Parallax by Ankur Kalra

“Seek refuge in the attitude of detachment and you will amass the wealth of spiritual awareness. The one who is motivated only by the desire for the fruits of their action, and anxious about the results, is miserable indeed.” Bhagavad Gita In medical school, Dr Chinnaiyan was fascinated with embryology. The question that used to hunt her was how does once cell know to differentiate into so many different organs: what is that knowledge? In this week’s Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes back Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan cardiologist, Professor of Medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and accomplished author. This nurturing episode focuses on questions that touch on what it is that we seek as human beings and how can we cultivate awareness and authenticity while practicing modern medicine. Ankur asks Kavitha about what it means to be spiritual as a cardiologist. Kavitha talks about the experiences made possible by mindfulness. They discuss the difference between conditioning and growth.

At the beginning of her career, Prof Lam thought that being able to multi-task is one of her strengths. After many accomplishments as a cardiologist and a researcher, she believes that there is more power in focus and being fully present. This week’s guest on Parallax is Professor Carolyn Lam, Senior Consultant and Director of Women's Heart Health at the National Heart Centre Singapore, Professor at the Duke-National University of Singapore and co-founder of Us2.ai, an award-wining medtech start-up as well as the host of the Circulation on the Run Podcast. In this refreshing and spiritual episode Carolyn reflects on her journey and the decisions and mentors that shaped her career as a heart failure specialist, trialist and as a public speaker. Ankur and Carolyn dive into the question whether being balanced is what we should be all aiming for. Ankur asks Carolyn about her work as a co-founder of Us2.ai, a start-up dedicated to the automation of the fight against heart disease by applying AI to echocardiograp

Even though Dr Fisher was excelling in his chosen vocation, cardiovascular medicine, over time he lost his sense of purpose. Despite his success, he felt wounded and disconnected. His training predisposed him to suppress his emotions when faced with suffering and tragedy in order to be a better doctor. Today, Dr Fisher is at the forefront of the campaign to end clinician burnout. This week’s guest on Parallax is Dr Jonathan Fisher Cardiologist and Organizational Well-Being and Resiliency Leader at Novant Health. In this insightful and solution seeking episode, Dr Fisher shares how his journey to build a well-balanced relationship with his profession paved a way for his role as Organizational Well-Being and Resiliency Leader. Dr Kalra and Dr Fisher discuss the need for a more human faced medical education and an open dialogue about wellness and emotional wellbeing. They talk about interventions that can have huge impact on individuals and institutions alike. What are the warning signs of burnout? How can in

In 1999, when Shelley Wood started her career in medical journalism, there were only a few online resources. The main function of reporting on medical news was to make information accessible. Two decades later there is an abundant number of sources covering cardiology news, but TCTMD, home of Ms Wood, stands out with its “lively, thought-provoking, and rigorously objective journalism”.1 This week’s guest on Parallax is Shelley Wood, Managing Editor of TCTMD, Editorial Director at CRF and 2022 recipient of the WomenHeart’s Wenger Award for Excellence in Media. In this engaging episode, Ankur asks Shelley about her journey to medical journalism from theheart.org to TCTMD. Shelley recalls the early days of online news and shares her thoughts on what makes a content stand out in 2022. We learn more about the editorial decisions that go into leading one of the most trusted cardiology news services. Shelley, author of a bestselling novel, talks about how she balances her journalistic work with her creative writin

Years ago, Dr Bhatt, an early adopter of telemedicine, had difficult news for her patient that she wanted share with him in person. Her patient was resistant and they scheduled a video meeting. The patient asked Dr Bhatt to let him hear the news surrounded by his family in the safety of his home. Dr Bhatt learnt that she needed to listen to patients about how they want to be told things and how these interactions might effect them. This week’s guest on Parallax is Dr Ami Bhatt, Chief Innovation Officer of ACC, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the ACHD program at Massachusetts. In this engaging and in-depth episode, Dr Kalra and Dr Bhatt talk about the state of digital transformation today: They discuss the challenges and opportunities of telemedicine, artificial ‘collaborative’ intelligence and novel technologies that could enhance medical training. Dr Kalra asks Dr Bhatt about how she balances her responsibilities and her tips for approaching complex problems. Dr Bhatt also sha

