Page 27 - CBAC Newsletter 2015

How long have you been in your current position? What it is that you do in your current research?

I have been a member of the Rudy lab for 5 1/2 years. My research uses electrocardiographic imaging
(ECGI) to better understand the cardiac electrophysiology of healthy adults, heart failure patients
undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy, and patients with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

While growing up, what kind of upbringing and experiences that inspired your career choice?

A major career inspiration of mine is my father. As a senior in high school, his class was visited by a
representative of a newly opening community college. Everyone in his class was given a $50 coupon to the
college (which paid for an entire semester of tuition at that time). That spark allowed him to attend college.
He supported himself financially throughout his education, and he reached the level of a Master’s Degree
in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for 42 years as a mechanical engineer, which helped my parents
support my sister and I during our undergraduate studies. My sister has since earned a Master’s Degree in
Forensic Science and I am currently working toward a Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering.

How did you get into your area of specialization?

I’ve been interested in electrophysiology since I was introduced to it as a freshman biomedical
engineering student at Wash U. My interest remained as I worked in several neuroscience labs during and
after my undergraduate studies. While working as a computer programmer at the Center for Memory and
Brain at Boston University, I decided to pursue a Ph.D. I wanted to focus on cardiac electrophysiology
because of its clinical importance, and I saw ECGI as an excellent tool with potential for clinical translation.

How did you come about being part of Dr. Yoram Rudy’s lab?

As an undergraduate at Wash U, I took Dr. Rudy’s class Christopher Andrews
“Quantitative Bioelectricity and Cardiac Excitation.”
The material stuck with me after graduating, in particular the Education:
imaging technique called ECGI. When I decided to pursue
a Ph.D., I knew this was what I wanted to study. • 2007 BS, Biomedical Engineering
Washington University in St. Louis

What would you say most motivates you to do what you do? • x '16 PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Washington University in St. Louis
The most motivating aspect of ECGI research is talking to the
patients who volunteer for our studies. I hope that the Research Interests:
combined efforts of research in our field will allow us to give
these patients more accurate diagnoses and improved Electrophysiology, Cardiac
treatments. Electrophysiology, Heart Failure,
Cardiac Resynchronization, Atrial
What is your most important research achievement that you Fibrillation, and Cardiac Arrhythmias
are most proud of?

CBAC Center Heartbea | 21