Jesse Naghi, MD

Jesse Naghi, MD, is a first-year fellow in interventional cardiology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD; La Jolla, CA). A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (magna cum laude) and the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Dr. Naghi completed his medical and cardiology training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCSD. He has contributed to 9 published articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and presented at several national meetings. Dr. Naghi’s postfellowship career plan is to find a job in either a group or hospital-affiliated practice in Southern California. 

Why did you decide to pursue interventional cardiology?

Interestingly, my earliest inspiration came during my trauma surgery rotation in medical school when I cared for a child who had a splenic laceration secondary to a major car accident. I followed the patient to an emergent splenic artery coiling, which was done by an interventional radiology team, and was amazed by the fact that we could use fluoroscopy to see and guide our procedure. Additionally, the fact that this patient could be treated percutaneously, instead of through open surgery, impacted not only the child’s clinical course but was also more psychologically tolerable.

Later on, I rotated through the cardiology care unit and was exposed to the acute and profound disease that occurs in the world of cardiology. I loved being able to use the tools inherent to cardiology—from electrocardiograms to echocardiograms and, ultimately, invasive diagnostic tests. I always found myself drawn to the catheterization lab, where answers regarding a patient’s condition often become evident and where the skills used by interventional cardiologists could lead to rapid relief of pathology. It was there that the utility of cardiovascular care became very apparent to me and ultimately affected both me and my family.

Lastly, I was and am still highly motivated by the sudden loss of my uncle to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy when I was in medical school. A cascade of questions and concerns stemmed from this event within my family, and I became the person they turned to for answers regarding appropriate testing and counseling. This experience had an extremely strong effect on my interest in caring for patients with similar illnesses. My goal has always been to serve as a source of information for those with cardiac disease, and interventional cardiology offers me the skillset to diagnose and treat a complex variety of cardiac pathology and to have a meaningful impact on my patients’ lives.

What has been your most meaningful clinical experience thus far?

Because I have trained at UCSD for the last 4 years, I have been lucky enough to follow some patients for a great deal of time. One in particular is a young woman who initially presented with peripartum cardiomyopathy and cardiogenic shock, which required the emergent placement of a left ventricular assist device. While I cared for her on the heart failure service, I got to know her and her family. I saw that despite her misfortune, she continued to have a positive outlook on life and focus on getting well for her new child. I was impressed by her resolve and mental strength; I tried to put myself in her shoes and hoped that I could be that strong in a similar situation. She ultimately required heart transplantation and her story of recovery has continued to impress me. I still participate in her care during her routine follow-up appointments and am privileged to see her doing well.

Who has had the biggest impact on your interventional cardiology career?

I have had the luxury of being exposed to numerous excellent mentors at UCSD, all of whom have provided me with a different set of skills and lessons in how to approach life as an interventional cardiologist.

My mentor and program director, Ehtisham Mahmud, MD—a definite Renaissance man—has greatly influenced my clinical practice in a variety of ways both technically and intellectually. Aside from his technical skills, he also imparts many words of wisdom to us during each procedure. His most important saying is that “skill is learning to make your cases boring.” This statement is not meant to keep us from engaging in challenging cases. Instead, it encourages us to be prepared and always have a plan for progressing through a case without compromising the safety of our patients.

Furthermore, Dr. Mahmud always advocates having a backup plan in case our procedure veers off course. Our goal is for the case to have a smooth transition from start to finish, and with careful planning and recognition of potential pitfalls upfront, we can quickly address any issues without feeling out of control. On numerous occasions I have felt the value of this tempered approach to dealing with what could be an extremely stressful situation. I feel that this philosophy has impacted the way I approach preparing for each case and continues to have a great deal of influence on my career.

What are you most looking forward to after you finish fellowship?

The idea of being done with training is exciting as well as slightly frightening. On the one hand, I look forward to practicing my art by using the skills that I have gained over the last decade. The reward of caring for patients on my own will undoubtedly be a great feeling. However, I know that there will be a learning curve of simply getting used to the responsibility of being the final decision maker. Yet the support of my mentors that I have received while building the foundation of my career has been unparalleled. When I finally become an interventional cardiology attending, I look forward to expanding this foundation and strengthening the trust I have in myself.

What is something that people might not know about you?

Outside of work, there are many ways in which I enjoy relaxing. I love spending time in the kitchen learning to cook new dishes with my wife. Between the two of us, we find ways to challenge ourselves, from preparing sushi to Ethiopian cuisine to my family’s Persian recipes. Having grown up in Southern California, I am partial to good, authentic Mexican food, and I love perfecting my guacamole recipe and sharing it with friends.

What his program director, Ehtisham Mahmud, MD, says:

Jesse Naghi was the star of his cardiology fellowship class and has excelled as an interventional cardiology fellow. Aside from having a calm and elegant bedside manner, he is confident in the cath lab, with a unique combination of clinical acumen and technical expertise. He has a vast knowledge base in cardiovascular disease, is intellectually curious, and has an academic rigor that has resulted in multiple accepted abstracts and manuscripts. He is destined for a successful independent career that I hope is in an academic environment. 
 

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