Cardiovascular Fellows
Third Year
Tyler Bullis, MD
Cardiovascular Disease/Electrophysiology Advancing Innovation in Residency Education Fellow (AIRE)
Medical School: University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS
Residency: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Awards/Accomplishments: Chief Resident, Resident Liaison Committee Chairperson, ACP Doctor's Dilemma Team Member, Internal Medicine Intern of the Year
What attracted you to this program?
My residency mentors spoke highly of the program at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. The program offers phenomenal clinical training. The faculty is eager to teach and mentor, and we are truly spoiled with the facility and its resources. Most importantly, the program leadership has a track record of supporting their fellows’ career aspirations.
Areas of interest: Electrophysiology, general cardiology, medical education
Ain Ejaz, MD
Medical School: The Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Residency: University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
Awards/Accomplishments: AOA Honor Society, Recipient of 2022 Women of Saint Luke’s Award for Excellence in Patient Care
What attracted you to this program?
The UMKC Cardiology fellowship program offers everything I was looking for—excellent clinical training, robust curriculum, great mentors, supportive faculty, and a program director who goes out of the way to support trainees. I also appreciate the opportunity to train in two different hospital settings, including Saint Luke's Hospital, a tertiary care transplant center, and University Health, a state-funded hospital. Kansas City has been our home for four years, and I enjoy all the amenities of a large city, but none of the hassle, such as traffic congestion, overpopulation, or pollution. The program is a great fit for me, and it will be a privilege to train here as I hope to become a strong clinician as well as a better version of myself.
Areas of interest: Cardiac imaging, preventive cardiology, heart failure
Kaitlyn Granstaff, MD
Chief Fellow
Medical School: University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS
Residency: Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Consortium, St. Louis, MO
Awards/Accomplishments: Member and Chapter President of AOA Honor Society, 2016 STSA Clifford van Meter President’s Award for Best Adult Cardiac Surgery Scientific Presentation
What attracted you to this program?
When envisioning the ideal training program, I sought an equal balance of clinical rigor/volume, community engagement, and a collegial and collaborative environment. University of Missouri-Kansas City and Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute exceeded in all these areas. Additionally, the imaging volume and innovation are among the top in the country. Being able to practice at both Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City and University Health allows me to continue my goal of understanding and delivering care to a full spectrum of patients. Despite being national leaders in cardiovascular care and outcomes research, the immensely talented physicians at Mid America Heart Institute remain approachable and grant autonomy to the fellows. What can’t be seen on paper, perhaps, is the genuine investment in each fellow as an individual, as well as clinician. Dr. Enriquez and the leadership team foster wholeness of the individual, from family life to extracurriculars. Community engagement is a common practice for many staff members. It has long been a goal of mine to return to Kansas City to deliver care and serve my hometown, so it is incredible that this jewel of a program is in Kansas City’s backyard.
Areas of interest: Advanced heart failure transplant cardiology, advanced/multimodality imaging, health equity/addressing health disparities in cardiovascular care, community outreach, women’s heart health
Mirza Khan, MD
Combined Outcomes Research/Cardiovascular Disease Fellow
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Residency: University of Iowa Health Care, Iowa City, IA
Previous Fellowship: VA Medical Informatics Fellowship, Nashville, TN
Awards/Accomplishments: Joseph A. Bartos Endowed Student Award; Most Outstanding Poster, Carver College of Medicine 2018 Health Sciences Research Week; Poster Competition Semi-Finalist, American Medical Informatics Association 2019 Annual Symposium; Student Paper Competition Semi-Finalist, American Medical Informatics Association 2021 Annual Symposium; Epic Physician Builder
What attracted you to the program?
The people. Remember the old Olive Garden commercials with “When you’re here, you’re family”? That slogan sums up the program here. Everyone from the fellows to the faculty and staff is sincere in their care and support of one another. This was most apparent during the interview process when fellows shared how life/family struggles in the COVID-19 era arose and how the program rallied around them and their families in support.
You also feel like you can be your whole self and are encouraged to pursue and excel at interests outside of medicine. For example, Dr. Enriquez practices Jiu Jitsu and also serves as a part-time police officer. Dr. Spertus and his family have a famous farm and restaurant.
Clinically, every possible training opportunity is available (even the ones that don’t quite have a name yet). And objectively, the volume and outcomes of the clinical program are among the top. On the research side, the mentorship and statistical support are superb. Faculty and statisticians are extremely supportive and tailor opportunities and projects to the trainees’ interests and career goals. As with the clinical side, the research is tops and the opportunities are plentiful: outcomes, clinical trials, implementation science, informatics, etc.
