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Worldwide, cardiovascular
disease affects the lives of hundreds of millions,
dedicated cardio nerds everywhere are working hard to
fight this global epidemic. These are their stories.
For welcome back Cody Earth, Distance from me
corps resident at Bread Women's sauce little. We're
back with their narratives and cardiology series designed
to promote d diversity and inclusion and cardiology
because their differences make stronger
I'm here a doctor Chelsea Can, cardio a
Academy intern, and interim medicine pathogen at Stone
Brook. Today, Air force car nurse will be
descending into Georgetown to talk with Doctor He
Kelly.
Thank you for that, Cor is such an
orange welcome Doctor Kelly to represent the Gi
Chapter Artist and cardiology series.
Doctor Kelly's and boards who define internal physician
and cardiologist
who specializes in non invasive cardiology
at the north, side Hospital cardiovascular
Institute. In Lawrence, Georgia.
His expertise includes preventive health, 7 underserved, 3
refugee health and utilizing artificial intelligence in healthcare
care.
He's a former in a Kurdish
refugee whose family arrived in Germany in 19
96
and lifted refugee camps until 2001.
When they moved to the United States, 2
weeks after 90 11.
He completed his undergraduate studies at Georgia State
University.
He then went out to more house school
at Medicine
where he graduated K lau and was selected
at the most inspiring person.
He subsequently went on to finish his internal
medicine residency
at Emory university
where he received
recognition as resident of the year,
and distinction in social and inpatient medicine.
He completed his cardiology fellowship.
At emory University in 20 20
where he was also awarded the Katz foundation
fellowship and preventive cardiology.
Doctor Kelly's also the main character of the
documentary titled
Refugee, also received numerous awards.
Doctor Val
once again, and let me reiterate that it
is such an honor to have me with
us here today.
Welcome to Crowded nerds
We are so excited to learn about year
and you're Asp aspiring dread tonight. Thank you.
No. Thank you very much for having me
here. I was telling my wife that I'm
on Cardio. She was like, that's so cools
her my wife is impressed and she's been
falling against or closely on social media for
years.
Thank you if And, doctor. Kelly for this
time words we're really excited to have you
here with this today And really hear about
her inspire and jerry.
We touched a little bit about this briefly
your introduction ready, but you arrived in by
United States just 2 meters after 09:11.
And that time was the height of the
American population had a distress that the Middle
East. Could you take us through your Journey
and the cr incurred mean you're home to
live in refugee camps and then arriving in
the Us. How are those first few years
like,
Yes, I'm occurred and the Kurdish of minority
group is the 1 that probably the second
civilized without country like in a history of
mankind.
We are pretty much divided on 4 major
country Iraq syria, Iran and Turkey, and we
live in the Syrian part
And as a minority, you know, you always
having oppressed on This region.
And because my father was a lawyer, he
was torture by the government and then we
had to leave because it wasn't safe, and
I was 11 at that time.
I remember when the police stole our house
and destroyed everything.
And that we moved to Germany as refugees
there on a silo.
We lived there for 6 years.
It was an interesting experience because we were
on
a asylum status of applying every 6 months
from an extension with a fear of being
shipped back to Syria.
And through some church member who recommended by
to the Us after 2 years of
extreme vetting of going back to the embassy
were accepted to the United States, which will
give us some hope of the 09:11 happened.
So was all the hopes were gone, but
then
September 20 first, we had a call of
have 2 days left to go to the
Us and you think has been ready.
You're supposed to be told us September 10
went to come to the Us and 09:11
happened. So we packed her clothes and
with no family of friends nice day arriving
in Atlanta at Joint In a small town
called clark,
pretty known right now for his diversity,
right, T is down the street from Emory.
And, you know, I arrived here as age
of 18 as a high school senior
with no friends on family and
You know, and and you need come to
the Us as a refugee only get about
3 to 6 months of support from the
government. So they expect you in 6 months
to learn language get drive a license get
job.
Be independent and take care of you cell.
The American dream didn't delivery starved for us
because my dad had a heart attack first
couple of weeks nice day A obama's is
a 45 year old muslim with a he
job, was an ideal candidate for a jab
on that time. So I had to pick
a job as
Squash and dish dishes putting 40 hours a
weekend then while trying to learn English go
to high school.
But I was very blessed by many Americans
come helping us along the journey and, And
then I say people I went to Donate
State Mo house and then Emery
in 10 years span I. I am the
slowest walker white walked from the restaurant. Down
the block to Emory University style residency there.
