The CathSHOCK Conference is a multidisciplinary event for physicians and allied health professionals. It showcases up-to-date approaches and management strategies for cardiogenic shock patients. Presentations focus on:
- The role of a Shock Team in the management of Cardiogenic Shock patients
- Percutaneous Mechanical Circulatory Support options
- MCS-assisted PCI - when and how to decide
- Decision making and support of the unstable patient
CathSHOCK provides a practice-based learning opportunity for the delivery of care when managing cardiogenic shock. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in simulations with dedicated Proceduralist and Non Proceduralist and Allied Health simulation streams.
Learning Objectives
- To understand the frontier of percutaneous MCS options
- To review current approaches and management of cardiogenic shock
- To provide a practice-based learning opportunity when managing cardiogenic shock patients
Sandeep Nathan, MD, MSc is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and is full-time faculty at the University of Chicago Medical Center where he serves as the Medical Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, the Co-Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program.
Dr. Nathan earned his undergraduate degree from Boston University, his medical degree from Boston University Medical Center and completed his internal medicine residency training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He completed his fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL, where he also served as Chief Cardiology Fellow and subsequently received training in cardiovascular and peripheral vascular intervention. Following his subspecialty fellowship training in Interventional Cardiology, he earned a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research through an NIH K-30 funded program administered by the Rush Graduate College, with a focus on clinical trial design.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. He currently serves as an investigator for a number of sponsored, investigator-initiated and NIH-funded studies and registries. He has co-authored over 150 original scientific manuscripts, review articles, scientific communications and textbook chapters in the areas of acute coronary syndromes, platelet inhibition, complex percutaneous coronary intervention, mechanical circulatory support and cardiogenic shock. His clinical practice is centered on complex coronary and peripheral intervention, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as well as mechanical circulatory support in complex PCI, cardiogenic shock and heart failure. He has served as a lecturer in these areas at scientific congresses around the world and recently completed a three-year term as chairperson of the SCAI SHOCK meeting.
Dr. Ayaaz K. Sachedina
Chair, CathSHOCK Conference
Ayaaz is a Canadian Interventional Cardiologist at Foothills Medical Centre and the University of Calgary. He is the Director of CathSHOCK – Calgary Shock Symposium, the Lead for the Percutaneous Mechanical Circulatory Support Program in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, and the coordinator of the Cardiogenic Shock Team Initiative at Foothills. He completed his medical training at the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Texas where he completed a fellowship in Interventional Heart Failure at the Center for Advanced Cardiopulmonary Therapeutics and Transplant, Texas Medical Center, Houston. His focuses include coronary intervention, percutaneous mechanical support in the management of cardiogenic shock, and TAVI.
Dr. Michael Tsang
Lead, Program Advisory Committee
Dr. Michael Tsang is an Interventional and Critical Care Cardiologist. He completed his Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology and Critical Care Cardiology at McMaster University. He holds a MSc. in Health Science Education and is the Assistant Program Director for the McMaster Adult Cardiology Residency Program. His clinical, educational and quality improvement work focus is on Cardiogenic Shock, the Shock Team, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Complex coronary artery disease. He is the Catheterization Laboratory Lead on Cardiogenic Shock and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Hamilton Health Sciences. He co-led the McMaster Cardiogenic Shock Team model through which he continues to strive for excellence.
Samantha Morahan
Clinical Engagement Specialist
Samantha is the Clinical Engagement Specialist overseeing the Clinical Innovation Initiative and supporting the CathSHOCK Conference. She coordinates key activities related to project delivery, financial management, marketing, communications, and stakeholder engagement to help ensure the success of these initiatives.
Megan Smith
Event Specialist
Megan is an Event Specialist with over a decade of experience managing and delivering successful events across a variety of formats and scales. She is currently supporting the CathSHOCK Conference, leading event logistics and execution to help ensure its success.
