Current Cardiovascular Fellows
Current Cardiovascular Fellows
Our 2024-25 Cardiovascular Fellows.
Third Year Cardiovascular Fellows
Shwetha Gopal, M.D. (PGY-6) – Davao Medical School, Philippines.
Clinical Interests: Advanced heart failure and transplant.
Research Interests: Atrial fibrillation and CHADs-VASc score, heart failure, and SGTL-2.
About: Shwetha was born in the “Silicon Valley of India”, also known as Bengaluru. She ventured to the Philippines to do her medical school where she gained inspiration and insight into the physician-patient relationship. Shwetha became interested in the research of cholesterol metabolism and moringa oleifera, the effect of watermelon on hypertension. It was this experience coupled with four years of medical practice in India that solidified her interest in working with underserved populations and understanding the complexities of the social determinants of health.
Shwetha finished her residency at Saint Barnabas/Robert Wood Johnson where she worked on thrombotic risk in COVID patients, 30-day readmission rate and TAVR complications in bicuspid aortic valve, and several projects on COVID-19. She was part of the patient safety and quality improvement committee on which she reviewed hospital mortality data and analyzed systemic deficiencies in an attempt to improve patient safety and quality in the hospital. She was involved in performing critical reviews of patient safety events. Shwetha plans to pursue further training in advanced heart failure and transplant fellowship.
In her free time, she enjoys her time with friends and family, camping, hiking, learning new recipes, and painting.
Ankur Panchal, M.D., (PGY-6) – SBKS Medical Institute and Research Ctr, India.
About: After finishing medical school in India, Ankur moved to New York where he worked at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as a postdoctoral research fellow. He completed his internal medicine residency there and accepted a hospitalist position at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where he was involved in caring for critically ill cardiac patients. Ankur continued his clinical research, working on CMR findings in COVID-19 myocarditis. He also performed a meta-analysis of over 65,000 patients on propitious temporal changes in short-term hard outcomes over two decades after TAVR compared SAVR. He is looking forward to strengthening his clinical acumen and knowledge in cardiology while continuing his clinical research.
Ankur enjoys cooking, hiking and traveling.
Second Year Cardiovascular Fellows
Aamir Gilani, M.B., B.S. (PGY-5) – Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan.
Clinical Interests: General and interventional cardiology.
Research Interests: Clinical studies, coronary/structural intervention, healthcare disparities.
About: Following the completion of his medical education and an internship in Karachi, Pakistan, Aamir ventured to Atlanta, Georgia. There, he pursued his residency at Northside Gwinnett, where he had the privilege of also serving as a chief resident.
Aamir‘s dedication to advancing the field of cardiology led him to delve deeply into research during his residency, resulting in the prestigious recognition of the Resident Scholar Award. Aamir’s research endeavors primarily focused on the critical aspects of CTO intervention outcomes and addressing disparities in mechanical circulatory device utilization.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Aamir finds solace and inspiration in weightlifting, reconnecting with nature through leisurely walks, and exploring new destinations through travel.
Hardikkumar Patel, M.B., B.S. (PGY-5) – Medical College, Baroda, India.
Hometown: Unjha Mehsana, India.
Clinical Interests: Advanced heart failure and transplant.
Research Interests: Cardiomyopathies.
About: After finishing medical school in India, Hardy moved to New York where he completed his internal medicine residency from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Morningside and West). Afterwards he decided to work at Montefiore Medical Center as a hospitalist where he was involved in taking care of critically ill patients. Alongside he continued his clinical research where he worked on TAVR in heart failure patients, post-TAVR conduction disturbances, and post-afib/-aflutter ablation change in atrial strain. He also volunteered at Montefiore’s Structural Heart Clinic where he worked on pre- and post-TAVR, mitral clip, PFO, and structural clinical trial patients. After that he completed an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology fellowship at Montefiore.
First Year Cardiovascular Fellows
Iqra Qamar M.B., B.S. (PGY-4) – Faisalabad Medical University, Pakistan.
Hometown: Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Clinical Interests: Multimodality imaging and academic cardiologist.
Research Interests: I am interested in understanding the role of multimodality imaging in preventing ischemic and non-ischemic heart conditions.
About: I love to spend time with my family, explore nature, socialize, and good food.
Dhan Shrestha M.B., B.S. (PGY-4) – Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences College of Medicine, Nepal.
Hometown: Bhojpur, Nepal.
Clinical Interests: Electrophysiology.
Research Interests: Arrythmias, pacemakers, cardiac resynchronization therapy.
About: Coming from a geographically diverse country of Nepal, I am very fond of traveling and trying new cuisine with my wife.
