Bio Sketches

Mohamed Janabi

 Dr. Janabi is the Executive Director of the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), Dar es Salaam

Head, and Physician to former President of United Republic of Tanzania.

Dr. Janabi has a rich training history of truly global proportions. Dr. Janabi is a graduate of the Kharkov Medical Institute (Russia), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (England), University of Queensland Medical School (Australia), Graduate School of Medicine Osaka University Hospital (Japan), and Bergen University (Norway).

 

Dr. Janabi is involved in several research projects and is the principal investigator on Atrial Fibrillation study RELY (Multi national), and the Principal Investigator TB/HIV study (multi national). Dr Janabi is also the in country director for Madaktari Africa. Dr. Janabi is also the host of the East African Cardiology Conference and lead on starting the first ACC chapter in Africa. 

Peter Kisenge 

Info to follow

Eric Powers 

Dr. Eric Powers is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Interventional Cardiology.  Dr. Powers is the Co-Director of The Medical University of South Carolina Heart and Vascular Center. He is the Peter C. Gazes Professor of Clinical Cardiology. His clinical interests are invasive, interventional, and general cardiology. Dr. Powers is a graduate of The Harvard Medical School.  

 

He did his Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at The Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  Prior to moving to The Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Powers was on the faculty and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at Columbia University/Presbyterian Hospital in New York and subsequently at The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Powers’ research career has involved both laboratory and clinical research.  Areas of research have included acute myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndromes, interventional cardiology, vascular biology, congestive heart failure, and valvular heart disease. Dr. Powers has coauthored over one hundred and fifty peer reviewed publications.  He is a member of a number of professional societies including The American College of Cardiology, The American Heart Association, and The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions. Dr. Powers has served on research and educational committees for these organizations and has served as an editorial consultant for a number of medical journals. Dr. Powers has served on N.I.H. study sections and grant review panels for The American Heart Association and NASA. Dr. Powers has received a number of teaching, community, and clinical awards and has been named as one of “America’s Top Doctors” and one of the “Best Doctors in America”.

Adrian B. Van Bakel

Dr. Adrian Van Bakel is a Professor of Medicine at Medical University of South Carolina.  He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology.  He is currently the Medical Director of the Cardiac Transplant Program at MUSC.  His clinical interests are advanced heart failure, cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.

 

Dr. Van Bakel is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine.  Following medical school, he earned a PhD in Pharmacology from the same institution.  He completed his clinical training at the Medical University of South Carolina and joined the staff there in 1991. Dr. Van Bakel’s research has involved both basic and clinical research.  His research has been primarily focused in the area of congestive heart failure and heart transplantation. Dr. Van Bakel is a member of a number of professional societies including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the Heart Failure Society of America, and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.  He has served as a manuscript reviewer for a number of medical journals.  He has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and an equal number of presented abstracts.  He has been recognized for clinical excellence as one of the “Best Doctors in America” and received the Outstanding Clinician Award at the Medical University of South Carolina.  

 

­­­­Gerald S. Bloomfield

Dr. Bloomfield received a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in psychology from Princeton University.  He attended the Johns Hopkins University for his public health and medical education.  He completed internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and was subsequently Assistant Chief of Service. He completed training in cardiology, cardiovascular research and advanced cardiovascular imaging Duke University Medical Center and the Duke Clinical Research Institute.  He was Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellow and Global Health Fellow with the Duke University Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health.

 

Dr. Bloomfield is Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine (Cardiology) and Assistant Research Professor of Global Health.  His research interests are in the epidemiology of heart failure and cardiovascular risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa.  He has led studies of heart failure epidemiology, cardiovascular effects of indoor air pollution, genetic associations with cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors among HIV+ patients at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease Center of Excellence at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya.

 

Chad Hoyt 

Dr.  Hoyt received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1993. He completed an internal medicine residency at Vanderbilt University Hospital in 1996, and went on to finish his cardiology fellowship training at Emory University.

 

Dr. Hoyt has been a clinical cardiologist at Centra Health for the past 17 years. He specializes in advanced cardiovascular imaging, and completed a fellowship in cardiovascular MRI at the National Heart & Lung Institute in London. He founded the cardiac MRI and CT programs at Lynchburg General Hospital.

 

For the past 3 years, Dr. Hoyt has served as the executive director of the Centra Heart & Vascular Center. While in this position he designed and built 6 clinical centers of excellence. Under his leadership provider manpower and efficiency increased by 50%, and profits increased 240%.

Dr. Hoyt has been involved in international health care initiatives in Tanzania, Vietnam and China. In Tanzania he developed a database in conjunction with the ACC for the new cardiac catheterization lab program at Muhimbili National Heart Hospital. In Vietnam he co-founded Healing Hearts Vietnam, a non-profit organization that has financed over 150 open heart surgeries for poor Vietnamese children. 

 

Burhan Mohamedali

Dr. Mohamedali is the medical director of the advanced heart failure/transplant program at Rush University in Chicago. He graduated from University of Kentucky with a Medical Doctorate. He is originally from Arusha Tanzania, where he was raised.

Dr Mohamedali is a prominent academician who presented numerous research presentations at many society meetings including ISHLT, ACC, AHA, HFSA, AATS, ESC and ASAIO. He has published manuscripts in the area of heart transplantation, including neurogenic stress cardiomyopathy and its implications for brain dead cardiac donors. He has also extensively published his research on novel methods of providing temporary mechanical circulatory support, as well as long term outcomes with LVADs.