The projects that Dr Cherwek, the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Humanitarian Award, values the most unite the following attributes: Simple, globally available, and impactful: In a recent study done in tea pickers in Assam, India, Dr Cherwek and his team first measured the impact of near eyesight correction on productivity and income. PROSPER showed that simple interventions can significantly improve the standard of living for communities. This week guest on Parallax is Dr Hunter Cherwek, ophthalmologist and Vice President of Clinical Services at Orbis International. In this unique episode Dr Kalra and Dr Cherwek discuss highly innovative solutions in ophthalmology that could be implemented in cardiovascular medicine. They talk about AI assisted consultation, learning pathways incorporating simulators for early career practitioners and the Flying Eye Hospital. Dr Cherwek shares his experiences about working with local teams globally and the work that goes into setting up trials across the world. How can

In a 1-minute video, wearing scrubs, Dr Siyab, Md voices his concerns over the decision to end mask mandate on certain US airlines. “The people that are so intensely against these mask mandates, they are not the ones who are taking buses or trains to get to work and get back home every day because they are part of the privileged class.” Dr Siyab’s mission is to be a voice of reason and appeal to those who are hesitant or against getting vaccines. His plight goes out to his 405.3K followers on TikTok every day. This week’s guest on Parallax is Dr Muhammad Siyab, PGY-6 Cardiology Fellow at Tulane University Heart and Vascular Institute. In this engaging episode Dr Siyab talks about what prompted him to take a public stand on social media and why did he choose the video-based platform. Ankur and Muhammad talk about inherent authenticity and connecting with others through media. Ankur asks Muhammad about the work that goes into creating videos and his thoughts about his role both as an influencer and a physicia

“There is a significant disparity in the inclusion of women on all national guideline committees, in addition to serving as a chair of cardiology guidelines. Further advocacy is required to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in our cardiology guidelines globally.” Rai D, et al. JAHA. 22 Why are we talking about inclusion, diversity, and equity? Recent years have seen many studies on the inequalities in representation of women in cardiology and yet the needle has not been moved as much as we hoped for. What does the data on the authorship of the guidelines tell us and what can be done to balance the scale? Dr Ankur Kalra’s guests this week are Dr Martha Gulati, internationally recognized cardiologist specializing in Women and Heart Disease, Heart Disease Prevention and Dr Devesh Rai, first year cardiology fellow at Rochester General Hospital. In this insightful and action-oriented episode Dr Gulati, chair of the recent 2021 AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR Guideline for the Evaluation and Diagnosis of

How can you navigate challenges whilst keeping an eye on your goals and your mission? This week’s guest on Parallax is Dr Nadia Sutton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Section of Interventional Cardiology at University of Michigan. In this engaging and constructive episode, Nadia recalls her journey to medicine and reflects on the life decisions she had to make along the way: What is the career path that will get us closer to our mission? When is the right time to start family planning? How can we develop resilience in face of rejection? Nadia recalls the conversations with her colleagues and mentors as she progressed in her career. She talks about the practical aspects of tenure track and grant application. Ankur and Nadia discuss the importance of goal setting and exercising a positive mindset. Questions and comments can be sent to “podcast@radciffe-group.com” and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode. Guest, @nadia_sutton hosted by

Chemical engineering seemed like a sensible choice for Shon who is coming from a family of engineers. At the age of 18 the trajectory of his path took a turn when he blindly sent out 30 resumes and received one offer from a cardiologist to work in his lab. Looking back, he realizes that this was the first time “who” luck shaped his career in medicine. This week’s guest on Parallax is Dr Shon Chakrabarti, Vice President Medical Affairs at Inari Medical. In this rich and candid episode, Dr Chakrabarti recalls the early stages of his career and the non-linear route that led to his transition from an interventional cardiologist to working on devices that focus on improving the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This journey was paved by self-reflection, hunger for tangible results, and connections with mentors who dared to dream big and wished the same for their mentees. How did the transition from bedside medicine to industry shape the identity of Dr Chakrabarti? What are the highlights of his job as t

