EP 44: Refugee, Dishwasher, Cardiologist, Humanitarian: The Journey of Dr H
EP 44: Refugee, Dishwasher, Cardiologist, Humanitarian: The Journey of Dr Heval Kelli

Average (ratings)
No ratings
 
  Your rating

Dr Heval Kelli will never forget when during his third year as a medical student, a man kept coming to the clinic complaining about being hungry. The team was checking for underlying health issues, when one of Dr Kelli’s attendings took his history and realised that this patient was not able to get access to food. Dr Kelli came away from this episode with a lesson that still shapes him as a doctor: “If you treat everyone as you want your family to be treated, you will do well.”

Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Heval Mohammed Kelli, cardiologist at Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, and a member of the ACC Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. In this inspirational and emotional interview, Dr Kelli talks about his journey, facing and overcoming obstacles, and the power of compassion.

Just after 9/11, Heval, the 18-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee found a job as a dishwasher. At this point, he was the sole provider of his family. The pressure that comes from being poor did not leave him for many years. Today, he is firm believer in giving back to underserved communities by spreading awareness within the medical community. As he says, well-meaning people of privilege are sometimes afraid to act. What we need is more people to bridge the gap and find ways to help each other.

How can we use our power and privilege to serve? How did his experiences shape Dr Kelli to become an ambassador for his community? What is his message to our listeners?

Questions and comments can be sent to “podcast@radciffe-group.com” and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode. Guest @hevalkellimd, hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCARDIO.


Read MoreRead Less
Share
Brought to you by Edwards: www.edwardstavr.com

Brought to you by Edwards: www.edwardstavr.com

Read MoreRead Less
Up Next
EP 45: The Journey of Dr Alin Gragossian, Physician, Heart Transplant Recipient & Advocate
EP45 • Apr 05, 2021 • 36m 46s
Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Alin Gragossian, a critical care fellow, heart transplant recipient and advocate. In this episode, Alin talks about her journey as a patient, the psychological aspects of her recovery and her advocacy work. Ankur asks Alin about the mindset behind her sense of purpose and her dedication to help raise awareness of organ donation and young heart failure patients.

How did Dr Gragossian receive her diagnosis? How does she feel about her new reality? What drives her? What is her message to our listeners?
Read More
All Episodes
EP 41: Mallory Abbott on Ebstein’s Anomaly, Self-Care & Gratitude
EP41 • Feb 09, 2021 • 42m 26s
Mallory was not prepared when she underwent her first heart surgery in seventh grade: She was hoping to regain her stamina, instead she experienced what she describes as a loss of self. Mallory was born with a rare heart disease called a Ebstein’s anomaly.
Read More
40: Mentorship, Reflection & the Journey of Mandeep R Mehra
EP40 • Jan 25, 2021 • 46m 33s
How does Dr Mehra think about building opportunities? What were his formative experiences? How does he think about the role of mentorship in medicine? What is Dr Mehra’s message to our listeners?Dr Mehra does not frame his experiences as failures or successes; he looks at all events with one question in mind: What can I learn from this?

In this week’s episode Ankur’s guest is Dr Mandeep R Mehra, Medical Director of Brigham Heart and Vascular Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Read More
EP 39: The Year 2020 in Review with Sukh Nijjer
EP39 • Jan 21, 2021 • 1h 2m 19s
In the first Parallax episode of 2021, Ankur welcomed back Sukh Nijjer from Imperial College London to review the most impactful events and advances in cardiology from 2020.

Which COVID19 patients require risk stratification with a stress test? What are the take-home messages for physicians taking care of patients diagnosed with COVID19? What were the key trials of 2020? What can we learn from the negative results of the STRENGHT study? How have studies like STOP-AF influenced clinical practice?
Read More
38: Martin B Leon on CRF, Mentorship and the Lessons of 2020
EP38 • Dec 17, 2020 • 27m 6s
In the Season 2 finale, Ankur Kalra is joined by the legendary Martin B Leon, Professor at Columbia University, director of the TCT and chairman emeritus of the CRF.

