Abrazo Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program

The cardiology fellowship program aims to develop well-rounded, confident, and caring cardiologists eager to care for those in need in the Phoenix community. We will provide excellent opportunities, education, research, and training within the cardiology setting in all facilities they rotate. Embracing health is the meaning behind Abrazo and we aim to train physicians to reflect on their practical and educational experience to determine how they can better serve those around them. 

The primary site for this program is Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital where the hospital has earned the Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiac Cath Lab, Chest Pain Center and Heart Failure accreditations from the American College of Cardiology. Arizona Heart has dedicated and committed physician who care for patients with cardiovascular and heart conditions. 

• 24-hour access to Midwestern University’s library resources for research.
• Access to Midwestern University’s simulation lab that includes simulation patients, mannequins and task trainer resources
• Space dedicated to educational activities including computer stations and safe and convenient call rooms.
• Meals provided while on duty
• Elective opportunities including research.
• Use of electronic medical records 

All applicants must apply to the Cardiology Fellowship Program through ERAS (Electronic Residency Application System). It is the applicant’s responsibility to complete all steps outlined on the ERAS website: https://www.aamc.org/services/eras/

Abrazo Health only accepts applications from U.S. Citizens or permanent residents. We do not sponsor visas or any j1types.

We also utilize the NRMP (National Residency Matching Program). For more information on the Match please go to their website: http://www.nrmp.org/

With easy access to both the outdoors and metropolitan areas, Arizona is one of the best places to live in the U.S. Check out the links below to learn about the growing city of Phoenix and the beautiful state of Arizona.

General Guides to Arizona and Phoenix

• Visit Arizona 
• Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau
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• AZ Central
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PGY - 4

Consult – 6 Months
CCU – 3 Months
Echo – 2 Months
Cath – 1 Month

PGY - 5

NUC/ CT – 3 Months
ED – 2 Months
ECHO – 1 Months
CT Surgery/ Vascular – 1 Months
Cath – 3 Months
Elective – 2 Months

PGY - 6

Elective – 12 months

Angeline Iniguez
Program Coordinator
480-228-9851
[email protected]

Salary

Benefits

• Medical and dental insurance
• Life and disability insurance
• Employee retirement plan
• Two white lab coats furnished by the hospital
• Benefits are effective on day one of start date
• Abrazo covers the cost of ACLS and BLS certifications