Areas of interest: General and preventive cardiology, advanced imaging; the intersection between cardiology and informatics (“cardioinformatics”); implementation science; ML/DL/NLP
What I like about Kansas City: My favorite place is the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Overland Park, a suburb just south of Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City.
Charles Sherrod, MD
Combined Outcomes Research/Cardiovascular Disease Fellow
Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO
Residency: Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University & Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI
Awards/Accomplishments: Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Resident Research Day Winner, 2022; Cardiovascular Clinical Trialists (CVCT) Young Trialist Award, 2022; American Heart Association Get with the Guideline’s Resuscitation Early Career Investigator Award, 2022; Saint Luke’s Research Day Finalist, 2023
What attracted you to the program?
Having done many of my medical school rotations at Saint Luke’s, I was familiar with the Mid America Heart Institute early on. It was the first dedicated heart hospital in the world and its impact is incredible—from the development of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire and being the first women’s heart center to its role in the first percutaneous STEMI revascularization, the first VT ablation, its cardiometabolic center, and countless clinical trials—the Heart Institute is a world-class place to see the spectrum of heart disease and be a part of leading-edge innovations.
Aside from this, the food scene in KC punches above its weight, and the program affords fellows a life while being immersed in education from some of the best in outcomes research, heart failure/transplant, interventional, EP, and non-invasive imaging.
Areas of interest: During my research training, I developed an interest in understanding patients’ perspective of their condition and how to leverage patient-reported outcomes in clinical practice, clinical research, and at the policy level. Particularly, I am interested in heart failure, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, health policy, and improving care for uncommon conditions.
Second Year
Evan O’Keefe, MD
Medical School: University of Queensland/Ochsner, Brisbane, QLD, Australia/New Orleans, LA
Residency: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Awards/Accomplishments: Dean’s List, 20+ manuscripts published in residency
What attracted you to this program?
Up to now, my top priority has been receiving the best education afforded to me. That aim has frequently landed me in big institutions, toiling underneath esteemed staff. The pursuit of fellowship has made me reflect on those choices and experiences in contrast to my first job, which while I found unstimulating, I very much enjoyed because of days I spent alongside my kind, intelligent, interesting coworkers. That first job left such an impression on me, I’ve known at some point the environment I work in would eclipse the renown of any job or education prospect.
My priority list now is to take my family to a city in which they can prosper, the workplace environment, and lastly, the job. I’ve chosen to continue my career at UMKC and Mid America Heart Institute for the chance to work with great people in a city where my family can grow—the education and their reputation are just a bonus.
Areas of interest: Cardiac imaging, outcomes research, prevention, nutrition, aging, physical activity, evolutionary biology
Steven Lewis, MD
Cardiovascular Disease/Electrophysiology Advancing Innovation in Residency Education Fellow (AIRE)
Medical School: The Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA
Residency: Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Awards/Accomplishments: Graduated from residency with Quality Improvement Distinction; Best Oral Presentation in Clinical/Translational Research at Emory University SOM Annual Department of Medicine Research Day 2022; MCG Dean’s Clinical Honor Society; multiple manuscripts published in residency and medical school; graduated with highest honors from Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Engineering
What attracted you to this program?
I was initially drawn to the University of Missouri–Kansas City Cardiology Fellowship Program for its national reputation of providing outstanding clinical training and opportunities for mentorship and research. Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute is a large referral center providing care for high volumes of diverse cardiac pathology, which inherently provides fellows with exceptional exposure to advanced imaging modalities, complex interventional/EP procedures, and MCS/cardiac transplants. Ultimately, I had a great time meeting the fellows and faculty during my interview—it was clear that everyone knew each other well and truly enjoyed working together. Importantly, both the fellows and faculty highlighted the support and mentorship fellows receive from nationally recognized leaders in the field of cardiology as they pursue their various interests. My mentors spoke very highly of Mid America Heart Institute, confirming that the combination of robust clinical training, countless research opportunities, and the highly collegial environment that feels like a family would be a phenomenal place to continue my training.
Areas of interest: General cardiology, interventional cardiology, use of multimodality imaging in procedural planning
What I like about Kansas City: River Market, Crossroads District, tons of restaurants and parks to explore
May Xac, MD
Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX
Awards/Accomplishments: The President’s Volunteer Service Award, Research in Quality of Care and Education at Parkland Award
What attracted you to the program?
