Page 23 - CBAC Newsletter 2017

I received my pediatric cardiology training at Emory
University, and, while I was there, I was infected with the
EP bug. The CDC tried, but alas, no cure! My mentors
there supported my interest and helped guide me as I
started my journey into this wonderful field. I received
my formal training in pediatric and adult congenital
electrophysiology (and an informal education in country
music) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

As a cardiology fellow at Emory University, I had the
opportunity to work with a team of researchers, under
the guidance Dr. Chunhui Xu, who studied induced
pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in patients
with CPVT. Our research studied whether the in vivo
response to a specific drug (beta-blocker versus sodium
channel blocker) could be observed in vitro using patient
derived iPSC-CMs. This work gave me insight into the
work being done in patient targeted drug therapy. I am
eager to be a part of the emerging field of patient
targeted drug therapies so that I can continue to improve
the lives of patients with inherited arrhythmias.

When I first started at Emory, I was under the mistaken However, that familiarity doesn’t mean complacency.
perception that if I could perform a slow pathway The study of pediatric EP is still a relatively young and
modification once, my subsequent cases would be developing field. Just as catheter ablations revolution-
easier and just as successful. I quickly learned that no ized our ability to manage and treat arrhythmias,
two electrophysiology cases are the same. The posterior cardiogenetics is changing our understanding of
septum is complex, and each case is a unique inherited arrhythmias.
challenge because of the slight variations in intracardiac
anatomy and slow fiber input of the AV node. Similarly, As I improve my own skills, I am motivated by challeng-
when working with patients with inherited arrhythmias, ing cases both inside and outside of the lab. Pediatric
the variation in the phenotypic expression of a disease patients are not small adults. New technology that helps
continues to challenge my own understanding of cardiac us better map and ablate in this patient population will
genetics. improve patient outcomes. Understanding patient
specific drug responses to antiarrhythmic therapy will
When I first stepped into the lab, I was overwhelmed by
what appeared to be erratic, jumbled signals. However, CBAC Center Heartbeat | 18
I've quickly learned that EP is like a puzzle, like chess,
like playing an instrument. There are patterns, expected
behaviors and responses. With practice, the signals
became a new alphabet, and I was soon able to speak
this new language.