Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Fellows
Firas Al Badarin MD

Firas Al Badarin, MD

T32 Cardiovascular Outcomes Fellow 2017-2019

  • Medical School: University of Jordan- Faculty of Medicine
  • Residency: Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital- Department of Internal Medicine, Detroit, MI
  • Fellowship: General Cardiology Fellowship, University of Missouri-Kansas City/ Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, MO
  • Other Training: Preventive Cardiology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

What attracted you to this program?

The main selling point of this program, for me, a person interested in an academic career in cardiac imaging, is the unique ability to receive mentorship and training in cardiovascular outcomes research and advanced cardiac imaging under the same umbrella. Having the ability to work and learn alongside luminaries in the field of imaging and leaders in the field of outcomes research has helped me advance my career tremendously. The decision to spend 2 additional years of training at Saint Luke’s was made easier knowing the exceptional training I would receive!

Areas of interest 

Outcomes research in cardiac imaging - mainly radionuclide perfusion imaging, preventive cardiology, the role of imaging for risk assessment in obese patients undergoing weight-loss surgery and assessment of cardiac transplant recipients.

Poghni Peri-Okonny, MD

Poghni Peri-Okonny, MD

T32 Cardiovascular Outcomes Fellow 2017-2019

  • Medical School: Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL
  • Residency: University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
  • Fellowship: Hypertension Fellowship, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

What attracted you to this program?

The CVO research program at MAHI has a track record of training leaders in the field of cardiovascular outcomes research. The program provides fellows with the opportunity to gain experience working with a variety of datasets including registries, RCTs and large electronic health record data. There is also great data analysis infrastructure which is invaluable. The Masters of Science in Bioinformatics (Clinical Research Emphasis) curriculum supplements the hands on training you get from working with the different datasets. Trainees of this program are fortunate to learn from accomplished and quite approachable faculty members.   

Areas of interest 

Cardiovascular outcomes, hypertension, general cardiology

Vittal Hejjaji, MD

Vittal Hejjaji, MD

T32 Cardiovascular Outcomes Fellow 2018-2020

  • Medical School: Rajarajeswari Medical College & Hospital, Bangalore, India
  • Residency: Internal Medicine, CWRU/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH

What attracted you to this program?

My interest in pursuing a career in academic medicine made me seek out a program that blends great clinical exposure to all aspects of cardiovascular medicine and offers a strong background in outcomes research. I found this combination at MAHI/St Luke’s hospital which was my first choice for fellowship match. The faculty (clinical and research) here are extremely friendly, approachable and extremely invested in fellows’ education. As an outcomes research fellow at MAHI, I have the unique opportunity to work with multiple researchers who all have different areas of interest across the various domains of cardiology. The program’s structured Master Degree curriculum coupled with its vast contribution to the world of cardiovascular outcomes research was the main attraction for me to join this remarkable fellowship program.

Areas of interest

Cardiovascular prevention, public health and implementation science

Ali Malik, MD

Ali Malik, MD

T32 Cardiovascular Outcomes Fellow 2018-2020

  • Medical School: Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan
  • Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Nevada Reno, School of Medicine Las Vegas, NV
  • Fellowship: Cardiovascular Medicine Research, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

What attracted you to this program?

I was attracted to the structured outcomes fellowship that is perhaps the best in the country. Looking at the achievements of recent fellows from this program was very inspiring. However, what made the decision easy for me was the sense that I got from program leadership (research and clinical) that they put fellows “first”. The leadership is very approachable and emphasize the fellows goals and objectives.

Areas of interest

I am very interested in interventional cardiology. I am fascinated by recent research and innovations that have led to improvement in patient outcomes. I am also interested in systems of care and aim to do research to understand how healthcare is delivered. I think there is a lot of potential to improve health outcomes by doing research on policy initiatives to streamline systems of care in the United States and in a broader sense all over the world.

Return to the Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Postdoctoral Fellowship program.