CardioNerd (Amit Goyal), Dr. Zarina Sharalaya (Interventional cardiology fellow at the Cleveland Clinic), Dr. Ashley Mohadjer (Interventional cardiology fellow, Vanderbuilt Heart and Vascular Institute), and Dr. Laurie Mbuntum (Cardiology fellow, UTSW) join Dr. Ki Park (Associate professor of medicine and an interventional cardiologist at the University of Florida and Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, FL.) for a a well-rounded discussion on all things ‘Women-in-Cardiology’ #WIC . Dr. Ki Park discusses how she nurtured her interest in interventional cardiology, and further shares her thoughts and passion for cardio-obsetrics. She shares her advice for trainees thinking about interventional or cardioobetrics and anecdotes from her training as a successful woman in the field. We discuss the need for education on pregnancy outcomes and long-term cardiovascular risk, ideas to lower maternal mortality, how to start a women’s cardiovascular clinic, and her thoughts on how the field may look in the future. Special message by Florida ACC State Chapter Governor, Dr. David Perloff. Episode introduction and audio editing by CardioNerds Academy Intern, Shivani Reddy.

The PA-ACC & CardioNerds Narratives in Cardiology is a multimedia educational series jointly developed by the Pennsylvania Chapter ACC, the ACC Fellows in Training Section, and the CardioNerds Platform with the goal to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in cardiology. In this series, we host inspiring faculty and fellows from various ACC chapters to discuss their areas of expertise and their individual narratives. Join us for these captivating conversations as we celebrate our differences and share our joy for practicing cardiovascular medicine. We thank our project mentors Dr. Katie Berlacher and Dr. Nosheen Reza.

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1/ Episode #176: @PaChapterACC & @CardioNerds Narratives in Cardiology featured @LMbuntum, @AMohadjer, and @ZarinaSharalaya in discussion with Dr. Park (@cardioPCImom)

Follow this #CardsNarratives🧵on the discussion on #CardioObstetrics pic.twitter.com/xpeHwVwz37

“I like the work life integration as opposed to work life balance. Balance just implies that you always have everything aligned perfectly at all times and that is just not doable.”

Why is screening for OB-GYN history for cardiovascular risk is important, and who should be responsible?

• Pregnancy is nature’s stress test and in some women can unmask someone’s predisposition to cardiac disease
• Yearly screening for diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia
• Big interdisciplinary effort in attempt to try to capture all women at risk, as many will not present with manifestation of disease initially

How did you nurture your interest in cardioobsetrics? In interventional cardiology?

• Meetings and societies
• Connect with those who work in the field, social media
• Regarding interventional cardiology – having interest in procedures, do as many cases “hands on” as possible, learning from mistakes

What advise do you have to achieve work and life balance?

• It’s important to understand the various occupational hazards of radiation exposure which include but are not limited to brain tumors, cataracts, thyroid disease, cardiovascular diseases, musculosketal problems and reproductive side effects.

• Have grace, one can’t be 100% at every single thing all the time
• Its more work life integration as opposed to a balance
• Prioritize different things on different days, be honest with children and explain why you do what you do in age appropriate terms

Maternal mortality is high in this country with cardiovascular disease as a leading cause. What are important factors to improve maternal mortality?

• Education
• Improving access to care in the peripartum stage for mothers, particularly since the focus in that period is on baby
• Legislature to improve insurance coverage        

Where do you see cardioobsetrics field going in the next few years?

• Make the knowledge more mainstream
• Education of subspecialty fellows within cardiovascular education
• Collaboration with ACOG and maternal fetal medicine societies
• More registries of patients to continue to learn more about these women

What was involved to create the women’s heart clinic in your institution?

• Start small – there are plenty of women who want to seek specialized care
• Having an MFM and congenital faculty at the same institution was helpful
• Seek advice from those at expert centers          

What advise do you have for trainees looking to pursue a career in interventional cardiology who are worried about work-life integration?

• Understand what you’re getting into, particularly for that year   
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends or family at home to allow for more quality time with significant others, kids, friends, etc — this isn’t a sign of weakness
• You don’t have to be perfect

Physicians have been found to delay childbearing compared to peers in other professions. What are your thoughts on this?

• Progress has been made and overall there is increased awareness and support
• Leave for trainees should be more flexible         
• More societal and institutional support