Debakey Heart & Vascular Center Biennial Report | 2021

LEADING HEART & VASCULAR CARE

01

THE DIRECTOR Physicians, researchers and staff at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center continue to create, cultivate and inspire with the goal of revolutionizing cardiovascular care for our patients.

Recognized for excellence in clinical care and outcomes by U.S. News & World Report, Houston Methodist Hospital is No. 15 in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery. Houston Methodist Hospital was also named to the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals Honor Roll in 2021.

Recognition of DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center’s excellence in patient care encourages up-and-coming as well as established recruits to join our renowned staff. Recruits this year include two world-class researchers who have received awards from the Jerold B. Katz Foundation to fund their translational research.

We have created one of the largest cardiovascular imaging installations in the world, embedded inside the center. The unique structure of our cardiovascular imaging hub gives patients an incredible advantage. This investment equips our clinicians with the latest in diagnostic imaging, catheterization labs and surgical suites, while also helping us advance research and development activities.

Our clinician-researchers are at the forefront of discovery and are committed to bringing the best treatments to life. We led the national VENUS trial that showed significant improvement in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. We identified fibroblasts that promote recovery from limb ischemia, and we pioneered innovative ways to treat valve disorders. We are also looking at ways nature and the environment alter disease processes, such as the development of plaque, with a strong push towards the prevention of disease in the first place. And we are safely fast-tracking innovative medical devices so that we can get even-better treatments to patients’ bedsides.

Our physicians and researchers are advancing the field in immersive virtual education and learning. Video capture and streaming capabilities coming directly from our catheterization labs, operating suites and studio allow our specialists to proliferate information about cardiovascular advances and conduct extensive training on the Houston Methodist DeBakey CV Education YouTube channel.

We are reaching thousands of cardiovascular specialists across the world and connecting them to resources they need through mixed reality experiences and virtual symposiums.

This year saw the culmination of a tremendous effort to form Houston’s largest network of physicians specializing in heart and vascular conditions. Combining the expertise of physicians in all our system hospitals into one network allows us to offer seamless, specialized care to all our patients.

All of us at the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center are committed to revolutionizing cardiovascular care. With a strong foundation, we can create a brilliant future for cardiovascular medicine.

Alan B. Lumsden, MD Walter W. Fondren III Distinguished Endowed Chair Medical Director, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center Chair, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

MESSAGE FROM

02 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

KATZ AWARD FUNDING SUPPORTS TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN

LIMB PRESERVATION AND CARDIOVASCU A generous $21 million gift from the Jerold B. Katz Foundation supports translational research at Houston Methodist by funding world-class clinician-researchers focused on moving medical discoveries from the laboratory to the patient and providing for stateof-the-art laboratories with equipment that is specialized for their needs.

Trisha Roy, MD, PhD, a vascular surgeon, is a Jerold B. Katz Investigator at the Academy of Translational Research, whose research focuses on using high-resolution imaging to improve limb preservation for patients with peripheral arterial disease and critical limb ischemia.

The Katz award will support her work to improve the success rates of peripheral vascular intervention by using 7-Tesla (7T) MRI images to predict which patients are at higher risk of failure using endovascular treatments, and then more accurately select therapies by matching treatment options to individual patients’ disease states.

“Twenty percent of patients with critical limb ischemia lose their limb within one year. My goal is to bring that 20% failure down to zero.”

Roy believes that vascular lesions are much more complex than our current imaging can indicate. Characterization of the composition of lesions using 7T MRI will help her develop guidelines for clinicians to use in the selection of the most appropriate approach to crossing lesions for revascularization.

“A solid, calcified plaque will require a different approach, compared to a softer blockage made of a mesh of calcium and collagen, for example,” said Roy. “Understanding a patient’s unique lesion should drive the selection of the treatment, whether it is wires, stents or surgery. Blockages are very heterogeneous. By understanding the blockage, we can better select an appropriate, durable and successful treatment. If we can select the right treatments, we can save limbs.”

Trisha Roy, MD, PhD

CTA

UTE

03

Khurram Nasir, MD, MPH, director, Preventive Cardiology Clinic, is a Jerold B. Katz Investigator at the Academy of Translational Research, whose research focuses on programs that advance equitable cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, considering social determinants and disparities.