As I was preparing to apply to fellowship, multiple mentors at my prior institution recommended Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute/University of Missouri–Kansas City for their robust clinical training and incredible faculty. With two clinical sites, endless opportunities in research and clinical exposure, and a hybrid of academic and private practice, I feel that the program offers everything you could want in a fellowship. However, what has impressed me most throughout my time here is how supportive and invested the faculty and staff are in you as a fellow and a person.
Areas of interest: General cardiology, heart failure
What I like about Kansas City: The food scene and lack of traffic!
Daniel Young, MD
Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Residency: Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Consortium, St. Louis, MO
Awards/Accomplishments: Clinical Care-Patient Care Distinguished Service Teaching Award, Internal Medicine Resident of the Month, Collegiate Baseball Player
What attracted you to this program?
The family atmosphere of this program was apparent from my interview day. The fellows and staff clearly knew each other and were well-connected. The training is so well rounded here with a great balance of autonomy and supervision. I knew I would be pushed clinically, but never truly be alone if I needed help. There is also so much support from Dr. Enriquez and the rest of our program leadership for life outside of the hospital that I don’t think you can find anywhere else.
Areas of interest: Cardiogenic shock, MCS, valvular heart disease
What I like about Kansas City: The Chiefs!
First Year
Emily Edwards, MD
Medical School: University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Residency: University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Awards/accomplishments: Chief Resident, Member of AOA Honor Society, Member of Gold Humanism Honor Society, Timothy H. Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Ambulatory Internal Medicine, University of Florida Intern of the Year Award, Society of Teaching Scholars Student Excellence in Medical Education Award, Bythewood and Baker Memorial Scholarship Award for Women Medical Students, NIH T35 Training Grant, Lawrence M. Goodman Scholarship
What attracted you to this program?
I first learned about Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City from the hilarious yet poignant cardiology themed Valentine's Day cards I discovered during medical school (please search for them if you haven't seen them). From my first interview, the faculty and fellows here exuded a warmth and approachability that made me feel like I belong at this institution, and it was clearly evident that they value and nurture the personal and professional development of each fellow. University Health Truman Medical Center and Saint Luke’s offer a diverse clinical experience that combines high-volume, leading-edge clinical training alongside nationally recognized faculty. With its outstanding reputation, rigorous academic foundations, and emphasis on patient-centered care, I knew that Saint Luke’s would cultivate me into a compassionate cardiologist and I'm thrilled to continue my training here.
Areas of interest: Advanced heart failure and transplantation, medical education, women's heart health, health care delivery via digital platforms
What I like about Kansas City: We love the large city offerings with small town vibes here in Kansas City and are slowly making our way through a bucket list of things to do and restaurants to try. Plus, there are no hurricanes to worry about!
Colin Kenny, MD
Medical School: Pacific Northwest University, Yakima, Washington
Residency: Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Awards/Accomplishments: Army Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, UMKC and Saint Luke's Heart Failure Fellowship
What attracted you to this program?
I have worked and trained in a variety of clinical environments and institutions. From my first day of Heart Failure Fellowship at Saint Luke's, everything just felt right—right teaching facility, right attending faculty, right co-fellows, right program leadership, and the right place for world-class CV disease fellowship training. Maybe not the right dining facility, but everything else about this program is perfect. Mid America Heart Institute and UMKC have created the right balance by giving fellows autonomy in clinical decision-making, while maintaining a supportive atmosphere where help is always available when needed. They have built something remarkable here, and combined with Midwest politeness, it is probably as close to perfect as it gets.
Areas of interest: Electrophysiology, first responder and tactical athlete cardiovascular care
Kenneth Zabel, MD
Medical School: University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas
Residency: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Awards/Accomplishments: Inpatient/outpatient resident of the year 2025, Dedicated learner of the year 2023, Member of the ACC Medical Resident Leadership Group
What attracted you to this program?
I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, and I wanted to return to the region after my internal medicine training. Kansas City is home to many excellent cardiology groups, but perhaps the most well-known is Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. The combination of clinical complexity, high volume, research opportunities, and a friendly environment makes for top-notch training. The program contains world-renowned cardiology clinical outcomes research and is listed as a Comprehensive Cardiac Center by The Joint Commission. In addition, Dr. Enriquez is a superb leader in the field and a compassionate advocate for fellows in and out of the hospital. Kansas City is also home to a wide variety of opportunities outside the hospital, including excellent live music, great restaurants, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I feel extremely proud to be a part of this program and am consistently humbled to be working amongst such excellent faculty and staff.
