Course Directors

Dr. Afzal is the Medical Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support and Program Director of Advanced Heart Failure and transplant at THH Baylor Scott and White. Dr. Afzal did his residency and fellowship and advanced heart failure fellowship training at Baylor University medical center after finishing medical school at University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Afzal is a resident of Frisco, TX, and grew up in the vicinity.

Aasim Afzal, MD

Dr. George is a cardiac surgeon and the surgical director for mechanical circulatory support at Baylor Scott and White, The Heart Hospital, Plano. His clinical and research interests include valve disease and valve surgery; minimally invasive and transcatheter valve intervention; advanced heart failure; and temporary and durable mechanical circulatory support.

Timothy George, MD

Invited Faculty

Dr. Karim Al-Azizi is an Interventional Cardiologist and Structural Heart Disease specialist at Baylor Scott & White Health - The Heart Hospital in Plano, TX. He serves as the Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and the Associate Program Director of the Cardiovascular disease fellowship and a clinical associate professor at the
Texas A&M

Karim Al-Azizi, MD

Dr. Ashmore is the Chief Wellness Officer and Director of Medical Psychology at Baylor Scott & White-The Heart Hospital. He received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from The Ohio State University and completed his clinical training at Duke University Medical Center in the Division of Medical Psychology.

Jamile Ashmore, MD, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Baran is the Section Head of Heart Failure, Transplant, and MCS at Cleveland Clinic in Florida. He received his medical degree at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Dr. Baran completed an internal medicine residency at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City.

David Baran, MD, FACC, FSCAI

Dr. Basir received his medical degree
from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine from the University of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed his cardiology, interventional cardiology and complex and high risk interventional (CHIP) training at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Babar Basir, DO

Dr. Bhardwaj is an Assistant Professor in
the Department of Advanced Heart Failure at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. She serves as the ICU Director at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center and is the Associate Program Director for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at UT Houston.

Anju Bhardwaj, MD

Dr. Burkhoff is Director of Heart Failure, Hemodynamics and Mechanical Circulatory Support Research at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation in New York. He obtained his Doctorate in Biomedical Engineering and Medical degrees from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed a fellowship in Cardiology at
The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dan Burkoff, MD, PhD

Rachel is an acute care nurse practitioner who is certified in cardiac surgery and has worked for Baylor Scott and White Health since June 2009. She started off working in the CVICU and BUMC and transferred to the Heart Hospital Baylor Plano in August 2021 to work for the cardiac surgery department.

Rachel Dahl, MSN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN-CSC

Erika Diniz-Borkar graduated with her
Master of Science in Nursing from University of Texas Arlington in 2013. She received her Baccalaureate in Nursing from Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota in 2007. She is a board-certified adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner with an expertise in supportive and palliative care at Baylor
Scott and White The Heart Hospital.

Erika Diniz-Borkar, MSN, RN, AGPCNP-BC

Dr. Gohar is a board-certified advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist with an interest in cardiogenic shock, mechanical circulatory support, VA-ECMO and infiltrative diseases of the heart. He is also trained in echocardiography and nuclear cardiology

Salmon Gohar, MD

Dr. Guerrero-Miranda is certified by
the American Board of Internal Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease and specializes in the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure. After graduating from Cayetano Heredia University, one of the most prestigious medical schools in Peru, Dr. Guerrero-Miranda relocated to the United States for his postgraduate medical
training

Cesar Guerrero-Miranda, MD

Dr. Shelley Hall is board certified in heart failure/cardiac transplant and is the Chief of Transplant Cardiology, MCS and Advanced Heart Failure at Baylor Dallas, part of Baylor Scott and White. Dr. Hall has published innumerable papers and conducted over 100 trials in her field.

Shelley Hall, MD

Dr. Hernandez-Montfort is the Medical Director of ECMO for BSWH Temple,
Section Head of Heart Failure, MCS and Transplant Programs BSWH Temple, Director of Advanced Heart Disease Recovery and Replacement Programs in BSWH for Central Texas and Greater Austin. Founding member and scientific steering committee member of The Cardiogenic Shock Working Group.

Jamie Hernandez-Montfort, MD, MPH, MSc

Dr. Hickey is an advanced heart failure/transplant, and pulmonary hypertension cardiologist and is certified in cardiovascular disease, advanced heart failure/transplant, and echocardiography by the ABIM and ASE.

Gavin Hickey, MD

Ms. Huff is a data-driven healthcare
leader with over 25 years of critical care, ER, flight nursing, consulting, analytics, and improvement expertise who is passionate about leading clinical transformation. Ms. Huff is excited to work side by side innovative physicians and thought leaders to propel CV service lines to achieve exceptional outcomes.

Eleanor (Ellie) Huff, MSN, RN, FACC

Hunter is a Registered Nurse at BSW The Heart Hospital Plano

Hunter Jistel, MD

Dr. Kabra is a cardiologist in Plano, Texas,
and is affiliated with Baylor Scott and White The Heart Hospital Plano. He received his medical degree from New York Medical College and has been in practice 10 years. Dr. Nitin H. Kabra has expertise in treating cardiomyopathy, heart failure, coronary artery disease, among other conditions.