In addition to prevention, Nasir studies biological resistance to CVD. “Studies show that some people at high risk never develop CVD. They are genetic superheroes,” said Nasir about the role their genes play in fighting off CVD.

“Many factors that increase the risk for CVD are not health care barriers, but transport issues, food stability, education, access to green space, health illiteracy or digital illiteracy. In pursuit of health care, we cannot ignore nonbiologic causes.

Social factors play a major role. We want no one to be left behind.”

Khurram Nasir, MD, MPH

He studies resilience mechanisms — biological, social or environmental mechanisms that shield people from this disease. He is currently recruiting high-risk patients and conducting deep phenotyping, including cardiac calcium scans, genetic profiles, protein analysis and marker analysis, as well as looking at social and lifestyle determinants, to answer the question, “What shields us from this disease?”

Looking ahead, Nasir is working with William A. Zoghbi, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiology, to establish the Center for Cardiovascular Computational and Precision Health, which will leverage big data and computational intelligence to improve population health. The goal of the center is to build processes that leverage data from electronic medical records, biobanks, imaging banks, surveys, environmental input and more to design systemwide and populationwide approaches to reducing the burden of disease by identifying risks and trends early.

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

LAR DISEASE PREVENTION

04 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURE DRIVES

EXCELLENCE IN ADVANCED VALVE REPAIR Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center takes a highly collaborative approach to the treatment of faulty valves. By developing a seamless team of cardiac surgeons, interventionalists and cardiovascular imaging specialists, we have helped drive the industry to refine and perfect the most advanced therapies for failing valves.

“This is especially crucial in more complex valve work, such as mitral valve replacement, during which a surgeon and interventionalist work in tandem to insert the valve, while simultaneously relying on cardiac echo expertise to coordinate the actual implant, obtain unique views and assess the success of the implant,” said Neal S. Kleiman, MD, interventional cardiologist and Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair in Interventional Cardiology. “Strong, established team relationships have proven to be irreplaceable in this setting.”

“Due in large part to the shared management of patients, integrating both surgical and transcatheter perspectives, our Valve Clinic is spearheading advanced valve repair, in clinical practice and forward-looking research,” said Michael J. Reardon, MD, cardiac surgeon and Allison Family Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Research.

“Because DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center now functions as a seamless system, with digital case discussion, CME, systemwide data sharing and a cohesive image sharing platform, we can offer some of the country’s most advanced valve care at six valve clinics and four TAVR sites across Houston,” said Stephen H. Little, MD, cardiologist and John S. Dunn Chair in Clinical Cardiovascular Research and Education.

“We can bring highly advanced valve care to patients, in their communities, with outstanding systemwide resources,” said Irfan Iftikhar, MD, interventional cardiologist and president of Houston Methodist West Hospital medical staff.

“It is the individual doctor-patient evaluation that brings the patient into the system. But it is the team approach, as seen in the weekly valve clinic conferences, that results in better patient outcomes,” said Stuart L. Solomon, MD, interventional cardiologist and president of the Houston Methodist Hospital medical staff.

05

The DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center was the lead site for the series of trials that led to approval for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the United States. We are now integrally involved in research that is advancing transcatheter repair and replacement for mitral and tricuspid valves, as well.

• Stephen H. Little, MD, is a principal investigator (PI) on the pivotal TRILUMINATE trial for tricuspid regurgitation.

• Sachin S. Goel, MD, is a PI for the MitraClip™ REPAIR MR for mitral regurgitation.

• Moritz C. Wyler von Ballmoos, MD, is a PI on the AltaValve™ Early Feasibility Study for mitral regurgitation.

• Michael J. Reardon, MD, is a PI for the APOLLO trial studying the Intrepid™ device for mitral regurgitation.

• Reardon is the national PI for the ACURATE IDE, which evaluates TAVR for aortic stenosis.

• Neal S. Kleiman, MD, is the local PI and Reardon is the national PI on the PORTICO NG trial for aortic stenosis.

• Kleiman is a steering committee member and local PI on the PROTECTED TAVR: Stroke Protection with Sentinel trial.

