency Program. Her clinical and research interests include advanced heart failure and immunology.
 

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Mariam Meddeb

Hometown: Tunis, Tunisia; Strasborug, France
Medical School: University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
Clinical Interests: Cardiac critical care, heart failure
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of decompensated heart failure, novel therapeutic approaches for the acutely failing heart, gene editing

 
Mariam earned her medical degree and Master of Science at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, where she also completed clinical pathology training and cultivated her passion for translational research. Pursuing her interest in becoming a physician scientist, Mariam moved to the United States in 2016 where she completed internal medicine residency at the University of Maryland midtown, while working on gene editing approaches. After her general Cardiology fellowship, she intends to pursue additional training in cardiac critical care. For her research, she is interested in working on better understanding the molecular mechanisms of the acutely failing heart and proposing novel therapeutic approaches for heart failure.
 

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Ilton Cubero Salazar

Hometown: Bluffton, South Carolina
Medical School: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
Clinical Interest: Heart Failure
Research Interest: Mechanisms underlying myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure, HFpEF

 
Ilton attended medical school at Dartmouth during which time he completed a research year at the Seidman laboratory in Boston funded by the Sarnoff Research Fellowship. He subsequently completed an internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His research interest has been focused around genetic modifiers of the hypertrophic response in animal models and in genetic variants associated with hypertrophy and heart failure.
 

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