Texas Heart Institute Announces 2020-21 Cardiovascular Disease Fellows

HOUSTON, TX (JULY 21, 2020) – Texas Heart Institute (THI) – the world-renowned research and educational center dedicated to the prevention and care of heart disease – has announced the 13 men and women who will comprise the prestigious THI Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, sponsored by Baylor College of Medicine, for the 2020-21 academic year. The program dates back to 1965 and has attracted some of the brightest clinical minds from the very best medical residencies in the country.

The new class of fellows entering the program include six first-year students who will embark upon the prestigious three-year Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) General Cardiology fellowship. The 13 fellows accepted into the highly competitive program were selected out of more than 750 worthy applicants.

“The pool of applicants is more competitive every year. Our faculty truly embraces their responsibility to provide an intellectually stimulating environment for clinical learning that includes experiences beyond the clinic, such as research, education, and outreach,” noted Dr. Stephanie Coulter, THI Fellowship Program Director.

Graduates of the three-year THI/Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center General Cardiology fellowship are subsequently invited to continue studies at Texas Heart Institute as part of an advanced subspecialty fellowship in either electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, advanced heart failure, or cardiac imaging. This year, six graduates of the program accepted invitations to pursue additional subspecialty training. In addition to these six, THI is honored to welcome Giancarlo Acosta, who comes to THI for subspecialty training after completing a cardiology fellowship at the Joan Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University.

These fellows will stay an additional one to two years, expanding their clinical training and engaging in progressive research and education programs related to their subspecialty. Specifically, four fourth-year students will study Interventional Cardiology, two fourth-year students will study Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, and aforementioned fifth-year student Giancarlo Acosta will study Advanced Heart Failure.

In conclusion, Dr. Coulter expressed, “Our cardiology and subspecialty fellowships have been meticulously stewarded for over 50 years by stalwart clinical educators who take tremendous pride in creating a uniquely diverse learning matrix for our doctors in training. While the teaching faculty provide the matrix, the fellows are the real glue that holds the system together. Their curiosity and drive elevate the caliber of our program and, in turn, patient care in this complex healthcare ecosystem.”

The 2020-21 class entering the THI Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center are as follows:

General Cardiology Fellows

Anish Badjatiya

Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Residency: Duke University

Isabel Balachandran

Medical School: University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Residency: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Adam Brouillard

Medical School: Jacobs School of Medical and Biomedical Sciences at University of Buffalo

Residency: Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Milad El Hajj

Medical School: Louisiana State University, New Orleans

Internship: Medical University of South Carolina

Jordan Gales

Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Residency: Duke University

Patrick Marcus

Medical School: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Residency: University of Washington

Aaron Bush

Justin Maxfield

Michael Millard

Agam Patel

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellows

Austin Howard

Grant Heberton

Advanced Heart Failure

Giancarlo Acosta