Joe’s journey as a patient with congenital heart disease set him on a route of becoming a professional patient advocate. Since 2016, his non-profit organisation, Team Uncle Joe is helping patients and families to better understand and help navigate CHD. Parallax host Dr Ankur Kalra invites Joe Valente, a Board-Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) and Co-Founder of Team Uncle Joe, to talk about his mission and practical considerations involving CHD care both from a patient and a healthcare provider perspective. In this informative and practical episode, Joe shares details about the process of getting certified as a BCPA and about the work that goes into setting up a non-profit organization. We learn more about how he and his team can support patients with CHD and what he considers to be the pillar of good patient-doctor communication. To learn more about Joe’s work please visit this website: https://teamunclejoe.org What were the most educational and the empowering experiences as a patient for Joe? What does b

In 2005, the concept of hemorrhagic MI was a preformed idea. In 2022, after years of collaboration, technical advances and research, the findings on large MI size have the potential to fundamentally improve the care of patients suffering from heart attacks. In this week’s Parallax podcast, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Rohan Dharmakumar, Executive Director of the Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center at IU School of Medicine, to talk about his research on hemorrhagic myocardial infarction (MI). In this in-depth and engaging episode, Dr Kalra and Dr Dharmakumar invite us to a journey from the inception of the idea through the application of experimental imagining with serial scans to collaborative, mechanistic studies that shed light on an unmet clinical need. What is the concept of hemorrhagic MI? How can these findings be translated to clinical practice? How can we mitigate hemorrhagic MI? Questions and comments can be sent to “podcast@radciffe-group.com” and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

"There is a high global prevalence of hostile work environment in cardiology, including discrimination, emotional harassment, and sexual harassment.” Sharma G. et al. JACC 2021. Dr Naidu was at the beginning of his career when, having experienced micro-aggression, his chairman shared an insight that still shapes the way he thinks about addressing professional jealousy and bullying: “Don’t let people bring you down, you just keep working and lift them up.” In this week's Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra is joined by Dr Srihari S Naidu, Director of Cath Labs and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at the Westchester Medical Center and President Elect of NY ACC, for an honest conversation on a challenging topic within the cardiology community. Cardiology, a highly competitive field, still generates the sense that power is equal to strength. In this insightful and practical episode, Hari revisits his own experiences both as a leader and as a trainee, navigating complex situations. What can you do as a target when being

In the second part of Parallax’s review of 2021, Dr Sukh Nijjer, Interventional Cardiologist from Imperial College London, and Dr Ankur Kalra discuss key advances in the field of heart failure and cardiac surgery. SGLT2 inhibitors are proving to be the blockbuster drug of this decade: Sukh summarises and compares the learnings from DAPA-HF, Emperor-Reduced, and Emperor-Preserved. Next, Sukh highlights the data from SOLOIST-WHF that showed sotagliflozin to have beneficial effects on CV outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes and HF. Additionally, they discuss how findings on finerenone (FIGARO-DKD) will shape the field. Sukh talks about the semaglutide and the STEP studies, an injectable medication that further expends cardiologist knowledge beyond their speciality. Ankur and Sukh reflect on how the advancement of this field shaped their own practices. 2021 was a busy year for cardiac surgery trials: Sukh and Ankur review the most pertinent data from the AVATAR randomised study presented at AHA 2021. Su

In the last Parallax episode of the year, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomed back Dr Sukh Nijjer, Interventional Cardiologist from Imperial College London, to review the most impactful events and advances in cardiology from 2021. This year we had a number of studies that helped clarify our understanding of the world of antiplatelets: First, Ankur and Sukh discuss the take-home messages from HOST-EXAM, a Korean study presented at ACC 2021. They discuss their clinical experiences within the UK and US setting. Next, Sukh talks about the STOPDAPT-2 ACS study, presented at ESC 2021. Sukh interprets the findings in the light of TWILIGHT and summarises his thoughts on the therapy. 2021 was not a great year for physiology: Sukh shares his take on FLOWER-MI, presented at ACC 2021. He offers a deep dive into the data and highlights both the importance of the findings and the limitations of the study. Next, they discuss RIPCORD 2 from ESC 2021 and finally, Sukh highlights the findings from the FAME 3 trial. What is the import