Dr. Derek So
Dr. Derek So, a professor at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, is an interventional cardiologist and director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto and completed residency in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology in Ottawa. Dr. So holds a Master’s degree in clinical epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. His research interests include: acute coronary syndromes, pharmacogenomics, personalized anti-platelet therapy and cardiogenic shock. He is the interventional cardiology lead at the UOHI Code Shock Program team. Dr. So also co-leads the Canadian Cardiovascular Research Collaboratory (C3) cardiogenic shock working group.
Dr. Adriana Luk
Dr. Adriana Luk is an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist, as well as a cardiac intensivist at UHN. She completed her cardiology and critical care training at U of T, and her heart failure fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her academic interests include quality improvement and patient safety for the critically ill patients admitted with heart failure
Dr. Eric Horlick
Dr. Eric Horlick is an Adult Interventional Cardiologist specializing in Structural and Adult Congenital Heart Disease at Toronto General Hospital. He completed medical school, Internal Medicine and Cardiology at McGill University, followed by fellowship training in PCI and ACHD intervention at Toronto General Hospital. He was named the inaugural Peter Munk Chair in Structural Heart Disease in 2015 and Professor of Medicine in 2018. Eric has devoted his career to patient care, education and research, training 35 fellows from six continents. He has over 200 publications and 500 invited lectures internationally. Eric and his wife, Sheri, have two teenage children.
Dr. Sanjog Kalra
Dr. Sanjog Kalra is nationally and internationally recognized for expertise in advanced coronary revascularization, intravascular imaging, hemodynamic support, and the management of cardiogenic shock and critically ill cardiac patients. He served as Director of Complex Coronary Therapeutics and Associate Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. In 2020, he returned to Canada to join the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital as an Interventional Cardiologist and Cardiac Intensivist and joined the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Kalra has received numerous teaching awards and the Brompton Funds Professorship in Interventional Cardiology.
Dr. Christopher Overgaard
Dr. Christopher Overgaard is inaugrual Chief of the Department of Cardiac Health and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory director at Southlake Regional Health Centre. He obtained his MD and postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology from the University of Toronto. He worked at the University Health Network from 2007 to 2019, where he held multiple leadership positions including Director of the STEMI program, Director of the Coronary Intensive Care Unit, and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.
Dr. Phyllis Billia
Dr. Phyllis Billia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a Clinician-Scientist in the Divisions of Cardiology and Multi-organ Transplant at the University Health Network (UHN). She was also appointed as Medical Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at UHN and is Co-Director of the Peter Munk Cardiovascular Biobank. She is also a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute in the Cardiovascular Pillar, under the umbrella of Advanced Therapeutics. Dr. Billia is an expert in cardiac homeostasis and regeneration and her research focuses on exploring the processes responsible for the heart’s inability to regenerate muscle cells. Dr. Billia’s work is focused on developing strategies to coax the cardiomyocyte into the cell cycle for repair, ultimately to improve cardiac function.
Dr. Robert Miller
Dr. Robert Miller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary and is the medical director of nuclear cardiology and cardiac CT program. He completed training in Internal Medicine and General Cardiology at the University of Calgary. He went on to complete training in Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at Stanford University, and Advanced Cardiac Imaging at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. His clinical work also includes nuclear cardiology and cardiac CT as well as time on the Advanced Heart Failure service and cardiac function clinic. His research interests include advanced cardiac imaging applications in patients with cardiomyopathies as well as clinical translation of artificial intelligence.
Dr. Dave Nagpal
Dr. Dave Nagpal is a Professor of Cardiac Surgery and Critical Care Medicine at London Health Sciences Centre / Western University, currently serving as the Provincial Medical Lead for the Heart Working Group at Transplant Gift of Life / Ontario Health, and Co-Director of the Multi-Organ Transplant Program at LHSC. At the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Dr. Nagpal serves on both the Cardiac Surgery Specialty Committee and the Critical Care Specialty Committee. A founding member of the Canadian Cardiovascular Critical Care Society (CANCARE), he currently serves as vice-president.
