“It was this sense of finally belonging somewhere that sparked my journey to self-love.” 
-Nasrien E. Ibrahim, Sparkplug

Being an advanced heart failure and transplant specialist compelled Dr. Ibrahim to look at life from a different perspective: “With transplants you are seeing the extremes of life and death.”
Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Nasrien Ezzeldin Ibrahim, Director of Heart Failure Clinical Research at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute and the writer of SPARKPLUG: The Roadmap to Confidently Ignite and Navigate Your Career Without Compromising Your Dreams.
Dr Nasrien E. Ibrahim left Saudi Arabia and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio at age 15, because her expatriate parents wanted to provide the best educational opportunities for their four Sudanese-Egyptian children. The move was heart-breaking for Nasrien, and it took years for her to feel a sense of belonging. 

In this candid episode of Parallax, Nasrien and Ankur open up about their experiences of being an immigrant. Ankur asks Nasrien about her journey to medicine. Nasrien shares the lessons she took away from her years under the mentorship of Dr JoAnn Lindenfeld and later, Dr. James Januzzi. Finally, Nasrien shares her recent experience of writing Sparkplug and how she embraced life with its imperfections and found her purpose. 

What were the formative experiences of Dr Nasrien E. Ibrahim? What does she think about charity? And what is her message to our listeners?

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

Brought to you by Edwards: www.edwardstavr.com

EP 53: Belonging, Sparkplug & Purpose with Dr. Nasrien E. Ibrahim

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 members? What is Dr Albert’s message to our listeners?

Questions and comments can be sent to “podcast@radcliffe-group.com” and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode. Guest @nancy_m_albert hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCARDIO.
Brought to you by Edwards: www.edwardstavr.com

Parallax HFSA Edition: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging with Dr Nancy M. Albert

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. Sukh interprets the outcomes and asks Ankur about his clinical experiences. Finally, they review the investigator led LAAOS III study that showed patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardiac surgery, left atrial appendage occlusion was superior to no occlusion.

What were the top practice informing heart failure trials of 2021? What does the latest data say on current cardiac surgery practices? How will these findings inform patient care?

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

Brought to you by Edwards: www.edwardstavr.com

EP 61: The Year 2021 in Review with Dr Sukh Nijjer — Top Trials in Heart Failure and Cardiac Surgery

In the landmark centennial episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes a true luminary in the field of cardiology, Dr Valentin Fuster.

Dr Valentin Fuster, a renowned cardiologist, currently holds multiple roles. He serves as the Director of the Cardiovascular Institute and as the Physician-in-Chief at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Additionally, Dr Fuster is the General Director of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) in Madrid. Notably, he also holds the position of Editor-in-Chief at the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

In this candid and rich episode, Dr Fuster delves into his upbringing in Barcelona and reflects on the influential role his family played in providing him with role models and a sense of freedom during his formative years. Dr Fuster invites us to contemplate the concepts of mentorship and trust by recounting pivotal moments from his life, revealing how these principles propelled him towards a life of fulfilment.
Dr Kalra and Dr Fuster revisit one of the central questions explored in Dr Fuster's book, "The Circle of Motivation" – how can one maintain a positive outlook and prepare for life's inevitable fluctuations? Dr Fuster shares insights into his daily routine, which aids him in reflection, tuning into his intuition, and making choices that align with his true self.
While discussing his priorities, we gain insight into Dr Fuster's projects, driven by the concern that we do not intervene early enough in the treatment of individuals. Dr Kalra and Dr Fuster engage in a discussion about Dr Fuster's thoughts on JACC and Dr Fuster outlines the key principles of leadership in various contexts, accompanied by examples from his own life. Dr Kalra seeks Dr Fuster's perspective on augmentative intelligence and the future of medicine, shedding light on what Dr Fuster believes is essential for contemporary medical education in light of the transformative impact of AI.
Finally, Dr Fuster shares three influential books that have shaped his thinking, along with a message for our listeners.

Resources:
JACC Journals’ Pathway Forward With AI Tools: The Future Is Now
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.02.030
The Circle of Motivation
https://www.amazon.com/Circle-Motivation-Valentin-Fuster-ebook/dp/B07YLVMSKH

EP 100: Conversation with Dr Valentin Fuster: Trust, Fulfilment & Leadership

‘Parallax’ (/ˈparəlaks/)-noun: the effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions. Join Ankur Kalra, MD as he shows you a different side to cardiovascular care, management and science. Listen to Ankur’s conversations with legendary cardiologists, critical reviews of key congresses and late-breaking trials, and concise summaries. Published every second Monday of the month, this is your fix of reliable updates on all things cardiology by someone from a non-traditional background, who is always trying to look at it from new angles! Dear cardiologists, we want to make this podcast about you, and for you! Please email us critical thoughts, comments and questions for Ankur at podcast@radcliffe-group.com.

EP 61: The Year 2021 in Review with Dr Sukh Nijjer — Top Trials in Heart Failure and Cardiac Surgery

Parallax by Ankur Kalra

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