I always make sure I went back with
my Emory Id get my free drinks, so
That's my journey coming to the Us and
that's how I got to cardiology across
that time, but it is definitely challenging when
you come as a, you're not living in
neighbor living in underserved communities where I said
to people refugees is just a poor American
wasn't lot English yet. Once he learned English,
you said dealing with the same issue
education. Just to give you inside my high
school where blocks in high school of a
span of 20 years, only 3 people became
doctors.
And that high school is only 15 minute
down street from Emory. So this kinda gives
you the whole disparity you, how these communities
struggles
and we faced the same thing. My neighbors
were doctors and lawyers and nurses. My neighbors
were. Low income, members of the community. So.
It was very definitely very challenging in the
beginning.
So I just wanna ask a few questions
and continue your documentary doctor Kelly. So any
document we... Which I also recommend that anyone
who hasn't watched it to go watch it.
The lot to learn from it. There's a
mention brand that prior to you arriving in
the United States. Your family also had an
experience with hate groups back home.
Mentioned that due to these experiences, when you
all carry to heat within you. However, when
you fred meet Chris in the documentary, your
approach is 1 that is inviting and you're
able to show him the prospecting perspective of
your life despite his initial reformation about you.
And for everyone else on the call who
hasn't him yet watched the kill, Chris father,
a veteran and a former K member
of who's was deep prejudice against Mu challenge
when he meets Doctor Kelly.
Doctor Kelly, your ability to give Chris more
perspective it's highly commendable
This is particularly relevant for us in medicine
as physicians where we encountered patient and calls
from all different background.
And it's important for us to understand each
individual's unique experiences.
So how are you able to let go
of the heat that you carry eat and
what made you choose to approach others like
Chris in this now there.
You know, that's a very good question Deep
question. Just Fyi actually, the document is on
delta all delta flight across
nation internationally. So I think I get call
from my colleague haven't seen for 10 years.
Oh I saw you and I joke with
him this, like fake news is not me.
As an Ai version. So it's on delta
if you don't get to watch on Amazon.
But when I was in Syria, I had
to leave everything, we lived with a very
privileged lives, you know, I'm leaving everything and
coming to a country like Germany where we
live in refugee camp, that carries some anger
and their anger dis still into hate
especially when he was in Germany, I was
a target of a lot of kids in
school being bully because I looked different. I
was the only brown muslim kid in a
town of 2000 people middle of the snow.
So this kinda
creates that target of, you know, of a
prejudice. And you have to leave Germany again
because it an accept you. So you live
with all this anger and hate them. When
he come to the Us,
you're like, okay. Life doesn't look great either
like, I have to struggle and pay the
bills and work.
But a lot of American taught, like, it
means to integrate. To be honest with you
when we came here the first week, we
had these Christian
church member came to my house not gonna
door and welcomed us and took us to
Walmart and came and taught us English and
hosted a party for. And I could kept
thinking here's a muslim family just right off
to 09:11 and he are the Southern Christian
americans
where, you know, the country just got attack
and they're coming to welcome or something special
about this country, like something different from any
other country in the world. I did not
experience. And I think that was the first
step of me saying, hey, maybe
there's hope in the world. Maybe we can
make a difference. And I think that carries
me through my career.
And eventually when I met Chris
how I work with him. I was had
my own problem prejudice, I think, but experienced
the American story in American dream really maybe
change my perspective about things.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey
and the experience of coming to a place
and studying over and being different and also
how to mention that your neighbor was 1
that had many people go on to become
physician and awareness or single bills. And good
job and really inspired went from coming from
that experience and running English and, being an
immigrant to becoming a distinguished cardiologist
and I think we talk a lot about
this that there's a lot of rhetoric in
the Us about how immigrants, like, steel jobs
for citizen at its end,
especially when some of these groups achieve a
lifestyle that it's better than the life style
of other people. So your journey, would you
say that and came across any circumstances
in which others need you feel that land
and tell us more about how you came
from that environment
your journey to becoming a physician cardiologist,
walk got interested in the field and or
the challenges because I can't imagine that it
wasn't an easy journey and probably a lot
went into it. You know, I was very
fortunate blessed, again, if it was only just
hard work and intelligent,
everyone will be successful. It's not that easy.
It's like, you could be the hardest working
person, and you could be very smart, but
if the opportunity don't come to you well
no present you it's very hard to make
her out of those neighborhood.