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

Research to Advance Transcatheter Repair and Replacement

06 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

CENTRALIZED IMAGING HUB AMPLIFIES PATIENT CARE

Patient care comes into clearer focus when specialists in cardiovascular CT, MRI, echo, nuclear and vascular imaging are equipped with the largest dedicated cardiovascular imaging installation in the world. At Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, our cardiac and vascular specialists have at their disposal the latest imaging technology to diagnose and treat each cardiovascular patient with greater precision.

All cardiovascular imaging is conducted inside DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center by our physician experts, who fundamentally understand our patient population. “Our cardiovascular imaging hub helps us answer very specific clinical questions. For example, I can acquire a CT that will be integrated into a surgical process and used to guide therapy for a specific patient. The cath labs and operating suites can pull all digital images into play, so we can conduct interventions and surgeries with greater precision,” said Alan B. Lumsden, MD, chair, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery.

“Having a centralized hub changes how we approach imaging from an education perspective, as well,” said Stephen H. Little, MD, and president-elect of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE).

“Rather than having a specific echo, CT, MRI or nuclear conference, we bring all of them together in a multimodality cardiovascular imaging conference,” said William A. Zoghbi, MD, chair, Department of Cardiology. “We are able to develop a discussion around how different imaging modalities can enhance our vision into a patient’s case.”

Similarly, research is more collaborative. All cardiovascular imaging modalities meet weekly, tackling the disease state and the patient’s condition.

“Imaging is going to drive a more effective, collaborative, precise and holistic practice of medicine on many levels,” said Dipan J. Shah, MD, chief of the division of cardiovascular imaging and director of the Cardiovascular MRI Laboratory.

“We are enthusiastic about being in a position to help further this field, for the benefit of our patients and cardiovascular medicine as a whole.”

“Dedicated, comprehensive imaging gives us the tools at our fingertips to diagnose and treat patients with greater precision. It’s a model for the nation.”

William Zoghbi, MD

Cardiovascular Imaging Our team of cardiovascular imaging experts set the industry’s standards: • Dipan J. Shah, MD, chief of the division of cardiovascular imaging and director of the Cardiovascular MRI Laboratory • Sherif F. Nagueh, MD, director of echocardiography • John J. Mahmarian, MD, director of nuclear cardiology and cardiovascular CT • Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, MD, director of cardiovascular PET • Stephen H. Little, MD, system director for structural heart and president-elect of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

07

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

08 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

ETHANOL INFUSION IN THE VEIN OF MARSHALL

IMPROVES OUTCOMES FOR CHALLENGING ATRIAL FIBRILLATION Electrophysiologist Miguel V. Valderrábano, MD, led a national, 12-site study that showed significant improvement in hard-to-treat atrial fibrillation (AF) by adding an ethanol infusion to the vein of Marshall when performing catheter ablation. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in October 2020, was investigator-initiated and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“I am very encouraged by the results of this study,” said Valderrábano, Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair and division chief, cardiac electrophysiology. “I pursued this procedural strategy — vein of Marshall ethanol — because treatment of persistent AF has been challenging due to the limited success of catheter ablation, and because mechanistic research supported it. In prior randomized trials, other adjuvant ablation strategies had failed to make a difference. This study indicates that, for the first time, we might have found something that significantly improves the success rates of ablation in patients with persistent AF.” The Vein of Marshall Ethanol for Untreated Persistent AF (VENUS) trial showed that 49% of patients who received catheter ablation with vein of Marshall ethanol infusion were free from AF or prolonged atrial tachycardia (AT) at both six and 12 months, compared to 38% who received catheter ablation alone. The study was designed with a primary endpoint to eliminate AF and AT of greater than 30 seconds, after a single procedure, without antiarrhythmic drugs.

Preliminary results were also presented at the American College of Cardiology/World Congress of Cardiology’s virtual scientific sessions in March 2020.

09

ANGIOGENESIS AND RECOVERY FROM LIMB ISCHEMIA John P. Cooke, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Regeneration, and his team at Houston Methodist discovered a new angiogenic process that aids in the vascular recovery of limb ischemia. His study, published in Circulation in August 2020, titled “Reservoir of Fibroblasts Promotes Recovery from Limb Ischemia,” shows that fibroblasts contribute to angiogenesis in ischemia when there is the presence of an immune response, resulting in perfusion and tissue preservation.

