Cardio-oncology is a relatively new field that’s at the intersection of cardiology and oncology. It’s been emerging with the increased awareness of cardiovascular disease in patients who have either been treated for cancer or who are being treated with cancer agents that may potentially cause heart complications. When patients come in, I evaluate if they are at higher risk for developing heart disease or complications and intervene to help prevent any issues. By protecting the heart, it allows us to treat our patients’ cancers as aggressively as possible. I also like to educate patients. This is based on my own experience with physicians. Instructions didn’t resonate with me without an explanation. Understanding gave me more buy-in. Now, when I see patients, I try to spend as much time as possible explaining the issues and find that at times even illustrating with pictures can help make things clearer. I think it helps patients to understand what is going on and feel more invested in their care. Dr. Khouri is highly rated in 17 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Cardiac Amyloidosis, Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure, Cardiac Ablation, and Orchiectomy.

"I am a cardiologist with a clinical interest in heart failure, including advanced therapies such as cardiac transplantation and mechanical assist devices or “heart pumps."" I became a heart failure cardiologist in order to help patients manage their chronic disease over many months and years. I consider myself strongly committed to compassionate patient care and have a focus on quality-of-life and patient preference. I am an effective communicator with an understanding and sensitivity to diversity and ethical practice. I am part of a clinical care team composed of physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, and support staff that works together to promptly provide comprehensive patient care. I am motivated to provide state-of-the-art cardiovascular care for my patients.". Dr. Mentz is highly rated in 11 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), Low Blood Pressure, Heart Transplant, and Endoscopy.

I grew up in a small town in Illinois and was inspired by our family physician to pursue a career in medicine. Once in medical school, I chose to specialize in heart disease and heart failure. As a cardiologist, I care for people living with heart failure, including those who have an LVAD (heart pump) or those who have undergone heart transplant surgery. One of the things I love most about practicing cardiology is being able to care for my patients over time. I often first meet patients and their families in a hospital setting, but then see them in clinic afterward as we work together to manage their illness and improve their health and quality of life. I enjoy getting to know my patients and making personal connections with them as we spend time together. My hope is that my patients feel comfortable with me and that they know I am always here for them. Dr. Devore is highly rated in 6 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), Cardiomyopathy, Heart Transplant, and Lung Transplant.

Erik Ohman is a Cardiologist in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Ohman is highly rated in 16 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Acute Coronary Syndrome, Heart Attack, Angina, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Peter Mason is a Cardiologist and an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Mason is highly rated in 13 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Peripheral Artery Disease, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). Dr. Mason is currently accepting new patients.

I am an interventional cardiologist and researcher who has been at Duke for nearly 20 years. I enjoy being at Duke because of the “family” I get to work with every day. When we are able to make a patient feel better through teamwork; it’s a great feeling. I chose cardiology as my specialty because of the chance to make a difference in someone’s life in real time. When someone is having a heart attack, they are relying on you to come to their aid quickly. At that moment, I get to apply science to save a life, while learning more about what we can do to help improve people’s lives in the future. In that way, medicine also gives me the chance to learn from my patients and apply what I find to benefit the greater good. I find that whole process is exciting. When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my school-aged children. Dr. Patel is highly rated in 24 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Peripheral Artery Disease, Atherosclerosis, Coronary Heart Disease, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), and Angioplasty.

I chose to focus my research and practice on heart rhythm problems, because these problems, unlike many other heart conditions, can be cured. New treatment options for heart rhythm problems are rapidly evolving, which also makes this field very exciting. I have been at Duke for nearly 20 years. Both of my parents were involved in health care, so my choice of profession is part of a family tradition. I also went to a school where there was a strong tradition of community service, so I am thrilled that I get to wake up every day and get a chance to make a difference. As a heart rhythm specialist, I have the opportunity to make patients feel better right away without the use of many medications to help manage their condition, which I find extremely gratifying. I moved to North Carolina many years ago because of its natural beauty and still enjoy spending time outdoors as much as I can. I am a trained classical pianist and also play the cello. Dr. Bahnson is highly rated in 13 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Atrial Fibrillation, Arrhythmias, Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT), Cardiac Ablation, and Pacemaker Implantation.

I have been a heart rhythm specialist at Duke for more than 15 years. My favorite part of my job is helping people. One of the nice things about electrophysiology is that we have the opportunity to fix many patients’ heart rhythm disorders. We use technology and medicines to fix heart arrhythmias that weren’t available just 10 to 15 years ago. I think the combination of Duke’s excellent facilities, being able to use the best available equipment in the field, and the very talented people that work here is what makes Duke such a special place. I’ve always felt that it’s a great privilege to work at Duke and with the tools available at this institution. Dr. Hegland is highly rated in 13 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Ventricular Tachycardia, Bidirectional Tachycardia, Pacemaker Implantation, and Cardiac Ablation.