And that's something stuck with me that I
was lucky that someone like, I remember doctor
Lat who is a cardio surgeon, Emery, who
threw his daughter who knew my brother was
a soccer played in 1 of the school
she went to. Whom my brother told her,
hey, my brother is dishwasher, he wants to
be a doctor and doing dinner she convinced
her dad to call me.
And, dad got my number from his soccer
coach assistant. So just to give you like,
all of these lucky patterns
the guy calls me and say, hey, I
wanna meet you Y first, he must be
like an agent for the syrian government because
he was Middle East himself. Who like, Why
this guy called me, why will a harsh
surgeon wants to talk to me? He invited
me to me and he invited me his
house and when I drove his neighbor it
look like I'm the gardener with my little
bumped up Toyota Camry.
His humility sitting with me and asking me
a question about my dream and talk about
what I wanna do as a college student.
Really taught me something special if this guy
who was a very prominent surgeon taking the
time to talk to me. I need to
be like him during my journey. So every
step of the way I looked behind. When
I was in college, I was helping high
school student getting air. When I was in
Met, Was trying to help pre med getting.
And when I became a fellow on in
the same thing. And that's how I always
went back to the community, because, you know,
like, I always believe that, it was someone
opened the door for you. You gotta hold
the door for the next generation.
Because if you just walk through that door
and and close it, you just closed another
major door for many people behind you.
And I think that requires humility and making
self believe it's not just hard work, and
it's not just intelligent I got you. There's
a blessing from higher up and also people
came in your life to help you so
instead of making luck
a amount of luck, just making an opportunity
for everyone else.
That's married important the lesson that you spoke
about there. Creating opportunities for others and anything,
a lot lot of your work reflects that.
In addition to that, I know that as
a cardiologist, you also are an avid advocate.
You've also chosen to make part of your
lives work speaking out against hate. How do
you think your 2 world intersect between cardiology
and speaking out against hate.
How is this work influence your Career as
a physician so far? But it was a
very challenging time. Right? As a physician, you
have to be careful, what are you engage
in and
we have... We are always under the watch
because we have a very professional group of
people in the society, and we take care
of people's family members. So how you present
yourself in a public is very important. And
I think with just for me was matter
of, I was forced to the opportunity. It
was around the Trump election and
I was noticing there was a lot of
entire Refugee and immigration Retro richard coming out,
and I was shocked. I was like, wait
a second. I came up 09:11 and I
was welcomed by the same people who's say
right now? We need we don't need more
refuge in immigrants. Something's wrong here. Is it
my fault that I'm not advocating enough?
Because I could be this cardiologist living in
a nice neighborhood and I'm protected, but
hate make us realize no matter how privileged
you are not protected. You might be... You
could live in the mountain isolate from everything
else Still hate we'll get you. It doesn't
get to you you're gonna get to your
kids.
So I feel I'm having a child coming
away right now.
If I don't do something right now to
advocate, my cable asked me 20 year, what
did you do about this problem?
And again, as a refugee right now, who's
an Edi refugee financially stable.
If I'm not the 1 who's ad advocate,
do I expect the guy was a Cashier
worker trying to survive and it might in
neighborhood do as we get for themselves. It
doesn't make sense. So I have to step
in public and. What I learned also is
You can be just part of pointing finger
each other If you're just saying I'm part
of this against you, you're really not making
difference. You gotta reach out to the other
side and figure out like, why these people
don't like you visit some thing and my
big believer is very hard to hate something
you know.
So that's why I had to make myself
visible and available to these community and kinda
start interacting and learning.
What this hate coming from and this is
not the fabric of this country. I know
we have our own history, but we will
have moved through some of these problems
throughout history. So we need to figure out
way to come to the table and find
some common ground. And I think the experience
with Chris that was very important and
I think at all physician, we forget that
when we end the public and people recognize
we are doctors, we have these really superhero
like invisible power that peep... We recognize many
top. Like, people look up to us. Imagine
you're sit in the room telling people I'm
gonna put you on up with the risk
for an edema. That person willing to take
the risk for you because he tell him
is the right thing to do. Now use
that same rhetoric and power of convincing people
that we we should look into to just
sit on the ground. This let's talk shirt
that less interact. Think about it, when we
we have the best social advocate because people
trust us Is the most trusting room professional
in the world. So using that power using
that
does
recognizing those privileges we have. Really we can
make a difference beyond the exam room.
Thank you doctor Kelly per share and how
we can really leverage that trust that other
patients haven't and must doing of that to
good nukes. And I really like when you
said about, if someone opens and door for
you, you pulled and work for the next
generation. I think It's just a very powerful
statement because they beat sometimes people they'll go
into a because they don't see someone like
themselves. So people see someone like themselves and
are able to talk to people like you
and we're likely to aspire to be some
light, the person that they're being up to.
