The Texas Heart Institute recently celebrated the graduation of 13 outstanding cardiologists from its Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship and subspecialty fellowship programs.

At an investiture ceremony held on the evening of June 9^th in The Institute’s Denton A. Cooley Auditorium, graduates and their families were joined by members of the teaching faculty and The Texas Heart Institute Academic Professional Staff to recognize the achievement.

Joseph G. Rogers, MD, President and CEO, congratulated the graduates and offered words of thanks to the families that supported them through their training. As part of a long-standing tradition, he explained the history and significance of The Symbol of Excellence pins that were presented to each graduate by their faculty mentors and fellowship program leadership.

The Honors and Pinning Ceremony celebrates the completion of rigorous clinical training in The Institute’s very competitive fellowship programs. The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship is a three-year program focused on general cardiology. Fellows opting for further subspecialty training through interventional cardiology or advanced heart failure fellowships complete an additional year of training; those pursuing subspecialty training in electrophysiology (EP) train for an additional two years.

Jordan Gales, MD, received the Tauber Outstanding Cardiology Fellow of the Year award. The third-year cardiology fellows presented the Robert J. Hall Teaching Award to Samar Sheth, MD. This annual award from the fellows recognizes excellence in clinical instruction.

“We are proud of each and every one of our graduates.  Their hard work and dedication have paid off, and they are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to persevere and provide high-quality cardiovascular medicine,” said Stephanie Coulter, MD, Fellowship Program Director.

The graduates have accepted clinical positions and advanced training opportunities across the United States.

 

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Cardiovascular Disease/General Cardiology

Program Director, Stephanie Coulter, MD; Associate Program Director, Jorge Escobar, MD

Anish Badjatiya, MD                      
Electrophysiology Fellowship, The Texas Heart Institute

 

Isabel C. Balachandran, MD       
Advanced Heart Failure Fellowship, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

 

Adam M. Brouillard, MD              
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, The Texas Heart Institute

 

Milad C. El Hajj, MD                       
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, The Texas Heart Institute

 

Jordan M. Gales, MD                     
Electrophysiology Fellowship, The Texas Heart Institute

 

Patrick N. Marcus, MD                  
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, The Texas Heart Institute

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Interventional Cardiology

Program Director, George Younis, MD; Assistant Program Director, Alexander Postalian, MD; Emeritus Professor, R. David Fish, MD

Javid O. Alakbarli, MD                  
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Houston, Texas

 

Joseph Allencherril, MD                              
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas

 

Lauren A. Golden, MD                  
Conway Medical Center, Myrtle Beach, SC

 

Sudeep Kuchibhotla, MD             
Virginia Cardiovascular Specialists, Richmond, VA

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Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology

Program Director, Mohammad Saeed, MD

Gilad D. Birnbaum, MD                       
LoneStar Heart and Vascular, New Braunfels, Texas

 

Robert D. Paisley, MD
The Texas Heart Institute Center for Cardiovascular Care

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Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology

Program Director, Andrew Civitello, MD

Matthew Riesbeck, DO                   
Mission Health, Asheville, NC

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Ceremony Photos