Malak Ibrahim Tahsin MD

Residency: Cardiovascular Fellowship
Hometown: Born in Baghdad, Iraq, and raised in Amman, Jordan, and later lived in California, Dr. Tahsin has lived and trained across multiple regions, contributing to her adaptable and culturally informed approach to patient care
Undergraduate School & Location: NA
Medical School & Location: Hashemite University, in Jordan
Personal Interests: Outside of medicine, Dr. Tahsin enjoys baking, exploring new recipes, and embroidery.
Professional Interests: Interested in cardiology for its integration of complex pathophysiology, procedural innovation, and longitudinal patient care, along with its ability to reduce morbidity and mortality through acute intervention and long-term prevention, and its broad impact on population health.
Residency Institute & Location: Creighton University in Phoenix
Other Education & Location / Comments: Trained across multiple healthcare systems including Jordan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the United States, Dr. Tahsin brings a broad, cross-cultural clinical perspective, she has also participated in mobile clinic initiatives and provided care for refugee populations in underserved settings.
Recent Presentations & Publications: 1. Tahsin, M., Habib, N., Khokhar, M. Untreated Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis Causing Hyperviscosity Syndrome with Bleeding and Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. 2. Ibrahim R, Seby R, Shaik A, Tahsin M, Abdelnabi M, Pham HN, Said N, Farina J, Bhakta MD, Yang EH, Sweeney JP, Fortuin D, Ayoub C, Lee K, Arsanjani R. Ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel in elderly patients following acute myocardial infarction: a multicenter international analysis. Coron Artery Dis. 2026 Mar 1;37(2):157-159. doi: 10.1097/MCA.0000000000001576. Epub 2025 Oct 13. PMID: 41114567. 3. Tahsin, M., Walls, B., Fatima, S., Kharoufeh, J., K. Rheumatoid Arthritis Induced Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology doi.10.1016/S0735-1097(24)05921-7 4. Osman, A., Eze, B., Tahsin, M., Ibrahim, S., Varadarasa, S., Naqvi, A., Rahban, H., Wesselhof, K., Boshara, A., Padaliya, B. Apixaban-Induced Hypersensitivity Skin Rash in the Critical Care Unit. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. DOI 10.1016/s0735-1097(24)05803-0 5. Rodriguez, J., Tahsin, M., Masharani, U., Park, M., Hunink, M., Yeboah, J., Weber, E., Berkalieva, A., Avezaat, L. Potential Mediators for Treatment Effects of Novel Diabetes Medications on Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes: A Meta‐Regression Analysis Journal of the American Heart Association. American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Care Journal. DOI 10.1161/JAHA.123.032463 6. Rodriguez, J.,Tahsin M., Fleischmann KE., Masharani, U., Yeboah, J., Park M; Li, L., Weber, E., Li, Y., Berkalieva A et a. Cardiovascular and Renal Benefits of Novel Diabetes Drugs by Baseline Cardiovascular Risk: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Meta-regression. DOI 10.2337/dc22-0772 7. Scimia, M., Pepe, F., Russo, G., Malapell, U., Chuang, R, Tahsin, M., et al. Plasma cfDNA role in detecting cardiovascular, metabolic and other diseases in a FIT+ population enrolled for a colorectal cancer screening program. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 10.1200/jco.2023.41.16_suppl.e15541 8. Valdez, J., Tahsin, M., Masharani, U., Park, M., Hunink, M., Yeboah, J., Li, L., Weber, E., Li, Y., Berkalieva, A. Potential Mediators for Cardiovascular Benefits of Novel Diabetes Medications: A Meta-Regression Analysis. Circulation Journal. DOI 10.1161/circ.147.suppl_1.p140 9. Chen, R., Pagano, I., Sun, Y., Tahsin, M., et al. A Diagnostic Gene Expression Signature for Bladder Cancer Can Stratify Cases into Prescribed Molecular Subtypes and Predict Outcome. Diagnostic Journal. DOI 10.3390/diagnostics12081801 10. Cardiovascular and Kidney Disease within the Geriatric Population in Developing Countries ISBN: 1-5275-2431-0- 11. Enterococcal Aortic Valve Endocarditis Causing Large Stoke. 12. Adult-Onset IgA Vasculitis with history of Humira use. 13. Large diffuse B cell Lymphoma in a patient with asymptomatic undiagnosed H.Pylori Infection. 14. A rare case of a pure metastatic Testicular Choriocarcinoma in 22 years old male 15. Tahsin, M., et al. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Home Test Rapidly Detects SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta Variants

Saif Srouji, MD

Residency: Cardiovascular Fellowship
Hometown: Amman, Jordan
Undergraduate School & Location: Yarmouk University, Jordan
Medical School & Location: Yarmouk University Faculty of Medicine, Jordan
Personal Interests: Travel, Arabic Music, Soccer, Video Games, Reading, Cooking
Professional Interests: Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology
Residency Institute & Location: Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno, CA
Other Education & Location / Comments: n/a

Class of 2026

Dhami, Dana, MD
Grewal, Harneet, MD
Hanna, Candice, DO
Humayun, Hina, DO
James, Jacob, DO
Larson, Ross, DO
Loli, Helen, DO
Munaim, Juzer, DO
Murray, Heather, DO
Nguyen, Phuong Thu Thi, DO
Purewal, Karen, DO
Sachdeva, Nikhita, MD
Schwab, Anna, DO
Solowiej Singh, Christopher, MD
Syverson, Cole, DO
Wong, Megan, DO

Class of 2025

Ahmed Abidali, DO
Inderjeet Bharaj, MD
Troy Coleman, DO
Michael Fu, DO
Benson Gunther, DO
Sajani Jivan, DO
Jasraj Khalon, MD
Yvette Lopez, MD
Kavir Maharaj, DO
Sara Malik, MD
Suraj Narvekar, MD
Daniel Ruesch, DO
Aaron Sidhu, MD
Peter Simonse, DO
Marina Wassef, DO
Craig Yanuszeski, DO

Class of 2024

Andrew Barringer, DO
Jeffrey Crawford, DO
Tasmea Haque, MD
Matthew Keller, DO
Michael Kost, DO
Justen Kozlowski, DO
Ryan McAuliffe, DO
Serene Musallam, MD
Uyen-Nha Nguyen, MD
Ty Pfau, DO
Morgan Reeve, DO
Nikita Satapathy, DO
Sukhdev Singh, MD
Kirk Thorpe, DO
Valerie Martinez Vargas, MD