And that's been 1 of our missions for
this narrative cardiology series and making people more
comfortable having these conversations how other people might
be dead written and rep recognizing the challenges
that other space when they're trying to
established himself in Medicine cardiology,
so that our field overall can become very
inclusive.
And with that correct big events right now,
we are often dealing with the sense of
heat amongst different groups of people pour 1
on another, and it seems like the sense
like repeats that every a few years when
different types of groups. And we know that
even in medicine and,
structural racism and he is prevalent. I wanna
hear from your perspective, how do think as
cor
we can really work towards making our workplace
more aggressive and trying to eliminate hate from
that environment.
You know, 1 of the thing that challenge
over the Christmas community was for me to
prove myself is... I'm not an interventional, but
Imagine if you went in the case of
stem, and this is the complex space. And
you wanna have, like, I'm gonna test my
skills at the best with this complicated kids
and make sure the patients survive. If I
could do this, I could do anything.
Same thing with me like, I'm like, I'm
gonna go for the worst of the worst,
and it was... Chris was a k leader
in Georgia worst, and he's said to people
I will talk to
blacks and Hispanic, but I would not talk
to Muslim because he lost his friend in
Afghanistan.
And we start talking on social media. I
started talking to him and I realized he
was a veteran. I told about words working
And I was doing some lining there and
then we started developing some common ground. He
had a child child. We had love for
certain things. And eventually, he like move to
the middle, and now he's is actually a
super advocate fight for anti hate when he
travels a nation and speaks and
Our relationship flourish for him into creating a
program to help others to leave hey. That's
the same thing I I you know, I
carry on with Chris, a package show compassion
to Chris.
We could do the same thing in our
workplace. The thing about to strike me a
lot of time and medicine is, we have
this thing. When it comes to a patient,
we walk in the room to strange engine,
and we are so trying to be compassionate
understand what they going on. But for some
reason, that compassion doesn't translates to our colleagues.
Sometimes,
We feel like we all have to be
tough
I saw you need to suffer. I was
on a 24 hour call Q 2 in
my 20 years ago. You gotta do the
same thing.
But the the world's changed is not the
same. I think we need to stop by
being from compassionate humility to each other. I
always tell my resonance like, You know, you're
walk in room and you're so nice to
missus Smith,
but you need to be the same, nice
to your colleague too. For example, I think
1 other thing that we have
still long way to go when it comes
so female, you know, accuracy, and, you, especially
when pregnant yeah I remember we're... I had
a pregnant fellow and I will go to
Her be like, hey, if you need to
take off, I cover you. If you need
to leave early, I got you. Let me
know if you wanna switch your schedule. I
think it starts with these small things. We
need to be compassionate and to each other
first, before even we show up to our
patient, but somehow the reverse always have And
it to me I trying to always teach
my intern resident and c fellow when I
was with him. That's the first step compassion
start with the neighbor next to you first,
then you go to the world and show
it. I think if we practice that, the
humility compassion, our workplace, it will make it
more inclusive and people feel are welcome.
The very important point you made there. I
think 1 thing I noticed in the film
was how you and Chris were able to
feed this friendship and the midst of all
this tension. That was going on around you.
And, like, we also said being compassionate to
our colleagues. I don't think we're often taught
about enough in medical school and in residency
and beyond, we always talk to know compassionate
and show empathy to our patients
rather than each other. So going on for
that, I was curious if you could may
offer some insight to how
react physicians cannot not be sensitive issues, especially
looking at a current political environment today.
If you promised use today, you can see
what's going on in our world and it
didn't part of the country, not much different
from when you were arrived in America a
few years she goes. So by looking at
our credit environment and our social issues, I
America,
Physicians may often be scared to be engaged
or offer their opinion concerning issues, due fears
of being judged or labeled. How do you
think we have physician can properly navigate these
issues without be flu or offensive.
To me, I use methods. I use compassion
humility,
especially when I approached someone who's not in
my profession, you know, and they show prejudice
to army. I focus on my service. I've
been a place. I remember recently there was
A guy welcomed the shirt says veterans over
refugees, and I went in a room. I
took care of the the patient's family. I
show respect. I explained everything to them.
And by another the conversation, I was like,
by the way, I happened to be a
refugee. I came to the guy sit. And
the guy was, like, in shock, I'm talking
about the other. And I'm like, I was
the other. I was exactly that refugee that
maybe was been a value to this country.