I came to Duke as a visiting medical student many years ago and fell in love with this institution and its people. I love to be part of a group that contributes knowledge and discoveries every day. As an electrophysiologist, I treat people with heart rhythm disorders, including atrial arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias. I mostly focus on the prevention of sudden cardiac death and on patients with devices such as pacemakers and implantable defibrillators. We do everything we can to build a very good and strong relationship with patients; we provide them with the information they need and empower them to make the decisions that are best for them. We’re also at the cutting edge of new discoveries. The research we do is amazing – the findings that help patients and advance the field make working at Duke thrilling. It’s very exciting to be part of that. For these reasons, patients benefit greatly from coming to Duke. Dr. Al-Khatib is highly rated in 12 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Familial Progressive Cardiac Conduction Defect, Atrial Fibrillation, Bidirectional Tachycardia, Pacemaker Implantation, and Cardiac Ablation.

I am passionate about working with individuals to improve their heart health, and to prevent heart disease. I came to medicine after working in developing countries, and seeing just how rampant heart disease is all over the world. I am committed to stopping the rise of heart disease, especially in my patients, because I understand how devastating it can be. My patients and I work together to manage their symptoms and control their risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two small children, going for walks with them, reading to them, and cooking (healthy but yummy) meals for them. Dr. Pagidipati is highly rated in 7 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Unstable Angina, Coronary Heart Disease, Angina, and Atherosclerosis.

I am a cardiologist who has been at Duke for over 15 years. I grew up in North Carolina and am proud to call Durham home. My father was a physician and my mother was a nurse, so I always thought about going into medicine. Cardiology came most naturally to me during medical school. The best part of being a doctor is the feeling you get from having genuinely helped someone in a meaningful way. I enjoy practicing at Duke, because I get to work with a lot of smart people who are dedicated to helping patients. When patients have challenging issues, Duke is a great place to receive care because of the access we have to top-notch providers and resources. In my spare time, I enjoy reading history and spending time with my young child. Dr. Liao is highly rated in 7 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Coronary Heart Disease, Atherosclerosis, Aortic Valve Stenosis, and Atrial Fibrillation.

I am a researcher and heart transplant specialist who also serves as medical director for the heart transplant program at Duke. From the time I was a child, I have been fascinated by how the human body works, specifically by how blood travels around the body. I became especially interested in how the heart behaves when it is normal and how it adapts when it is damaged. As a transplant cardiologist, I get to combine these interests with cutting-edge medicine to help people to live longer and feel better, even when hearts fail. I enjoy getting to know patients and their loved ones as they go through their transplant journey at Duke. I am also fortunate to be part of an experienced team that has been together for over a decade taking care of heart transplant patients. Dr. Patel is highly rated in 6 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, Heart Transplant, and Endoscopy.

My work is aimed at trying to understand how heart failure develops and how we can develop a new type of drug therapy for that condition. Heart failure happens to run in my family – I have a relative with the disease. In many ways, that has had an impact on what I’m doing. Duke provides a lot of cutting-edge care for people who suffer from congestive heart failure. We are a large transplant center and have expertise in the care of patients with advanced heart failure and for patients who need advanced therapies. We also have expertise in the research realm, which really provides a lot of insight into the care of patients. Duke is a world-class institution. I’m really lucky to work here and to be among a lot of folks who are bright and innovative and really interested in patient care. Dr. Abraham is highly rated in 5 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Pulmonary Edema, Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), Pacemaker Implantation, and Cardiac Ablation.

Kirkwood Adams is a Cardiologist and an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Adams is highly rated in 4 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Pulmonary Edema, Pediatric Myocarditis, and Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). Dr. Adams is currently accepting new patients.

I am a cardiologist who specializes in advanced heart failure and heart transplant. I always strive to take a fresh look at patients and see what treatments we can offer that they may have not had before. I spend about half of my time doing clinical research that focuses on the outcomes of patients with heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. We look for opportunities to improve care and new ways to treat heart disease. Our patients are the center of our universe and we look for the best ways possible to treat them. One of my favorite parts of my job is taking care of patients who think the road has ended and being able to offer them several new roads to improve their lives. Dr. Hernandez is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Enlarged Liver, Heart Failure, and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.

Faisal Syed is a Cardiologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Syed is highly rated in 23 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Prolapse, Arrhythmias, Ventricular Tachycardia, Cardiac Ablation, and Pacemaker Implantation.

Thomas Povsic is a Cardiologist in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Povsic is highly rated in 5 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Angina, Heart Attack, Heart Tumor, Atrial Myxoma, and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). Dr. Povsic is currently accepting new patients.

Timothy Nichols is a Cardiologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Nichols is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Blood Clots, Heart Attack, Apoplexy, Arterial Embolism, and Pacemaker Implantation.

