In this episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra speaks with Dr Sameed Khatana, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and clinical cardiologist at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Their conversation examines the growing connection between environmental factors and cardiovascular health.

Dr Khatana explains why conditions like air quality and temperature represent important determinants of cardiovascular outcomes. He shares observations from his Philadelphia practice: patients unable to exercise outdoors during extreme heat, medication challenges for those on diuretics during heatwaves, and economic pressures that force difficult choices between cooling costs and other necessities.

The discussion explores both clinical interventions and systemic solutions, including programs like LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and municipal heat action plans. Dr Khatana presents research showing that vulnerable populations—particularly older patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors—face disproportionate impacts from environmental stressors.

Dr Khatana encourages cardiologists to engage with this evolving aspect of patient care, advocating for collaboration between professional societies, environmental scientists, and policymakers to develop effective strategies that support cardiovascular health in changing environmental conditions.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Rakesh Shah, a former interventional cardiologist, Oxford MBA graduate, and founder of DRS.LINQ. Dr Shah brings a unique perspective on addressing critical delays in heart attack diagnosis through the intersection of clinical medicine, engineering, and business strategy.

The conversation explores a pressing challenge in cardiovascular care: the majority of cardiac damage occurs within the first hour of symptom onset, yet treatment activation often takes several hours. Dr Shah introduces mHeart, a mobile EKG platform designed to create a "virtual cardiology office." Unlike consumer wearables that lack critical chest leads, this technology enables patients to initiate comprehensive cardiac evaluation anywhere—at home, at work, or while traveling—transmitting diagnostic-quality data directly to cardiologists.

The episode delves into Dr Shah's diverse career path and offers candid advice for physician-entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with professional business leaders to achieve scalability. Looking ahead, Dr Shah discusses the integration of AI and machine learning into mobile diagnostic platforms as essential tools for an aging workforce and overstretched healthcare system.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this key episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra sits down with Prof Naveed Sattar to explore how recent therapeutic breakthroughs are fundamentally reshaping the cardiologist's approach to diabetes management.

Through real-world case discussions, Dr Sattar demonstrates practical decision-making for patients across the spectrum - from pre-diabetes to established CAD with Type 2 diabetes. He addresses the tension between robust evidence and cost barriers that limit widespread implementation, while acknowledging unprecedented patient demand driven by genuine quality of life improvements. The conversation concludes with insights on obesogenic environments and the hope that increased competition will ultimately democratize access to these transformative therapies.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this highly anticipated annual year-end episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes back Dr Sukh Nijjer, an interventional cardiologist in London, for their seventh consecutive year reviewing cardiology's most significant developments. This annual review offers a comprehensive look at the trials and breakthroughs that shaped cardiovascular medicine in 2025.

Dr Nijjer guides us through a broad selection of clinical trials spanning post-MI management, heart failure therapeutics, atrial fibrillation strategies, and interventional innovations. The discussion challenges established practice, from questioning routine beta blocker use after MI in patients with preserved ejection fraction, to examining the controversial findings from the CLOSURE AF and OCEAN studies. The episode highlights encouraging advancements including the POLY-HF study's success with fixed-dose polypills for heart failure, promising data on bioadaptor stents and drug-coated balloons in interventional cardiology, and the robust cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1 agonists demonstrated in the SOUL and SURPASS studies.

Dr Kalra and Dr Nijjer conclude with an optimistic look at cardiology's future, exploring how targeted therapies could transform the landscape from polypharmacy to precision medicine.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this landmark 150th episode of Parallax marking the start of Season 8, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Professor Robert Bonow, Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at Northwestern University and Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Cardiology. This milestone conversation explores the career of one of cardiology's most influential academic leaders and examines how strategic vision, mentorship, and institutional leadership have shaped modern cardiovascular medicine.

The discussion reveals the practical realities of building academic excellence through Dr Bonow's 33-year tenure at Northwestern University. He details the strategic approach to growing a cardiology division from 25 faculty members to over 70, emphasizing that success hinges on recruiting exceptional talent, providing institutional support, and granting faculty freedom to pursue their visions. Dr Bonow offers candid perspectives on academic leadership challenges and creating environments where innovation flourishes.