“Angiogenesis, growth of new blood vessels, is critical to vascular recovery.

We now know that transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into endothelial cells is an important element in this reparative process for limb ischemia,” Cooke said.

“When our cells recognize damage, such as in the case of ischemia, they release an inflammatory signal, which opens a genetic toolbox to initiate repair. We have discovered another one of those tools.”

Cooke’s team identified eight unique sets of fibroblasts that react to limb ischemia. They exhibit important differences in their behavior. One of the eight sets produces angiogenic cytokines, or growth factors. Another set transdifferentiates into endothelial cells. The two sets of fibroblasts work together to enable the reparative process.

“This discovery opens up new areas for therapy. How do we increase the number of fibroblasts during an immune reaction to ischemia? How do we amplify and improve the angiogenic process of transdifferentiation?”

John P. Cooke, MD, PhD

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY SPECIFIC FIBROBLASTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO

10 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

NEW CENTER PIONEERS USE OF NATURE

AS AN INNOVATIVE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM The Center for Health & Nature, a collaboration between Houston Methodist, Texan by Nature and the Texas A&M Health Science Center, takes an evidence-based, medically sound look at the impact of nature on health. The center is pioneering the use of nature as an innovative health care delivery system.

Physicians and researchers at the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center share this view that we must push beyond a narrow focus on biological factors in the pursuit of cardiovascular health in our community. Our research and collaborations seek out environmental, social, educational and policy factors to inform cardiology about risk assessment and public health, with a strong push towards the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the first place.

“We are passionate about prevention,” said William A. Zoghbi, MD, chair, Department of Cardiology. “Prevention can lower the incidence of CVD by 50%, but people need to know about prevention measures for them to be effective.

We want to make prevention ubiquitous.”

A study authored by Zoghbi, Khurram Nasir, MD, PhD, and colleagues across the United States, shows that many adults in the United States remain unaware of the symptoms of and appropriate response to myocardial infarction (MI).

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, identified several demographic groups that were associated with a higher risk of unfamiliarity regarding important signs of MI. Males, Hispanics, people not born in the U.S., people with lower education levels, and those without health insurance may benefit the most from targeted public health initiatives and cardiovascular health education.

“Millions of Americans are unaware of basic heart attack symptoms. It is stunning,” said Nasir. “We need better strategies that don’t leave these people behind. To do this, we must broaden the scope of what we consider to be influencers to the development of CVD.” Nasir is collaborating with scientists at the Center for Health & Nature to examine the role of pollution as it corresponds to early plaque and disease progression. His team is also designing a study to better understand the short- and intermediate-term impact of exposure to nature on cardiovascular health, as it relates to stress levels, cortisone levels and small vessel function.

“Many barriers to cardiovascular health are not related to care, but instead involve a patient’s natural environment, economic instability, transport issues, or access to healthy food and education,” said Nasir.

11

NATURE’S

ABILITY TO HEAL “It’s vital to look beyond just the biological factors that contribute to CVD. If we are going to solve this, we must incorporate into the equation social and environmental factors, supported by research and data.”

Khurram Nasir, MD, PhD

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

LEVERAGING

12 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

COLLABORATION DRIVES EXTRAORDINARY RECONSTRUCTION FOR PATIENT

WITH FAILING FONTAN ANATOMY When a patient’s Fontan began to fail, a heart transplant was the only treatment that would save her life. Thomas E. MacGillivray, MD, chief of cardiac surgery and thoracic transplant, deconstructed the complex anatomy created by the patient’s childhood Fontan, reconstructed a vasculature system that would accommodate a conventional heart, and then implanted her donated heart.

For adults with advanced, complex congenital heart disease, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center offers patients a perfect combination of care and expertise. “Being able to do a heart transplant for people with failing Fontans opens up new hope,” said MacGillivray.

Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is a highly specialized field. Houston Methodist has one of the most comprehensive ACHD programs in the country.