Dr. Duc Thinh Pham
Dr. Duc Thinh Pham is Surgical Director of the Center for Advanced Heart Failure at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Professor of Surgery at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. A board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, his expertise includes coronary bypass surgery, valve repair and replacement, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), aortic surgery, heart transplantation, and ventricular assist devices. Dr. Pham has participated in multiple clinical trials of advanced cardiac surgical technologies and is an active member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
Dr. Nikita Malhotra
Dr. Nikita Malhotra is a dual-trained cardiologist and intensivist at McMaster University. She completed Adult Cardiology training at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, where she served as Chief Cardiology Resident, and her Adult Critical Care Medicine fellowship at McMaster. She is passionate about integrating cardiology and critical care, particularly in managing acute circulatory failure and high-risk cardiac patients. Dr. Malhotra is actively involved in clinical education and curriculum development, including academic half-day teaching, communication workshops, simulation-based cardiac critical care sessions and point-of-care ultrasound. She is advancing her expertise in medical education through McMaster's Clinical Educator Program.
Kevin McKenzie
Kevin McKenzie completed his graduate studies at the University of Western Ontario in 1992 before embarking on a 20-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, where he held diverse roles in sales, marketing, and management. In 2012, he was appointed Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology (CAIC-ACCI), a position he continues to hold. Alongside this leadership role, Kevin also serves as a consultant to the Atlantic Cardiovascular Society (ACS) in Atlantic Canada and the Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation (CCI-CIC) in Vancouver, contributing his extensive experience to advancing cardiovascular education and innovation across Canada.
Dr. Daniel Holloway
Dr. Daniel Holloway is a cardiac surgeon at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute and recently completed his term as Cardiac Surgery Residency Program Director at the University of Calgary. He received his medical education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and his cardiac surgery training at the University of Calgary. He underwent fellowship training in cardiac transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and TAVI at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. His clinical practice includes minimally invasive valve and coronary surgery, mechanical circulatory support, TAVI, and open-heart surgery.
Dr. Daniel Kim
Dr. Daniel Kim is a Professor of Medicine and Interventional & Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist at the University of Alberta. He is the Medical Director of Advanced Heart Failure & Transplantation. He is a recognized educator, having received teaching awards for Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Peer Teaching. His clinical and research interests are on novel detection methods for rejection and cardiac allograft vasculopathy, cardiorenal physiology in heart failure, cardiogenic shock team implementation, invasive intracoronary imaging and coronary physiologic assessment. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications including guidelines and consensus statements from CCS and the ISHLT.
Dr. Greg Schnell
Greg is from Saskatoon where he completed a degree in pharmacy and worked as a pharmacist before going on to medical school at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. He subsequently returned to the west and Calgary for his internal medicine and cardiology training. He has completed a fellowship in echocardiography in Calgary and at The University of Virginia. Greg has a general cardiology practice with a special interest in critical care cardiology in addition to providing echocardiography services in the Calgary Health Region. He is a clinical professor at The University of Calgary and was Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the Foothills Medical Centre from 2008 - 2015.
Dr. Bryan Har
Dr. Bryan Har is an interventional cardiologist at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, AB. He completed his medical training at Western University and his cardiology and interventional cardiology fellowships at the University of Calgary. He is a Clinical Associate Professor and is the Lead of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab Research Program at Foothills Medical Centre. His clinical interests include high-risk coronary interventions, intracoronary calcium modification, and intravascular imaging.
Dr. Rajiv Tayal
Dr. Rajiv Tayal is a board-certified interventional cardiologist and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Structural Heart Program for The Valley Hospital, Paramus, NJ. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Seton Hall University of Heath Sciences and completed fellowship training in Advanced Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation, Interventional and Structural Cardiology at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey. Dr. Tayal’s mission is to provide patients with personalized, high-quality, and comprehensive care and offer a broad array of services geared to address even the most complex cardiovascular illnesses in a personalized and attentive manner.