Areas of interest: Interventional cardiology, cardiac genetics, cardiac histopathology
Omar Cantu Martinez, MD
Combined Outcomes Research/Cardiovascular Disease Fellow
Medical School: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico
Residency: Jefferson Einstein Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Awards/Accomplishments: Sonia Stupniker, MD Library Award for outstanding achievement in scholarly activity during Internal Medicine Residency; Albert Einstein Society Innovation Program Grant Recipient for the project titled “Increasing Early Detection and Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) through point-of-care Screening in a Primary Care Setting: Einstein PAD Program”; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt
What attracted you to the program?
The program leadership and my co-fellows are welcoming and like a big family, which was evident from my interview and beyond. The program offers vast opportunities to get in-depth training in research and any cardiovascular field with multiple in-house fellowships. I will be starting my Master’s in Bioinformatics with an emphasis on Clinical Research with full support from the fellowship. Additionally, the ability to work with giants in both the research and clinical fields at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute and University Health and help a diverse patient population is unparalleled.
Areas of interest: Electrophysiology, PAD, RV failure, VTE, pulmonary hypertension, medical device and outcomes research.
What I like about Kansas City: I felt at home during my first week in the city. It is peaceful, has almost no traffic, people are friendly, and has great traditional Mexican food (I can attest to) and BBQ.
Andrew Girard, MD
Combined Outcomes Research/Cardiovascular Disease Fellow
Medical School: University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Residency: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Awards/Accomplishments: Alabama ACC Ami Iskandrian Research Award, 2nd place; UAB Vascular Biology and Research Symposium Research Award; UAB Highest PGY-1 and PGY-2 ITE Score Award; climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world
What attracted you to this program?
During my residency, I developed a strong interest in outcomes research through participation in a weekly journal club that reviewed high-impact cardiovascular clinical trials. Over time, I noticed that many of the trials discussed were led by Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute. When I asked my mentors about this program, they spoke very highly of the institution and suggested that I apply for my fellowship training.
My interview day experience was outstanding. While interviewing for the research component of the training program, I was excited to learn how outcomes fellows participate in many high-impact projects and receive close mentorship from leaders in the field of cardiology. I was also impressed with the clinical training, which exposes fellows to a nice blend of private and academic practice, diverse patient populations, and state-of-the-art cardiovascular care. Most importantly, I connected easily with the fellows, program leadership, and faculty and found them to be very genuine and welcoming.
Areas of interest: Heart failure, advanced imaging, outcomes research
What I like about Kansas City: Kansas City truly offers something for everybody. It’s fun to relax in many of the parks of Kansas City during the day, and then meet friends downtown for dinner at night. There is a wide variety of restaurants that I am still exploring—all have been excellent so far. On the weekends, I enjoy attending sporting events, touring museums, and exploring the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium!
Combined Research/Clinical
Manvita Tatavarthy, MD
Medical School: Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois
Residency: Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Awards/Accomplishments: Rush Educator Distinction, Phi Sigma honor society, Guinness world record for participating in the largest international dance performance
What attracted you to this program?
On my interview day I was immediately impressed by how collegial the entire program felt. Every interview was a fun conversation with the goal of just getting to know one another. As I learned more about the program, I realized there was such an amazing breadth of research that I couldn’t wait to get involved. Additionally, the program clearly offered the extremely strong clinical training I was looking for. After speaking with all my residency mentors, I knew that I had to come to Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute.
Areas of interest: Advanced imaging, heart failure, women’s health, medical education
What I like about Kansas City: All the parks and green spaces. I’m excited to explore the food scene here too!
Recent Fellowship Graduates
2025 Graduates
Angel Garcia, DO, MSc – Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant Cardiology Fellowship, Cleveland, Ohio
Lehman A. Godwin, MD – Academic Medicine, Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants, Kansas City, Missouri
Dan Nguyen, MD, MSc - Academic Medicine, Denver, Colorado
Suchith Vuppala, MD – Academic Medicine, Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants, Kansas City, Missouri
Robert Weidling, MD – Academic Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
2024 Graduates
Amanda Heuszel, MD, ME – Academic/General Cardiology, Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants, Kansas City, Missouri
Mark Metzinger, MD – General Cardiology, Baylor, Texas
Ellen Murray, MD – Electrophysiology Fellowship, UMKC/Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Merrill Thomas, MD, MSc – Advanced Imaging Fellowship, Brigham Women’s Hospital/Mass General, Boston, Massachusetts
2023 Graduates
Vital Hejjaji, MD, MSc – General Cardiology, Miami, Florida
Ali Malk, MD, MSc – Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, Columbus, Ohio
Anas Noman, MD – Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, UMKC/Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Stefanie Vamenta, MD – General Cardiology, Chicago, Illinois