What makes Dr Martin B Leon tick? What is his message to cardiologists and/or researchers at the beginning of their careers? How did the pandemic and his work as a clinician in New York change his perspective?
Read More
37: Lindsay’s Law: From Ballerina to Health Advocate
EP37 • Dec 30, 2020 • 32m 15s
This week Parallax welcomed its first non-physician/researcher guest: health advocate Lindsay Davis. Lindsay, ballerina with ambitions to study at Julliard, was experiencing the symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) from her early teens, but she had not been diagnosed until she was 17.

In this episode Ankur asks Lindsay about her treatment path. Lindsay recalls her own journey to taking control of her condition and the important role of information in patient adherence. Lindsay, former Miss Ohio, talks how she used the pageant to create awareness. Lindsay talks about work in state legislation and her plans for 2021.
Read More
WiC, Mentorship and Diversity in Academic Publishing
EP36 • Apr 23, 2020 • 48m 34s
In 2020, women still only represent 16% of editorial boards.

US Cardiology Review journal, has recently seen a 7-fold increase in female editorial board members in response to journal-based strategic initiatives and the stellar work of USC editorial board leadership, Ankur Kalra (Editor in Chief) and Bill Gogas (Deputy Editor in Chief), who were keen to drive this change. With thanks to Dr Anastasia Mihailidou’s tenure as a new board member and her suggested nominees, ten new female board members have recently joined US Cardiology Review’s editorial board.
Read More
C Mike Gibson On Art, Medicine And Fatherhood
EP35 • Apr 23, 2020 • 44m 47s
One of the first things painted by the young Mike Gibson, today Professor of Medicine at Harvard, researcher and interventional cardiologist, was a cloud. Years later while painting angiograms Dr Gibson came up with the idea of myocardial blush: The blush was that cloud of dye in the heart muscle.

In this episode, Mike opens up about his childhood in Stilwell, Oklahoma. Ankur and Mike discuss how the inductive quality of art can complement the deductive principles of science. Mike recalls earlier stages of his career and warns about the blinding effect of the ego-driven, competitive culture of cardiology. Ankur asks Mike about fatherhood and about his role as an educator. 

What does it mean to be fearless as a medical professional? How can you protect yourself from the emotional toll of the profession? What is Mike’s advice to early career cardiologists?

Sponsored by Edwards.
Read More
Toolbox Of An Analyst With Suzanne J Baron
EP34 • Apr 23, 2020 • 45m 59s
In this week’s episode Ankur Kalra asks Dr Suzanne J Baron, Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Research at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center: How do we measure the value of a novel technology?

During her interventional cardiology fellowship, Dr Baron became fascinated by the implementation of novel technologies. She earned her degree in Clinical Epidemiology and spent a year working at the FDA’s Device Evaluation unit.

In 2019 Dr Baron presented the results of her late-breaking trial, COAPT. Ankur invites Suzanne to discuss the economic analysis of the study and to give a short introduction to cost-effectiveness analysis. Suzanne provides an overview of the trial and they talk about the importance of understanding the value and benefits of new devices from both the patient and the health-economic point of viewpoint.
Read More
Chuck Simonton on Leadership, Innovations and Industry
EP33 • Apr 23, 2020 • 47m 9s
In this week’s Parallax, host Ankur Kalra is joined by Charles (Chuck) Simonton, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Abiomed. Chuck talks about how his father’s leadership and service as a Methodist minister inspired him to become a doctor. He recalls the dawn of interventional cardiology: the birth of angioplasty and stenting. Drawing from his experiences as a trialist who worked with some of the most influential minds, he offers practical tips to young doctors. Finally, Ankur asks Chuck about the Impella device controversy and the recent decision of Abiomed to accelerate their clinical research.

How should you start building a research programme? What are Chuck Simonton’s thoughts on the relationship between doctors and the industry? What is Chuck’s message to young cardiologists?
Read More
Diagnosing treating sexism in cardiology
EP32 • Apr 23, 2020 • 50m 40s
Martha Gulati, Professor of Medicine and the Chief of Cardiology at the University of Arizona joins Ankur Kalra to continue the important conversation on how the cardiovascular community can stand up against sexism.

