Dr. Kaveh Ardalan

I am a cardiologist and researcher who has been at Duke for 25 years. My practice focuses mostly on children who have heart disease. My research involves studying and testing different types of drugs that are used to treat heart problems in children. I chose to be a doctor, because I love to see children grow and develop into healthy adults. Focusing on the heart has allowed me to make a big impact, because I get to treat children for problems while they are young that will improve their quality of life far into their future. Cardiology is also exciting because of the cutting-edge technologies use that we use to treat patients. Duke has an outstanding program for children with heart disease. We take a team approach where we involve the family, the child, nurses, doctors, social workers and others to ensure the best outcome for the child and their family. Dr. Li is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Kawasaki Disease. Her top areas of expertise are Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Glycogen Storage Disease Type 7, Endocardial Cushion Defect, and Heart Transplant.

I take care of kids who have autoimmune diseases, from infancy to early adulthood. Classically, it’s things like arthritis and lupus that are well-known, but there are also more rare conditions that are caused by the immune system misfiring. I have a particular interest in autoimmune brain diseases. I think it’s really important that as a pediatrician you are the child’s doctor first, but you also have to consider how families feel about care. It’s a partnership from the start. We educate families about the risks and benefits and then find a treatment plan that works. I think the best part of being a pediatric rheumatologist is the treatments we have that are so remarkable in our ability to bring kids back to their old life. It is also a specialty that allows you to follow children throughout their childhood and be a part of that journey. That is so rewarding and really fun. Dr. Van Mater is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Kawasaki Disease. Her top areas of expertise are Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Kawasaki Disease, and Osteomyelitis in Children.

My clinical interests include the non-invasive assessment of congenital heart disease in the fetus to the adult, with a particular focus in fetal cardiology and patients with single ventricles. I am the director of Duke Pediatric Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging and I am an attending physician in the Duke Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Center. I am an American citizen who was born in England and raised in Canada. I have lived in the United States since I received my undergraduate education at Cornell University. I joined the Duke Children’s Heart Program in 2004. Dr. Barker is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Kawasaki Disease. His top areas of expertise are Transposition of the Great Arteries, Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), Tetralogy of Fallot, and Partial Atrioventricular Canal.