Burhan is actively involved in ACC where he represents heart failure physicians through being a member of the heart failure and transplant section leadership council, as well as ISHLT, where he serves on the heart failure transplant council member.  Dr Mohamedali is involved in numerous clinical trials including Dream-HF, Paragon-HF, Pioneer HF trials where is a principal investigator and the COAPT trial where he is a sub-investigator. He is also involved with the Rush Cardiomems program; that remotely manages congestive heart failure patients through pulmonary artery pressure monitoring.

 

Outside work, Burhan loves spending time with his family and kids. He is very active in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, exploring nature, astronomy and travelling.

Eric Nelson

Dr. Nelson DO is an Associate Professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.  He also serves as the Program Director for the Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Fellowship Program. Along with being board certified in anesthesia, Dr. Nelson is also board certified in Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography by the National Board of Echocardiography, and is a Certified Cardiac Device Specialist by the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners.  Dr. Nelson's clinical interests include perioperative pacemaker and ICD management, anesthesia for electrophysiology procedures, and anesthesia for patients with left ventricular assist devices.  He is also has interest in medical education, and expanding safe surgical and anesthetic care in developing nations.

Peter O'Brien

Dr. O'Brien attended the University of Virginia for Medical school, Internship, and Residency training. Dr. O’Brien performed his Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology fellowships at Wake Forest University. He is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology, Vascular and Endovascular Medicine. His interests include peripheral artery disease, coronary and peripheral arterial intervention, global health and the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Dr. O’Brien served on the American Heart Association’s National Guideline Writing Committee for System of Care Development for Myocardial Infarction and on the American College of Cardiology’s Door to Balloon initiative workgroup. He is the Director of the Cardiac Cath lab and the Acute MI Program at Centra and is one of the founders and current Co-chairmen of the Virginia Heart Attack Coalition.  Currently he also serves as a faculty mentor for the American Heart Association/Duke University STEMI Accelerator Program for the Tidewater Region of Virginia.

 

As an active volunteer with the nongovernmental organization Madaktari Africa, Dr. O’Brien led a team that performed the first heart cardiac catheterization ever in the history of Tanzania, and the first PCI at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiovascular Institute.  As the current Medical Director of Madaktari, he continues work to advance cardiovascular education and care in that region.

 

Rajan A. G. Patel

Dr. Patel is a Senior Lecturer in Interventional Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Queensland, Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Dr. Patel is a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed categorical internal medicine residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital and fellowships in cardiovascular medicine, advanced cardiac imaging, and interventional cardiology at the University of Virginia followed an endovascular fellowship at Ochsner Medical Center. Clinical interests include high risk/CTO PCI and percutaneous mechanical circulatory support. Research interests include reperfusion injury and patient quality/safety outcomes.

Scott T. Reeves

Dr. Reeves is Chairman of the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).  He holds the rank of Professor with Tenure. A cardiac anesthesiologist, he specializes in both adult and pediatric cases and is the Immediate Past President of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography and is listed in Who’s Who in America.  His involvement with numerous professional associations includes service on boards, committees and officerships, and currently serving.  He has published extensively in numerous professional journals, contributed book chapters and authored/co-authored textbooks, which have been translated into five languages.  His lectures and presentations have been given regionally, nationally and internationally, including five continents.  His research, primarily in the areas of cardiac anesthesia and transesophageal echocardiography, includes extramural and intramural funding.  He is actively involved in global health initiatives to improve anesthesia safety in Tanzania.

Peter Zwerner

 Dr. Peter Zwerner is the Chief Medical Officer of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) physician practice and is on the senior leadership team of the MUSC Health system He is focused on developing patient centric care systems and improving clinical efficiencies. He has held various senior leadership positons with MUSC and recently served as interim Chief of Cardiology. He holds joint appointments in Cardiology and Radiology and is involved in research on the role of advanced imaging techniques in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Zwerner maintains an active clinical practice and is dedicated to the training of the next generation of physicians. His areas of interest are Cardiac CT, including research in new applications, Invasive, Non-Interventional Adult Cardiology, Acute Coronary Syndromes and  diagnostic non-invasive modalities

 

Dr. Zwerner graduated from the George Washington University Medical School and did his residency and fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Prior to his appointment at the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Zwerner was CEO of a large Multispecialty Group and developed a Management Service Organization which was involved in risk contracting. The organizations subsequently merged with a publicly traded practice management company.

Mike Valentine

Dr. Valentine is an interventional cardiologist at Centra Health in Lynchburg, VA.  He is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he was named the outstanding senior, and the University of Virginia School of Medicine.  He completed his medicine and cardiology training at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.  Valentine has served the College in many roles, including ACC Treasurer and Secretary, chair of the ACC Board of Governors, and governor of the ACC’s Virginia Chapter.  He was co-chair of the ACC Advocacy Committee and served on the task force to develop the Cardiac Cath Lab Quality Tool Kit.  He chaired the ACC Medical Directors Institute, which promoted collaboration between payers and physicians, and developed the concept of appropriate use.  He helped develop and co-chair the College’s annual Cardiovascular Summit, and currently serves as ACC Vice President.  He is married to Shannon Valentine, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and has three active college-aged children. 


Bio's of other speakers will follow