In this AHA 2021 episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Amit Khera, Professor and Director of Preventive Cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas and Vice Chair of the Scientific Sessions. For this week’s show, Dr Khera selected three thought-provoking late-breaking trials that will inform or change clinical practice. Ankur and Amit discuss how the AVATAR trial will influence guidelines, and whether these findings could be translated to TAVR. Most importantly, they discuss how AVATAR’s results could inform patient decisions. Next, Dr Khera highlights a randomized trial that was designed to address the needs of a larger population. The China Rural Hypertension Control Project offers exciting insights and an innovative framework for relying on social healthcare work. Lastly, Dr Kalra and Dr Khera discuss a trial that investigated the LDL-cholesterol lowering efficacy of MK-0616. This oral PCSK9 Inhibitor may open the door for more patients in the future. What were the key findings? What

In this TCT 2021 episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Prof Mamas Mamas, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), Professor of Cardiology at Keele University and Senior Clinical Editor of TCTmd. Ankur invites Mamas to talk about the clinical relevance of some of the top studies presented at TCT 2021. Mamas summarises the studies, some of their salient features and the findings. Ankur and Mamas discuss the strategies they currently apply in their US and UK based practices and share how they think the novel data will guide their decision-making. What are the questions that emerged from the new data? What are the controversies? How do these trials challenge our current practice? Trials covered in detail include: FAME 3: A Randomized Trial of FFR-Guided Stenting Compared With CABG EROSION III: A Randomized Trial of OCT-Guided Intervention in STEMI Patients With Early Infarct Artery Patency OPTIMUM: Early Outcomes From a Prospective Registry of

Dr. Pandey, a recipient of multiple awards, thinks about himself as a person driven by curiosity rather than passion. He believes that his interest in solving problems helped him to navigate successes and failures as an early-career researcher. In celebration of Diwali, Dr. Ankur Kalra sat down with Dr. Ambarish Pandey, Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, to talk about his career path and the questions that shaped his decision-making over the years. In this candid and insightful interview, Ambarish talks about his training in India and the factors that contributed to his decision to continue his work in the US. He shares how preparing for a journal club led him to studying novel epiphenomenon in large data sets, as well as the practical aspects of applying for funding and developing questions. What is the meaning of success and failure in academic medicine? What are the questions that guide Dr. Pandey? What does he consider key for his success in academic career? W

This week’s Parallax in collaboration with the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) explores the many ways organisations can embrace the needs of a diverse community and create a culture that can react to the realities of patientcare. Host Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Nancy M. Albert, Immediate Past President of HFSA and Associate Chief Nursing Officer of the Office of Research and Innovation at the Cleveland Clinic. In this episode, Dr Albert reflects on the society’s work to cater to the needs of its multidisciplinary members. Dr Kalra asks Dr Albert about HFSA vision statement and the different factors that were considered to put words into actions. They discuss the importance of recruiting a diverse group of volunteers. Dr Albert shares her experiences as a mentor and her tips on how to foster talent, including nurses and other advanced practice providers. How can people get involved with HFSA? What mentorship opportunities are available? How has HFSA fostered deeper involvement of early career memb

In the second ESC 2021 episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr. Mirvat Alasnag, interventional Cardiologist and Director of Catheterization Laboratory at the King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital (KFAFH) in Saudi Arabia. Dr Alasnag was a programme committee member at this year’s ESC and regional PI of one of the late-breaking trials presented. Ankur invites Mirvat to review the interventional cardiology highlights of the congress. Mirvat summarises the background and latest evidence from the trials and their importance. Ankur and Mirvat discuss the strategies they apply currently and how they think the novel data will guide their decision-making. Trials covered in detail include: STOPDAPT-2 ACS: one-month dual antiplatelet therapy followed by clopidogrel monotherapy in acute coronary syndrome TOMAHAWK: immediate angiography after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest ENVISAGE-TAVI AF: edoxaban vs. vitamin K antagonists after TAVI in patients with atrial fibrillation RIPCORD 2: does routine pressure wire asses