“Some heart and multi-organ transplant programs do not have expertise in ACHD. Some ACHD programs do not have multi-organ transplant expertise,” said Arvind Bhimaraj, MD, MPH, medical director of heart transplant and mechanical assist devices programs. “The Houston Methodist Adult Congenital Heart Program is comprised of specialists in ACHD, cardiology, cardiac surgery, cardiac and multi-organ transplant working together with Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center and DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center,” added Rayan Yousefzai, MD, advanced heart failure specialist and medical co-director of the Adult Congenital Heart Transplant Program.

“Our patients tend to have complications that specialists in ACHD understand, including complex anatomy, previous surgeries and involvement of other organs,” said Valeria E. Duarte, MD, ACHD advanced imaging specialist and medical codirector of the Adult Congenital Heart Transplant Program.

According to MacGillivray, patients who have a single ventricle can form collateral blood vessels as a reaction to a lifetime of exposure to the Fontan palliation, which can increase risk of surgery. To avoid dangerous bleeding during surgery, C. Huie Lin, MD, PhD, adult congenital interventional cardiologist, was able to occlude the patient’s collaterals in the catheterization lab, setting the stage for MacGillivray to safely transplant the new heart.

“Dr. Duarte’s expertise in imaging patients with complex cardiac anatomy and underlying abnormal structures plotted the map for an intricate reconstruction.

The Fontan procedure gave parents hope that their children would live to adulthood. Now, we can safely offer a heart transplant to adults with failing Fontans. This gives our adult patients hope that they will get to see their kids grow up. Ultimately, that’s why we do it,” said MacGillivray.

13

ADVANCEMENTS FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE Scientists, cardiologists and surgeons at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center collaborate with entrepreneurs and industry to help move innovative medical devices from bench to bedside with safety, accuracy and efficiency. Many of our researchers and physicians play active roles in the mission of the Center for Rapid Device Translation at Houston Methodist.

Case study: VenoStent

Postmarket Analysis

Clinical Need

Physician Training

Design and Prototype

Regulatory Approval

Preclinical Evaluation Clinical Trials

“We want to cultivate an ecosystem that advances the most effective, most needed medical technology for patients.

The involvement of our leaders in the cardiovascular specialties plays a significant role in that.

We help our collaborators see how their devices will work within the current practice of delivering medicine.”

Homer Quintana

The teams at VenoStent and the Center for Rapid Device Translation collaborated to help move their device from concept to market. It is an external stent made with a shapememory polymer, designed to reduce failures at the vein-graft or vein-artery junction of dialysis patients.

The center’s team included, the practical expertise of Eric K. Peden, MD, vascular surgeon, the scientific and entrepreneurial experience of John P. Cooke, MD, PhD, chair, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and director, Center for Cardiovascular Regeneration, and other specialists.

The team helped VenoStent create grant-funded research, guided them through preclinical studies, and helped them establish their first in-vivo study at Houston Methodist Research Institute in 2020.

“This is our purpose. We help our clients nurture their ideas into robust, clinically viable technologies,” said Homer Quintana, program manager, Center for Rapid Device Translation.

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

COLLABORATION MOVES

14 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

OUTSTANDING RECRUITS AT THE FOREFRONT OF INNOVATION

Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center continues to draw the best and the brightest with a growing, innovative culture that is backed by 100 years of groundbreaking cardiovascular history and a seamless network of more than 200 physicians specializing in cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, cardiac imaging and cardiovascular anesthesiology — practicing across seven hospitals in the Houston Methodist system.

With access to state-of-the-art cardiovascular surgical suites, interventional labs, imaging and patient care facilities — as well as pioneering clinicians, educators and researchers — DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center attracts the best minds in medicine, who are eager to be part of the dynamic here.

CARDIOLOGY • Sami M. Aasar, MD

Interventional Cardiology • David A. Burkland, MD

Cardiac Electrophysiology • Jorge M. Escobar Camargo, MD

Interventional Cardiology • Tariq Dayah, MD

Interventional Cardiology • Valeria E. Duarte, MD

Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Cardiac Imaging • Carlos El-Tallawi, MD