Dr Bonow reflects on his influence through editorial and professional society leadership. As co-editor of seven editions of Braunwald's Heart Disease, he shares lessons from Dr Eugene Braunwald and discusses the evolution toward a digital "living textbook" responding in real-time to clinical evidence. His role founding JAMA Cardiology reveals strategic decisions required to establish a premier journal, while his progression through the American Heart Association - culminating in the presidency - demonstrates how sustained professional engagement amplifies individual impact. He closes with actionable guidance for early career cardiologists on recognizing opportunities, developing writing skills, and embracing the non-linear nature of successful careers.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this week's episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Prof Rasha Al-Lamee, interventional cardiology consultant and professor of medicine/cardiology at Imperial College London, and deputy editor of JACC. Prof Al-Lamee has transformed interventional cardiology through her pioneering work on the ORBITA trial series and coronary sinus reducer device studies, introducing the paradigm-shifting concept of sham-controlled device trials to the field.

What makes a clinical assumption worth questioning? How do we design trials that reveal truth rather than confirm bias? When does revascularization truly benefit patients with stable angina?

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Guest: @RashaAlLameeMD Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Sarah Matt, Associate Clinical Professor at Upstate Medical University, health tech strategist, and author of the newly released The Borderless Healthcare Revolution. Dr Matt brings a unique perspective shaped by her experience both in academic medicine and as a former Oracle employee, positioning her at the intersection of clinical care and healthcare technology innovation. https://www.drsarahmatt.com/

This conversation explores the inflection point facing today's generation of physicians—a cohort that has navigated the evolution from paper charts to sophisticated EMRs, and now stands at the threshold of AI-driven healthcare transformation. Dr Matt offers actionable guidance for both healthcare delivery leaders and "builders" creating new technologies, emphasizing that improving access must be integrated from inception rather than retrofitted. She shares her vision for removing financial barriers entirely and provides practical checklists from her book to help clinicians make meaningful impact while combating burnout.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this week's episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Courtney Maxey-Jones, Director of the Coronary Care Unit at Upstate University Hospital and a cardiac anesthesiologist intensivist by training. Dr Maxey-Jones co-founded and serves as Chief Operations Officer of GOMED, a not-for-profit organization transforming how we think about medical device waste and global healthcare equity.

Dr Maxey-Jones shares the origin story of GOMED - born from witnessing the staggering waste generated in cardiac operating rooms, where expensive single-use devices are discarded due to expiration dates or changing surgeon preferences. Together with her partners, cardiac surgeon Dr Farhan Nadeem and physician assistant Connor Wasilnak, they recognized an extraordinary opportunity to make use of these waste items.

Dr Kalra and Dr Maxey-Jones examine the ethical complexities of equipment reuse, the critical unmet needs for EP devices and cath lab equipment internationally, and GOMED's innovative partnership with Syracuse University biomedical engineering students to develop low-resource autoclaves. This episode reveals how observation of systemic waste evolved into a sustainable model for global cardiovascular care equity.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In the latest episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Martha Gulati and Dr Anu Lala for a groundbreaking conversation about reimagining heart failure prevention across the entire disease spectrum. Their discussion centres on an innovative scientific statement developed collaboratively between the American Society of Preventive Cardiology and the Heart Failure Society of America - a document that challenges conventional approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention.

Dr Gulati and Dr Lala make a compelling case for expanding prevention beyond atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) to encompass heart failure, a condition affecting one in four individuals over their lifetime. They introduce the American Heart Association's Cardio Kidney Metabolic (CKM) health framework as a superior model for identifying at-risk patients, explaining how this approach shifts focus from disease management to health optimization. The conversation explores practical implementation strategies, including the new PREVENT risk score, which integrates critical heart failure risk factors like obesity and chronic kidney disease that traditional assessment tools overlook.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.

In this essential episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Monica Tincopa, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego, for a crucial conversation about Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and its profound implications for cardiovascular care.

Dr Tincopa guides listeners through the recent transformation from NAFLD to MASLD, explaining why this nomenclature change represents more than just terminology, instead reflecting a deeper understanding of metabolic health that directly impacts cardiology practice. The conversation explores practical screening strategies that cardiologists can implement immediately, including the use of FIB-4 risk stratification and recognizing incidental findings on cardiac imaging. Dr Tincopa shares insights on when to refer patients to hepatology specialists and how the shared risk factors between MASLD and cardiovascular disease create opportunities for comprehensive patient care.

This episode equips cardiologists with essential knowledge to identify at-risk patients within their existing practice, understand the cardiovascular implications of liver disease, and optimize care coordination for patients with overlapping metabolic conditions.

Questions and comments can be sent to "[email protected]" and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.

Host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCardio

Parallax is Ranked in the Top 100 Health Science Podcasts (#48) by Million Podcasts.