After the #MedBikini campaign provoked by a misogynistic study that scrutinized female doctors’ social media posts, this episode is about creating a safer environment for female healthcare professionals.
Read More
Plant-Based Diet & Cardiovascular Health
EP06 • Apr 23, 2020 • 34m 28s
In celebration of this month’s ‘National Eat Your Vegetables Day’, this week’s guest is @TheVeggieMD, one of the most prominent physicians on social media! Dr Danielle Belardo MD is a Cardiology Fellow, American Board of Internal Medicine certified and a member of the American College of Cardiology Nutrition and Lifestyle Sub-Committee.



In this episode, Ankur and Danielle speak about the evidence in favour of a whole-food plant-based diet to improve cardiovascular health, the ACC prevention guidelines, how to talk to patients about positive dietary change, the issue of lack of nutrition training in cardiovascular fellowships and what Danielle’s diet looks like as a busy whole-food plant-based cardiology fellow. On her own podcast ‘Nutrition Rounds’ Danielle has discussions about evidence-based plant-based nutrition with physicians who are leading experts in nutrition and health.



Hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCardiology.
Read More
Drug-Coated Balloons Small-Vessel CAD Brilakis - Megaly
EP05 • Apr 23, 2020 • 27m 43s
Listen to our first episode with two guests! Ankur spoke with Emmanouil S Brilakis, MD and Michael Megaly, MD from the Minneapolis Heart Institute, Abbott Northwestern Hospital about their article on the role of drug-coated balloons in small-vessel coronary artery disease (SVD) published in US Cardiology Review 13.1. Percutaneous coronary intervention of SVD remains challenging due to difficulties with device delivery and high restenosis rate, making drug-coated balloons an attractive emerging option in patients with SVD.



In this brilliant conversation, Ankur, Emmanouil and Michael unravel the potential advantages, challenges and practical realities of using drug-coated balloons in SVD, and the findings of the latest randomised controlled trials studying this area.



Hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCardiology. [Disclaimer: The use of drug-coated balloons in coronay intervention is still off-label; it has not been approved by the FDA.]
Read More
04: J Dawn Abbott On Recent Developments In Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
EP04 • Apr 23, 2020 • 34m 58s
We have observed a lot of developments in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) over the past 12 months with the publication of various studies and trials. This week, Ankur spoke with J. Dawn Abbott, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiology at Warren Medical School of Brown University about her recently published US Cardiology Review 13.1 article on the significant developments in PCI over the past 12 months.



Dawn is an associate editor of the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions and is widely known for her research program on PCI and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Ankur and J. Dawn discuss multiple trials/studies that were published in 2018, including ORBITA, PIONEER-II and ABSORB. J. Dawn also shares her thoughts on the latest stent technologies.



Hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCardiology.
Read More
03: Athena Poppas On Effective Management Of Hypertension
EP03 • Apr 23, 2020 • 29m 43s
This week’s podcast guest needs no introduction! Prof Athena Poppas is one of the most widely known cardiologists in the US and current Vice-President of the American College of Cardiology! Ankur spoke to Athena about her recently published US Cardiology Review 13.1 article on whether early management of hypertension by GPs can improve outcomes.



They discuss the importance of preventative medicine, their experience of reducing hypertension with non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical methods, and the significance of the integrated “team approach” when treating comorbid conditions such as hypertension. Athena also shares her thoughts on cardiologists’ responsibility to shape their patients’ lifestyle choices.



Hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCardiology.
Read More
High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin ACS
EP02 • Apr 23, 2020 • 29m 55s
Ankur is back with his second #AudioArticle! This week he spoke with Santiago Garcia from the Minneapolis Heart Institute about Santiago’s US Cardiology Review 13.1 article on the role of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hscTn) assays and their ability to rapidly rule in or rule out acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with improved sensitivity.



Chest pain is one of the most common reasons for an emergency room visit in the US, with almost 6 million ER visits annually, yet there is no consensus on how to compare the results from various hscTn assays. Tune in to hear Santiago outline the advantages and limitations of using hscTn as a standard biomarket to evaluate patients with suspected ACS in the ER.



Hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCardiology.
Read More