I was 18 years old, Muslim refugee.
And I... Something clicked. And when I left
the North told me of the emergency. You
know Was like, hey, you know he apologized
about his shirt. Yeah. And that guy wore
the short publicly key opening, but I walked
in there. I didn't argue with him. I
just showed my service toward the respect to
other family, And I think that's a very
powerful thing. The story if you watched the
movie ar know the guy who was actually
a leader of the Neo Nazi in the
West Coast. He the way he changed and
left their group is by his neighbor showing
compassion toward him who had a father who
was actually killed by Neo nazis. He was
shocked out the sons and the family of
their family was so compassionate and so respectful
to him despite his present.
I think we could achieve more with service
and show compassion, then
then, you know, then like being argument like
pick and sides. Again, there's certain situation. You
have to stand up if you see someone
getting bullied and someone getting hurt, then, of
course, you have to stand when I stop
that.
But also another method I use humor. People
asked me, I always when I was an
interview. I never made a statement against a
political figure. Someone asked me why think Trump
doesn't like.
I was like, baby... Because he hasn't tried
my mother's food yet. We got better season
We got better places.
If you tries move mouse through, it's gonna
be var very hard for to our. So
else you could use humor and to calm
down
the situation. It's like the physician. You walk
in the room
Everyone's very tense. A few tense at the
same time, the whole room is gonna be
much more tense. And you can't anything done.
Sometimes those physicians didn't have to calm down
things, walking out with respect.
Show them that you know what's going on
You got this situation taken care of and
everyone will start calming down listening.
I think there's different way to use that
to find common ground. In the end, we
all humans that we all read the same
air, have the same blood. And when you're
like a someone's echo, you can't really know
if they're black and white. So I think
that's where how we should approach his situation
by hem and compassionate service
in a touch of humor.
Thank you for sharing that up to Kelly,
And it's just really inspiring how you reflect
so positively on your talking experience just to
and really advanced someone that could compassionate and
finds common ground with everyone in the situation
categorize arises.
And you been a really strong advocate serving
the integrated Ag and minority communities and and
mentioned, really trying to get back to where
you key from and found also several nonprofit
that are focused on medical mentorship and help
your outreach,
including a young position the initiative diet, focuses
on an after school program, I or former
high school with focus on mentorship, 90, a
calming theme that I'm noticing between all these
organizations and also find what you were talking.
About earlier is that it's about providing access
to resources and information to I won bad.
So other people from Like yours can also
aspire and the physicians. And it really means
a lot when people like, your shop invest
in the community and And he we talk
a lot about this in cardiology about the
the heap pipeline and outs so brand to
start Bur to get people into Medicine and
cardiology not just during residency or doing medical
school but even earlier on, like, in high
school? And you've done that through your program.
So what do you think from your perspective
and what are the biggest barriers or obstacles
gold
that are hindering people from entering the field
that medicine or cardiology and how can me
as the collecting Human and us seek to
address these monitors and what are other ways
to help the workforce and cardiology become more
diverse so that it's more inclusive to first
generations demands directly and other minority
populations.
That's a great point you bring it up,
and for media, it was, like,
when I went back to my community, my
high school. Spoke and how they told me
only few people became doctor, and I thought
that was pretty
devastating, you know.
Because, you know, you... You know, you feel
good about yourself, you accomplished some but then
you look around me, like, 1 of the
very few people did it.
You know, you've good for you, but what
about for the community. And at same time
was volunteering in the community,
I was seeing people with, you know, high
hypertension, hyper and diabetes, and I was writing
prescription, treating them, But I thought while I
could do this all day long, but I'm
not making of a difference? I need to
create more people like me. The reason I'm
back to this community because I'm from that
community How about more people from this can
become doctors, nurses nurse practitioners, Pas,
we could help so many people more. The
the pipeline could be leaky, there could be
a hundred pipeline in a community if the
kids are not inspired to go through the
pipeline
then it's really the pipeline is useless at
this time. So we need to make these
kids believe they could be part of us.
Because when you look at meta and over
60 70 percent of medical student come from
privileged background.
So the medical school is not representing these
kids. But our worst patient with the worse
outcome technically technique. I'm saying the worst outcome
patient are actually people both from on the
communities.