Cardiology and Cardiac Imaging • Nadeen N. Faza, MD

Structural Cardiology and Cardiac Imaging • Sachin S. Goel, MD

Structural and Interventional Cardiology • Brian D. Greet, MD

Cardiac Electrophysiology • Adi Lador, MD

Cardiac Electrophysiology • Maan Malahfji, MD

Cardiology and Cardiac Imaging

CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY • Khurram Nasir, MD, MPH

Preventive Cardiology • Devang S. Parikh, MD

Structural Cardiology • Kershaw V. Patel, MD

Preventive Cardiology • Zohair S. Raza, MD

Cardiology Juan Carlos Rozo, MD Cardiology • Priyanka Sen, MD

Interventional Cardiology and Advanced Heart Failure • Danielle D. Tientcheu, MD

Cardiology • Rayan Yousefzai, MD

Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant

• Philip L. Auyang, MD

Vascular Surgery • Joseph M. Besho, MD

Vascular Surgery • Lin-Chiang Philip Chou, MD, MS

Cardiovascular Surgery • Sara M. Edeiken, MD

Vascular Surgery • Thomas M. Loh, MD

Vascular Surgery • Tony Lu, MD

Vascular Surgery • Ahmed S. Mohamed, MD

Vascular Surgery • Garold E. Motes Jr., MD

Vascular Surgery • Joseph J. Naoum, MD

Vascular Surgery • Trisha Roy, MD, PhD

Vascular Surgery

15

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

16 HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

TRAINING TODAY’S LEADERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR CARE

Houston Methodist DeBakey CV Education

Engineering Medicine Program

Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center trains today’s leaders on the most advanced practices in cardiovascular medicine. Houston Methodist DeBakey CV Education offers comprehensive cardiovascular training for health professionals at every level, including a skills academy for hands-on training, dedicated hybrid operating suites used for instruction, the Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal, and a wide range of seminars and conferences. The DeBakey CV Education YouTube channel is home to more than 2,000 training videos with over 60,000 subscribers and over 7 million video views. Health care professionals can access these resources from anywhere in the world, watch courses remotely and earn CME credit.

Engineering Medicine Program at Texas A&M University College of Medicine (EnMed) in partnership with Houston Methodist Hospital is a unique, four-year medical school experience that integrates a Master of Engineering, tailored to medical innovation and entrepreneurship, with a full Doctor of Medicine degree.

EnMed students merge an understanding of disease processes and the nuances of diagnosing and treating patients, with the mindset of an engineer to design the very tools needed to better diagnose and treat patients. Graduating EnMed physicians will be able to contribute to all parts of the innovation process from medical research to the design and commercialization of valuable medical technologies.

The EnMed program launched its inaugural class in the 2019-20 academic year with 26 students. The plan is to expand to 50 students per year going forward.

HOUSTON METHODIST DEBAKEY HEART & VASCULAR CENTER Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center members form a seamless center of excellence across seven system hospitals, representing Houston’s largest network of physicians specializing in heart and vascular conditions.

Cardiologists Sami M. Aasar Julia Adrogue Hamid Afshar-Kharaghan Mouaz H. Al-Mallah Maged A. Amine Paolo Angelini Faisal A. Arain Mohammed Attar Mukarram A. Baig A. George Basu Arvind Bhimaraj Douglas Bree John M. Buergler David A. Burkland Alexander Butkevich Mohammed Chamsi-Pasha Su Min Chang Lakshmi Chebrolu-Makam Patrick J. Cook Paul Y. Cunningham Akanibo Da-Wariboko Amish S. Dave Tariq Dayah Clement A. DeFelice Kamalakannan Desikan Valeria E. Duarte Stanley M. Duchman Jean-Bernard Durand Mohamed E. El-Beheary Byron K. Ellis Carlos El-Tallawi Jorge M. Escobar Camargo Joe Fahed Nadeen N. Faza Sayed F. Feghali James M. Feldman Nadia Fida Jorge A. Garcia-Gregory Joggy George Sachin S. Goel

Brian D. Greet Ashrith Guha Weston C. Hickey Thomas E. Hong Imad Hussain Robert G. Hust Irfan Iftikhar John C. Issac Mattethra Jacob Stuart A. Jacobson Rupin A. Kadakia Amin H. Karim Amir Kashani Mahwash Kassi Masroor A. Khan Mohammed S. Khan Gholamreza Khoshnevis Ju H. Kim Neal S. Kleiman Michael H. Koo Sanjay Kunapuli Karla M. Kurrelmeyer Tulsidas S. Kuruvanka Adi Lador George C. Li C. Huie Lin Kevin A. Lisman Stephen H. Little John J. Mahmarian Maan Malahfji George P. Mammen Nilesh S. Mathuria Rajen K. Mehta Michael Mitschke Randall E. Morris Raghunandan Muppidi Faisal Nabi Sherif F. Nagueh Khurram Nasir Nadim Nasir Jr. Maher M. Nasser

