Bimal Padaliya, MD

Bimal Padaliya, MD, is a second-year fellow in interventional cardiology at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH). A graduate of Duke University and Vanderbilt University, Dr. Padaliya completed his medical training at the University of Michigan and general cardiology training at Case Western, where he served as chief fellow. Dr. Padaliya provides free cardiovascular screening at Cleveland’s local Hindu temple and is actively participating in 5 research studies. His postfellowship career plan is to pursue work as an interventional cardiologist focusing on clinical research, teaching, and structural or peripheral intervention.

Why did you decide to pursue interventional cardiology?

In medical school, I enjoyed taking care of patients, but I felt some procedural specialties seemed more focused on technical aspects alone rather than the overall clinical wellbeing of the patient. As I moved on through my internal medicine and cardiology training, I felt that interventional cardiology was the ultimate specialty, where in the appropriate setting you have a diversity of noninvasive and invasive therapies to offer patients. You are fully armed.

What has been your most meaningful clinical experience thus far?

Every step of my medical education has been at universities associated with VA hospitals. Veterans are the real VIPs—they have served our country and it is an honor to serve them. I've always been grateful that I not only have been able to learn from them but have also been able to give something back as well. Ironically, most people do not think of the VA system as being for VIPs because it's government controlled, but I always do.

What is the best piece of advice your mentor has given you?

My program director, Dr. Sahil Parikh, has gone through some steps similar to mine in terms of doing advanced interventional training. The best piece of advice he has given me is to always spend extra time with a patient. Especially from an interventional standpoint, when you take someone to the cath lab, there is anxiety from both the patient and the family. In our daily lives, we have meetings to attend, places to be, and multiple patients to see, and we often feel rushed. But it is important to show the patient that you aren't rushed—that he or she is the most important person at that moment and you have all the time in the world for them. Also, the end of your procedure is not the end of your interaction. Dr. Parikh always says, “When you touch a patient, you own that patient until that patient goes home.”

If you weren't an interventional cardiologist, what else could you see yourself doing and why?

I grew up in England so I'm a huge soccer fan. It's a tactical game, and I can relate many of the techniques of playing soccer to my interactions with patients. I played soccer through college and medical school, and while I was never good enough to play professionally, I could see myself maybe doing some soccer coaching.

What are you most looking forward to after finishing fellowship?

It will be the first time in my life when the path is not set for me. It's exciting, but it can be terrifying and scary as well. As a fellow, there are many choices but you can always turn to your attending to guide you through. I'm looking forward to being on my own and taking the best parts of everybody I’ve worked with to make a difference in patients’ lives.

What his fellowship director, Sahil Parikh, MD, says:

It is increasingly difficult to learn all of the necessary skills in coronary intervention as well as vascular medicine/intervention and structural heart imaging/intervention in a single year. After a great deal of deliberation, Bimal and I agreed that advanced training was essential for him to achieve his professional goals, and he serves as a model for fellows in training today. He has excellent clinical skills and is a “go-to” clinician, having invested the time to get comprehensive procedural training. He is incredibly thoughtful yet decisive, and he has an instinctive approach to patient care. I’ve been so impressed by his growth and maturation as a clinician and interventionalist these past couple of years. He has set a high standard for all of our interventional fellows to follow, and we are very proud of him.

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