So medicine not reflecting those excuse. So I
feel like I need to just feed the
pipeline. I'm gonna try and inspire as many
many kids I can to get into the
prime. Even if it's leaky, the pie will
be packed. So we get these kids into
medical school and I start as a fellow
in clocks in high with 1 medical students,
we build a curriculum around the medical student
teaching and because if I tell, if you
mentorship program is revolve our docked It just
prone to failure was the second doctor Ken
doesn't have time to run this show that
program would stop. Or what a better advocate
is the master knows how get into medical
school, they just took Mca. They know exactly
the process. So we use the medical student
to teach a curriculum by inviting the doctors
to speak. And I think right now, we're
on 20 plus location around in Georgia. We
have some pilot in Miami, Chicago and tough
medical schools. So we've leveraged a program to
end with minimal funding. If I show my
budget of the program and house running, you'll
be shocked. It's like a very minimal funded,
privately funded by foundation, Georgia Acc
the Acc gave us some grant. So we've
been very good at taking the best out
of the budget and bringing the almost 20
plus high school and colleagues across. And now
Our program is run by the medical students
who actually were pre meds when it came
to our session. So it's kind of a
residency program. That's how we created a residency
program for feeding the pipeline.
I tell people like, I don't believe in
a helicopter mission. I don't believe it's just
going to the community to do something for
a day and leave. I feel like We
need to find sustainable way to stay the
community because that's only we could build trust
and how you create more success. So that's
my model. And It was all inspired because
I was like, we need to get more
people like, me and myself and other from
my community into medicine.
I think that's so important, not access including
time medicine, especially having these people
eventually as future physicians come back to the
communities and solve the very issues every encounter
medicine.
So not only do you have infants in
creating access and increasing diversity medicine. I see
that you also have interest in refugee cardiovascular
health? So I was curious to see if
you may be able to expand on the
specific disparities that exist then refugee Cardiovascular Health.
And how we are the cardiovascular community
can work to Jessie
issues.
It's tough because
refugees and immigrants, they come from countries where
prevention doesn't exist.
Go to the doctor is like when I'm
sick. Like, the mentality Of going to doctor
check your cholesterol c and just make sure
you're okay even though you feel good.
That concept doesn't like exist in many countries.
So I had always tell all my colleague
just keep that in mind, getting refugees and
educating their kids and families to get into
the clinic to get there, Number november check
is a big deal. To get him to
check their blood pressure when they're not feeling
sick, that's a big deal. So we're trying
to use, like very simple metrics in our
local community by just teaching people out to
check their blood pressure. What it means to
get a mammogram. What it means to just
go get a colonoscopy
and teaching the kids because honestly, in every
refugee family,
first generation, the kids are the parents. The
1 who speak English in the family is
technically the the moment that kinda replacement because
They mom and dad trying to survive,
pay the rent, get things done for the
kids, and the kids was speaking english I
mainly they inter trying to get the family
through. So I would say a focus on
the kids. You get a teenager from a
family who will speak English. That's probably the
best health added of the kid.
And you have to start very simple. And
also, right now with the age of Ai
and technology,
providing material that there's in different language should
be much easier than before.
And I'll tell you people will stop using
papers,
Every refugee has a smartphone because they use
Whatsapp and viper to call the family.
Leverage technology in and favorite is so many
things decreased technology for. I tell I teach
all my ami refugee kids, take a picture
of your medication. To slide like you grandkids
and take a picture, and just take it
to every appointment, the doctor will know exactly
where you're taken. If I have a patient
has an abnormal Ekg based on the left
bundle, I just make him take a picture
of it and make a look a when
I've put my
information in your contact,
and that that picture profile is your Ekg.
So you show up in any Ed you
could show them that Ekg and because know
exactly that's your base. This simple thing we
could leverage technology that doesn't require much language
that we can help a lot of refugee.
I think the biggest barrier is a language
but also if you could find an ad
and the family, that's gonna be your best
advocate to make a difference in their lives.
I was the 1 person farm family. I'm
don't know who encouraged my mom to get
a my Gonna check hey went see him
liquid. I wasn't the 1 who made sure
my dad got the doctor, and I was
18 years old. So
it wasn't them that we're trying to take
care of the. Was me they're trying to
do there.
But again, just like Americans and from underserved
community,
refugee with mental health issue. And that's something
a whole different
topic. I think we are so behind in
this country that leads invest more, and refugee
deal with this on a Max level. But
I see a lot of resilience, and nothing
like I'm trying to still understand how come
these people come from the war zone them
from the worst environment, come to a new
country learn language,
making an ends meet get their kids educated
and still dealing with their issues. That's something
I still have to figure out how we
managing this. And it cost of resilience and
things still That's very well understood it in
in medicine.