Alireza Nazeri Chau Dong Nguyen Akira Nishikawa Anil C. Odhav Ramamanohara Pai Devang S. Parikh Gautam R. Patankar Apoor Patel Kershaw V. Patel Robert A. Phillips Miguel A. Quiñones Albert E. Raizner Michael E. Raizner Haroonur Rashid Zohair S. Raza Manuel M. Reyes Ali N. Rizvi Francia H. Rojas Delgado Juan Carlos Rozo Howard S. Rubin Sangeeta Saikia Aditya K. Samal Michele P. Sartori Paul A. Schurmann Selim M. Sekili Priyanka Sen Alpesh R. Shah Dipan J. Shah Gopi A. Shah Kesavan Shan Scott R. Sherron Kamran K. Sherwani Samar S. Sheth Monica Sanchez Shields Hue-Teh Shih Toussaint Smith Ahmed M. Soliman Stuart L. Solomon Michael J. Stephen Randeep Suneja John Y. Sunew

Sherman Y. Tang Danielle D. Tientcheu Guillermo Torre-Amione Barry H. Trachtenberg Miguel V. Valderrábano Pimprapa Vejpongsa Rajesh Venkataraman Krishnamoorthy Vivekananthan Sasrutha R. Wickramasinghe James Michael Wilson Htut K. Win David Yao Rayan Yousefzai William A. Zoghbi

Walter W. O’Hara Jr. Scott E. Olsson Eric K. Peden Maham Rahimi Mahesh K. Ramchandani Michael J. Reardon Dewei Ren Ross M. Reul Trisha Roy David D. Shin Erik E. Suarez Michael S. Sweeney Randall K. Wolf Moritz C. Wyler von Ballmoos

Cardiovascular Surgeons Marvin D. Atkins, Jr. Philip L. Auyang Ulises Baltazar Charudatta S. Bavare Joseph M. Besho Jean Bismuth Charlie C. Cheng Lin-Chiang Philip Chou Lucas M. Duvall Sara M. Edeiken Zsolt F. Garami Miguel A. Gomez III Clifford M. Kitten Javier A. Lafuente Gerald M. Lawrie Linda Le Richard W. Lee Thomas M. Loh Tony Lu Alan B. Lumsden Thomas E. MacGillivray Ahmed S. Mohamed Garold E. Motes Jr. Joseph J. Naoum Jacobo Nurko

Intensivists Jose F. Cuevas Saille Ayesha Haroon Faisal Masud Manjunath Muddaraju Iqbal Ratnani Kamlesh B. Thaker Divina M. Tuazon Faisal S. Uddin Manuel A. Vilchez Prakruthi V. Voore Asma Zainab Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Jason Alexander Nicolas Athanassiou Jian Azimi-Bolourian Jane E. Carter James Carter Victoria Contreras Noel M. Giesecke Elizabeth Herrera Craig S. Ignacio Jin W. Jung Saraswathi V. Karri

Ovidiu L. Moise Gary A. Monteiro Timothy R. Pawelek Paul Pisklak Opal Raj Roy Sheinbaum Karanbir Singh Stephanie F. Tran Zbigniew J. Wojciechowski Investigators in Basic or Clinical Research Francisco Altamirano Miguel Cainzos John P. Cooke Stuart J. Corr Longhou Fang Dan Kiss Nhat-Tu Le Guangyu Wang Administration Debra F. Sukin Regional Senior Vice President Houston Methodist Emily C. Kao System Service Line Administrator Susmitha K. Gadde Administrative Director of Research Angela Mitchell Director, DeBakey CV Education Tammy Plumb Administrator Cardiology/Cardiovascular Services

Houston Methodist Hospital 6565 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030 713.DEBAKEY

houstonmethodist.org/debakey

Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center is ranked No. 15 in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery.

— U.S. News & World Report

102021