Class of 2023

Aniket Arora, MD
Shahin Bhagwagar, DO
Geo Cherian, MD
Xiaoxuan Dai, DO
Harmony Dixon, MD
Bryant Kao, DO
Mark Kirk, MD
Leena Malik, MD
Tushar Menon, MD
Nikita Nalam, DO
Thomas Pathityil, DO
Sasikanth Ravi, DO
Sandra Shi, DO
Alec Stampfel, DO
Miranda Stiewig, DO

Class of 2022

Kimball “Tyson” Bailey, DO
Fady Bodagh, MD
O’Shaine Brown, MD
Nina Celaya, MD
Jordan Fisher, MD
Neha Khan, MD
Christopher Lew, DO
Aniket Mody, DO
Haitham Rahman, MD
Jorge Rodriguez-Nylund
Raj Shah, MD
Monider Singh, MD
Daniel Stewart, MD
Samuel Ward, DO
Bilaal Zahoui, DO

Nickalaus Gramze, MD Program Director

Angela Franco GME Administrator

Akil Loli, MD Core Faculty | Designated Institutional Officer

Timothy Byrne, DO, FACC Core Faculty

Cherukuri Madhavagopal MD Core Faculty

Nickalaus Gramze, MD - Dr. Gramze is a true Arizona native; born in Phoenix and attending primary through high school in Mesa. He then attended Arizona State University for his undergraduate degree followed by the University of Arizona for medical school. Feeling he should probably explore other places in the world, Dr. Gramze then moved to Houston for further medical training. In Houston, he completed training in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Texas before completing cardiology training at Houston Methodist Hospital. Dr. Gramze then pursued further sub-specialty training in advanced cardiovascular imaging and critical care cardiology at Houston Methodist before joining the medical staff there. 

Missing his Arizona friends and family, as well as the amazing Arizona outdoors, Dr. Gramze moved back to Phoenix with the aim of establishing an elite cardiovascular institution in his hometown. His unique skill-set brought him to Abrazo/Biltmore Cardiology where he feels best able to accomplish this challenging goal. He utilizes his expertise in cardiac imaging to provide patients and other cardiologists with precise and accurate diagnoses, utilizing advanced technology, and often avoiding invasive procedures. His clinical interests include valvular heart disease and critical care, where these skills reach their maximum utility.

Certifications:

• Internal Medicine (ABIM)
• Cardiovascular Disease (ABIM)
• Comprehensive Echocardiography (NBE) - Level Three
• Nuclear Cardiology (CBNC) - Level Two
• Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (CBCCT) - Level Three
• Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CBCMR) - Level Three
  

Akil Loli, MD - Dr. Akil Loli is an interventional cardiologist. Born in Albania, he attended medical school at University of Tirana Faculty of Medicine, and completed several years of post-graduate education in Albania. After coming to the United States, Dr. Loli completed his residency at Maricopa Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in cardiology at Banner Good Samaritan.

Dr. Loli’s research interests include endothelial dysfunction, aging, and molecular basis of

Board Certifications:

• ABIM Internal Medicine
• ABIM Cardiovascular Disease
• CBNC Nuclear Cardiology
• ABIM Interventional Cardiology
• CBCCT Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

Timothy Byrne, DO, FACC - Timothy Byrne, DO, FACC, is a fellowship-trained interventional cardiologist and market medical director of Cardiac Services for Abrazo Community Health Network and its five hospitals in metropolitan Phoenix. He has a long and distinguished tenure as a clinician, an administrator, and a teacher. During the past three decades, Byrne has earned the distinction as a nationally renowned cardiovascular specialist, researcher and thought leader. He is a national and international speaker and has published dozens of abstracts and articles on cardiovascular issues of the day.

Special Interest

• Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair
• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
• Diagnostic cardiac catheterization
• Coronary balloon angioplasty and stenting
• CTO including complex PCI and high risk interventional procedures
• Permanent pacemakers
• Peripheral stenting and limb salvage
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Cherukuri Madhavagopal MD - Dr Cherukuri is Board Certified in both Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. He is passionate about caring for patients in every aspect of their heart health. He has been recognized by Phoenix Magazine as a Top Doc for more than 10 years. He has participated in multiple public forums to educate the public about heart disease. In his spare time, he enjoys numerous sporting pursuits and spending time with his family.

Emily Jaalouk

Residency: Cardiovascular Fellowship
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Undergraduate School & Location: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Medical School & Location: Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL
Personal Interests: scuba diving, traveling, playing board games
Professional Interests: cardiology imaging, echocardiography, preventive cardiology
Residency Institute & Location: Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA
Fellowship Institute & Location: Abrazo Heart Hospital, Phoenix, AZ
Other Education & Location / Comments: NA