Yeah. The resilience stuff when your were inspiring
and really, hadn't mentioned the
prevention for refugees and for immigrant communities. It's
inherent, not just target the adults and the
people were having the disease, that's started from
the kids who often oftentimes. The ones that
can advocate for their parents or grandparents. And
you talked a little bit about leveraging technology
and how can use that to better educate
patients? And I also noticed saying Den were
related to mobile low health initiatives and how
we can leverage technology for that, Standpoint. We
to address prevention topics and medical metabolic killed
and metabolic syndrome.
Premier perspective, how do you think that mobile
health technologies and some of your work related
to not can be used to bring held
the education went the ones that you mentioned
to the people that are underserved or and
while vulnerable in in the American population. I
mean, is by simply just show them how
to take pictures, save it in in note
notes area,
give them the information and let them actually
preserve it as in digital format. That was
the biggest thing that I taught on my
patient.
There was a lot of apps about pressure
check apps and all that we used that,
but I think
we already beyond the mobile technology. I think
ai is gonna change that. I think language
is gonna be a relative thing in the
future. It's already existing
use models where you could just speak, and
the language real time was getting translated. I
think language gonna be just not an issue
anymore in few years And I think we
just need to prepare as physician
to just know how we could use Ai
in our favor.
I will say Ai is like the when
people stop using money using credit card, everyone's
afraid that the bank will steal your money.
Everyone's so afraid of Ai, and I'm using
it. I was telling today my wife about
how chad Has this now Party Cr, and
I'm training it my cardiology guidelines. Literally, I
could give you a very simple example.
I city, I trained a part on all
the guidelines for lipids
and I told him give me like, the
the most updated tri hyper
management. It gave me, like all the classes.
And then I'll say, give me the drugs
the more Gave me not only the drugs
that gave me all the drugs and trial,
and I say give me all the dosing
for each drug, and it did that. That
took 30 seconds.
In 30 second while I'm talking to the
patient, I could actually extract oh, and I
trained the part to do that, and it
was very accurate was extract all the data
from the guidelines.
So I think we should able to use
some these technology to make our job easier,
but also serve the community in better ways
too.
And also the Cdc does a great job
of creating profile of certain immigrant groups and
and what are the issue issue main issue
they're dealing with? I just recently discovered it,
so The government has a lot of good
data on. If you have interest in working
with certain community like the organic community, there's
a lot of good data from the Cdc
on what they're dealing with a lot of
the main issues are,
but get comfortable with the eye that's what
I tell my physician. It's not gonna replace
our job, but it definitely can make our
job better.
And although that's your brought up the intersection
team in Medicine Api. I feel like there's
a lot of work going on. I'm currently.
Trying to combine the healthcare Ai and trying
to improve our practice. I'm excited to see
what the future holds for that. And I'm
sure on his call. There's probably a future.
It's inspiring cardiologist and cardiologist on the for
right now.
For those interested that in training and cardiology.
What is some pertinent and pieces of advice
you feel important to know
In addition to that, what do you wish
someone would've have told you while you're appliance
for cardiology.
But it is... And I don't wanna sound
old, but every year is getting more competitive
different especially, and I just met a medical
student from Emery who just me emailing me
and wanted to be a cardiologist.
People are the mess schools start preparing for
getting into cardiology fellowship because I think just
people realize it as a very diverse field
and It's almost like a general cardiology, technically
a primary care of cardiology. And there's so
many subs specialty,
all the structural stuff that's going on is
very exciting. All the new drugs are coming
out
I just help people like find a mentor.
And more importantly find a sponsor.
You know, you could find many mentors who
could maybe guide you an aspect of cardiology,
but find someone who's your advocate who's gonna
say, okay, I like your story. I like
your passion. I'm gonna make sure you're gonna
join off field. You want that doctor who
where the is gonna add to advocate for.
That's the most critical piece because and honestly,
I tell people, it is not how smart
you are is gonna impress people. You guys
are resident
Your best intern was the smartest intern. Your
best intern was a person who is ready
to go round, took care of everything sharp
early in the morning. Stay late done the
work. That's the best doctor.
Intelligence relative, like I told you, I created
this part that could answer any question curiosity
in 30 seconds. You could turn around, take
a phone call I can answer your question.
So intelligence becoming relative. I think hard work,
dedication is the most important thing. Because I
always will tell my intern, I could teach
you how to speak English. I could repeat
my name to your a hundred time. I
could teach your medicine, but I cannot teach
it on time and be professional. That's something
you have to really learn from your mentors
and actually learn the wrong way. So
am Advice to anyone in any field? This
work hard, there's no shortcuts. Just and people
love to be around people who work hard
and interested in the field.
