Dr. Alison K. Meadows

Dr. Edward P. Gerstenfeld is chief of the UCSF Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Service. His expertise includes treating arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, with catheter ablation. Specific techniques, such as endocardial and epicardial ablation, may be used for atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia or ventricular tachycardia. Gerstenfeld also specializes in treating patients with inherited arrhythmia syndromes such as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Brugada syndrome, long QT syndrome and adult congenital heart disease. Treatments include implantation of pacemakers, defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization devices. In his research, Gerstenfeld studies the mechanisms of arrhythmia, new technologies for mapping and ablation of arrhythmias, biomedical signal processing and electrocardiography. He is the primary investigator for several clinical trials. Gerstenfeld earned a medical degree at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a master of science degree in biomedical engineering at Northwestern University. He completed a residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a cardiology fellowship at the University of Massachusetts, a research fellowship at UCSF and an electrophysiology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Gerstenfeld is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the Heart Rhythm Society and American Heart Association. He has published numerous manuscripts and book chapters, and he often lectures on mapping and treating arrhythmias. He is associate editor of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Clinical Electrophysiology. Dr. Gerstenfeld is highly rated in 19 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Arrhythmias, Atrial Fibrillation, Ventricular Tachycardia, Cardiac Ablation, and Pacemaker Implantation.

Dr. Sammy Elmariah is an interventional cardiologist who cares for adults with heart valve disease, coronary artery disease and congenital heart disease. He is an expert in transcatheter (minimally invasive) heart valve procedures, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER or MitraClip) and transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). He also specializes in assessing new medical devices for repairing or replacing the heart's tricuspid valve. The overall goal of Elmariah's research is to advance transcatheter and other surgical procedures for heart valve disease in order to maximize patient health and outcomes. He leads several clinical trials (studies with human volunteers) focused on valvular heart disease. These include landmark studies testing new transcatheter devices that treat heart valve disease without the need for open heart surgery. He and his research team are also investigating how to increase access to heart valve disease treatments and improve patient involvement in the management of their own care. And they are studying biomarkers (distinctive, measurable substances) in the blood that may help doctors determine the optimal time for individual patients to undergo heart valve procedures. His research team is funded by the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, U.S. Department of Defense and several industry partners. Elmariah earned his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed fellowships in interventional cardiology and structural heart disease at Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. He also has a master of public health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Sammy Elmariah is married to Dr. Sarina Elmariah, a dermatologist at UCSF, and they are the proud parents of two wonderful boys. Dr. Elmariah is highly rated in 13 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Mitral Stenosis, Patent Foramen Ovale, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

Dr. Thomas A. Dewland is a cardiologist with particular expertise in electrophysiology, the study of the heart's electrical activity. He cares for patients with arrhythmias (heart rhythm problems) in both the clinic and the hospital. Among other treatments, he performs catheter ablation (in which a flexible tube called a catheter is threaded through a blood vessel to reach the heart and destroy the tissue causing an arrhythmia), pacemaker implantation, implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement and left atrial appendage closure (sealing the heart sac where blood clots form to help prevent stroke in patients with the heart rate irregularity called atrial fibrillation). In research, Dewland focuses on atrial fibrillation epidemiology (the study of which populations are affected by certain diseases and why). His goal is to identify ways to prevent atrial fibrillation before it occurs. Dewland earned his medical degree at the Yale School of Medicine. At UCSF, he completed a residency in internal medicine, a fellowship in cardiology and a fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology, as well as the Advanced Training in Clinical Research Certificate Program. Outside of work, Dewland enjoys spending time with his wife – a pediatrician at UCSF – and their two children. Dr. Dewland is highly rated in 33 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Atrial Fibrillation, Arrhythmias, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia (AVNRT), Cardiac Ablation, and Pacemaker Implantation.