Nitin Kabra, MD

Dr. Kanwar is the Director of Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension at UChicago Medicine and a Professor of Medicine at University of Chicago School of Medicine.

Manreet Kanwar, MD

Sid is a Registered Nurse at BSW The Heart Hospital Plano.

Sid KC, RN

Dr. Khariton completed his cardiology
and heart failure fellowship training at Mid-America Heart Institute / Saint Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, where he first received a degree in medical bioinformatics as part of a 2-year NIH T32 research program. He is a clinical Assistant Professor of Medical Education at Baylor College of Medicine.

Yevgeniy Khariton, MD, M.Ed., MSc, FACC

Dr. Levy is a Palliative Care Physician for Baylor Scott and White. He received his medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He completed his internship and residency at Baylor College of Medicine.

Alfred Levy, MD

Dr. Hao Liu was born in Shanghai, China,
and spent his formative years in Canada and Japan. His family settled in Texas, where he attended high school in Plano and went on to undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin. After concluding both clinical and research fellowships in 2020, Dr. Liu stayed on as faculty at UT Southwestern

Hao Liu, MD

Dr. Mahr is a cardiologist at Medical City Heart Hospital in Dallas, Texas specializing in the comprehensive, longitudinal care of patients with all etiologies of cardiovascular conditions, heart failure, and cardiomyopathy, utilizing the latest available medical, surgical and device therapies, including mechanical assist devices and heart transplantation.

Claudius Mahr, DO, FACC, FESC, FHFA, FRSM

Dr. Milligan went to medical school at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine and fellowship in cardiovascular disease and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant at Baylor University Medical Center

Greg Milligan, MD

Dr. Nazeer completed medical school
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and SUNY Update Medical University. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell. Fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Albany Medical Center and fellowship in advanced heart failure and transplant at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Haider Nazeer, MD

Allison is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
at Baylor Scott and White The Heart Hospital Plano specializing in Advanced Heart Failure. She received her BSN from Texas Tech University and her Masters of Science in Nursing from University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Allison Palomo, AGACNP

Dr. Potluri is the Chief of Cardiology and director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Baylor Scott and White, Heart Hospital Baylor Plano. He received his medical degree from Osmania Medical College NTR UHS and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

Srini Potluri, MD

Dr. Rafael is a highly trained cardiac
surgeon with expertise in minimally invasive valve and end-stage heart failure surgical treatments. He is a member of the medical team at the Hispanic Cardiovascular Institute at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas.

Aldo Rafael, MD

Dr. Rusia, MD, FACC, FHFSA is an
advanced heart failure cardiologist focusing on care of patients with advanced heart failure, heart transplantation, left ventricular assist device therapy and mechanical circulatory support services. He also has a professional interest in cardiomyopathies including sarcoidosis, amyloidosis, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Akash Rusia, MD

Dr. Sayfo is an interventional cardiologist
and endovascular specialist. He graduated from Damascus University in 2007, completed a residency in internal medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine in 2011, and a fellowship in cardiology from University of Louisville in 2014, and a fellowship in interventional cardiology from Brown University in 2015.

Sameh Sayfo, MD

Jenelle is both the ECMO and Shock Coordinator at Baylor Scott & White the Heart Hospital Plano, helping to track and coordinate care for all cardiogenic shock patients, including those who need ECMO. Certified in both Critical Care Nursing (with a subspecilaity in both Cardiac Surgery and Cardiac Medicine) and also a certified
ECMO Specialist.

Jenelle Sheasby, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC-CMC, CES-A

Dr. Szerlip is the Regional Director,
Structural Heart Program, Assoc. Medical Director of Education and Research, and the Program Director for the Structural Fellowship and Cardiology Fellowships at Baylor Scott & White/The Heart Hospital in Plano, TX. Dr. Szerlip practices at Baylor Scott & White-CVC group in Plano, TX.

Molly Szerlip, MD

Dr. Tedford is a Professor of Medicine/Cardiology and holds the
Dr. Peter C. Gazes Endowed Chair in Heart Failure at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC. He currently serves as the section head of heart failure and medical director of cardiac transplantation. He also established and directs the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship Program at
MUSC.

Ryan Tedford, MD

Ninnet is a CVICU 6CUB Supervisor at Baylor Scott and White The Heart Hospital Plano. Ninnet received a BSN from Midwestern State University.

Ninnet Thomas, RN

Dr. Yau is an Interventional Cardiologist,
Chief of advanced heart failure and mechanical circulatory support at the Heart Hospital of New Mexico. Dr Yau graduated U.C Berkeley, with a bachelors in Molecular cell biology and continued with his post-graduate career at U.C Davis Schoool of Medicine. His internal medicine residency was completed at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Ray Yau, MD, FSCAI

Dr. Yousif is a Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Baylor Scott and White - Arrhythmia Management. Dr. Yousif has interest in treating heart rhythm disorders with exerpertise in catheter ablation procedures. Dr. Yousif specialized in implanting cardiac devices. He is Involved in research projects involving new devices and clinical outcomes research.