I know what you guys experience. I mean,
you guys are right now residents and you
had interns Ms students What do you experienced
spend with working people who really interested in
cardiology and when it do it. Yeah. Know.
It's really true about that broke mindset that
people that are there to learn and are
really looking to be rid themselves, and That
I was really powerful you mentioned Doctor Kelly
and
1 thing that we always like to ask
everyone on the show. I can already hear
your passion for everything that you did within
cardiology and also So you're honored to see
for
making others
be able to follow that path and you
did is what makes your heart flutter about
the shield and inbound or daily day to
day, work with patients and
advocacy for, for generation immigrants.
I just love preventing hard disease. I was
blessed to work with doctor sp dot C,
which are a really great preventive cardiologist and
it just catching disease that early stages on
working on like preventative, and and that's something
I love it. When I see an elevator
calcium score and like, that's great. We could
just catch this and start early and working
on the lipids, and put you on some
ass you know, like working on some of
the risk factor. That's what I love. I
also love helping patient over the secondary
prevention. I feel like I feel is so
evolving. I'll tell you this when I was
Into resident, we don't have interest on for
sig and all these drugs.
These drugs are changing heart is. It's amazing.
Right, Within 5 to 10 years, we have
the some of the best drug ever exists
heart failure. So I'm just saying like, to
me is this is a wonderful thing just
to Be right now have be a part
of a field that's evolving all the time.
And well, I were working with cardiologist who've
been practicing for 4 years when they tell
me they only had nit heparin and dig
jo back in the days. And look at
it now. Like, those are drugs we just
don't use first. So I'm just saying, like,
the feel is evolving so fast, and I
like it, you know? And and just, you
know, saving lives honestly. And like I said,
everyone, I tell everyone needs to here. Either
you have a family who has the heart
disease order You don't have hard this disease
yet and just unfortunately part of our society
how we eat and how lack of exercise
is leading to this. But I think as
Cardiologist, we could motivate people by some of
these early prevention methods you know, by saying,
hey, you know, you gotta look, you know,
Casting score is Elevator. Maybe we need to
start exercising working on your weight. And we
also also have more tools now for people
to use too.
Yeah. Definitely so sending bio not just the
medications tools but all the
has cardiology to the Ai and a lot
of changing things that madison, But it's been
so powerful doctor Tell you to have here
to hear about her journey and where you
got yourself having got her herself to this
point today and how he really carrying that
compassion and humility when you swelling you serve
patients, but also long served med. On the
unity from key from so that others can
fall your seb. So you're ad because he
really seeks a lot in... It's been a
lot to learn from you, but also lot
to work left don as I listen to
this recording again. I just really wanna thank
you for taking out time this evening to
share your inspiring and he with the car.
No. Thank you so much as an honor.
Every time I get an invited to speak
somewhere to speak, I feel very blessed because
years ago, when Was applying to medical school
and again. Wasn't the perfect ken. I'm the
1 who applied twice, and I was out
myself at that time. I'm ever gonna be
a doctor. I don't think anyone cares about
my story. And now sitting in front of
you guys sharing the story, just engaging
still very powerful and blessing to me. I
feel like I'm very lucky to be able
to do that every time. So Thank you
so much for you guys is work and
what you guys doing for the community and
educating others too. Yeah. Thinking doctor to Kelly
I learned so much more, even more so
than I... Before I started the call. So
I encourage anyone on the call. I looking
into his work. Watched him will be, going
on his website, go on and see what
products is she's involved. I think it's very
inspiring.
Not only, if you wanna be a future
cardiologist, but just a future physician or any
career choice path that you decide to take
on. So, I learned lot and you hope
everyone could time to learn more. So thank
you again for today.
No. Thank you. If you have any question
anyone, just email me. I respond to all
my email then. That's something I made a
promise to myself. If I become a doctor,
I'm gonna respond to everyone's email it'll email
me about when be meant what I wanna
get into medical school, what Do whatever I
wanna do. I'm doing right now. So thank
you. Thank you, So much, Kelly.
Thanks for tuning in to another nerds episode.
The audio editing for this episode was performed
in me, Chelsea Ammo Tri. I'm an intern
in their cardio nerds Academy household tossing and
a resident at the Stony Brick University Hospital
in Stony Brooklyn New York. Checked out the
episode page for show notes and reference
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is tied to me like an s 2
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