My specialty is heart failure, especially advanced heart failure. We’re one of the largest heart transplant and mechanical support device programs in the world. We have vast experience, both in terms of medicine and surgery and all the things that go along with it. We have a level of expertise across the board, so you’re not just going to get pigeon-holed into one treatment that we happen to be good at. We have the ability to identify what treatment or treatments are best for you, then target each individual therapy for each individual patient. Many of the patients who come to see us have already seen other cardiologists, and many have been told there’s nothing more anybody can do. We try to take a fresh look at each person and we almost always find that there’s something we can do to help – maybe something simple like adjusting medications, or maybe a new device or adjustment of an existing device, or something more dramatic like a heart transplant or mechanical heart device. Dr. Michael-Felker is highly rated in 1 condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Heart Failure, Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, Enlarged Liver, Cardiomyopathy, and Endoscopy.

My goal as a cardiologist is to understand my patients as people so that I can provide them with information important for making their own decisions about how to prevent disease and promote health. Using this approach, I enjoy taking care of patients interested in preventing heart attacks, patients who have suffered heart attacks, patients with cholesterol and blood pressure disorders, and patients with heart failure. Dr. Freedman is highly rated in 25 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Angina, Atherosclerosis, Atrial Fibrillation, Pulmonary Edema, and Atherectomy.

Although I enjoy caring for all cardiac patients, my special interests include patients born with heart defects and now adults, pregnancy with heart disease, and valvular heart disease. In addition, I am interested in keeping people healthy and avoiding heart disease as much as possible. Dr. Upadhya is highly rated in 23 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Hypertensive Heart Disease, Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), Heart Failure, Pacemaker Implantation, and Atherectomy.

I am a noninvasive cardiologist with clinical and research specialties in peripheral artery disease, structural heart disease, and hypertension. I’ve been at Duke for over 10 years and in that time I’ve been proud to be part of Duke’s commitment to world class, patient-centric, personalized care. We are in the midst of major breakthroughs and advances in cardiovascular care, many of which have evolved here at Duke. But translating these advances to personalized care takes a strong partnership between a doctor and patient and I look forward to forging that relationship with each of my patients. Dr. Vemulapalli is highly rated in 20 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Peripheral Artery Disease, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

I am excited about electrophysiology because it gives me the opportunity to improve patients' quality of life and allows patients to live longer in many cases. I ultimately went to medical school because of a passion for helping people, lifelong learning, and establishing meaningful relationships with my patients. I strongly believe in patient engagement and patient-centered decision making. Therefore, I believe that it is important to spend time educating patients and discussing all available treatment options. I encourage patients and their family members to ask questions so that I can help them understand their health. I offer medical therapy and catheter ablation therapy to patients with atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia, and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), and ventricular tachycardia. I also place transvenous pacemakers and defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, leadless pacemakers, and subcutaneous defibrillators. I also perform lead extractions. I have two children, and I enjoy cooking, as well as playing golf, tennis, and skiing. Dr. Pokorney is highly rated in 17 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT), Atrial Fibrillation, Arrhythmias, Cardiac Ablation, and Pacemaker Implantation.

I see patients who have heart disease, and I work to prevent them from having any bad consequences of that disease. I also see patients who are having symptoms and do diagnostic work to see what cardiovascular condition they may have to explain their symptoms. I also take care of patients who either have known or suspected genetic cardiovascular disorders. Our genetics clinic is one of the only adult cardiovascular clinics in the Southeast. We take care of patients who have a variety of cardiovascular genetic disorders or who have strong family histories of heart disease and want to come in for testing. Duke has a strong collaborative approach to patient care. We provide excellent care for patients who need routine care for more common medical disorders, but we also provide a high level of subspecialty care for those who may have rarer disorders. Dr. Shah is highly rated in 16 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Coronary Heart Disease, Heart Failure, Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), Heart Transplant, and Heart Bypass Surgery.

I grew up in a medical household. My mother was a nurse and my dad was an orthopaedic surgeon. I grew up in that atmosphere, went to the hospital with my dad and liked it. I never thought about doing anything else. My favorite part of my job is the direct, one-on-one interaction with the patients. We see them in the clinic when they come in with a problem, we do whatever testing is necessary, the procedures, and hopefully get them feeling better and doing well. Then we see them back in follow up for years and years. Seeing the full spectrum of their care is very rewarding. When a patient chooses Duke and Triangle Heart, they can be assured of the best, most up-to-date, most cutting-edge care no matter who they are or what their background is. Each patient likely will feel like they are the only patient we have. We’re very accessible and easy to reach – with the support of a major heart center. I think that’s very special. Dr. Komada is highly rated in 14 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Coronary Heart Disease, Cardiomyopathy, Angina, Heart Attack, and Endoscopy.