Dr. Brennan Ballantyne
Dr. Brennan Ballantyne is an electrophysiologist and advanced heart failure cardiologist in Calgary, Alberta at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute. He is also a clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary. He completed fellowship training in both cardiac electrophysiology & arrhythmia and advanced heart failure & transplant cardiology. Dr. Ballantyne’s clinical interests include the care of patients with heart failure and cardiac devices, optimization of cardiac resynchronization therapy, and cardiomyopathy and neuromuscular disease. His research interests include tricuspid regurgitation and cardiac devices, leadless pacing, and optimizing care for CIED patients with heart failure.
Dr. Jeff Shaw
Dr. Jeff Shaw is a cardiologist specializing in advanced echocardiography, critical care medicine, and critical care cardiology at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Shaw completed internal medicine, cardiology, and critical care medicine residencies at the University of Calgary, where he was the Chief Cardiology Resident. He completed fellowship training in Advanced Echocardiography at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Shaw’s research is published in national peer-reviewed scientific journals. Dr. Shaw leads the Cardiology Simulation program at the University of Calgary and has received teaching awards from the Division of Cardiology and the Department of Medicine. Dr. Shaw is a representative of cardiac critical care within the shock team.
Dr. Holly Smith
Dr. Smith is from Oakville, Ontario and she completed medical school at McMaster University. She then joined the cardiac surgery team in Calgary to complete her cardiac surgery residency. Dr. Smith moved to Texas for a fellowship to grow her career and focus on the development of the skills needed to perform complex aortic surgery. Dr. Smith joined the cardiac surgery team in Calgary in 2022.
Steve Menzies
Steve has been a member of the cardiovascular perfusion team at FMC since 2007 and became the clinical lead of the program in 2016. This team of 11 perfusionists is responsible for the safe operation of the heart lung machines for approximately 1700 open heart cases annually as well as the bedside management of 30-35 ECLS patients in the CVICU. Steve and his team are also responsible for the initiation and troubleshooting for the various ventricular assist devices utilized at FMC. In 2009 Steve began work at the Alberta Children’s Hospital to help develop a rescue ECLS program alongside the PICU team. Despite the challenges related to starting an ECLS program in a tertiary center with no cardiac surgery program, this initiative was launched in late 2010. Critical to the success of ECLS at both ACH and FMC, Steve helped create a high and low fidelity sim doll in collaboration with the eSim departments and is planning to continue to develop and strengthen this education platform.
Marina Shields
Marina Shields RN, BN is a Nurse Clinician at the Foothills Medical Centre Cardiac Cath Lab. Marina has 15+ years of experience as a Cath Lab nurse at FMC. Her organizational and leadership skills keep our lab running efficiently and smoothly. Her dedication to excellence in patient care and compassion for our patient population has helped to shape our team culture. She enjoys photography, boxing class, walking her dog, and time with her adult children.
Dr. Jean-Bernard Breau
Dr Jean-Bernard Breau is an Interventional Cardiologist and Intensivist at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Université de Montréal. He completed his Cardiology training at Université de Montréal in 2020, Interventional Cardiology training at University of Alberta in Edmonton in 2022 and Adult Critical Care training at Dalhousie University in Halifax in 2024.
Since, he has a varied practice spanning Critical Care Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology as well as MSICU, CVICU and Trauma ICU. He is an active contributor to Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur’s mechanical support and ECLS programs in the context of cardiogenic shock, ECPR and ARDS.
He is involved nationally as the CAIC early career representative, as a voting member of the RCPSC Specialty Committee for Critical Care and as a member of CANCARE and CCCS.
Locally, he is a motivated teacher and a member of the Adult Critical Care Royal College Program Committee, the Adult Critical Care Royal College Program Competency Committee and is the supervisor of the Interventional Cardiology residency rotation at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.
Dr. Michael Ward
Dr. Michael Ward is an interventional cardiologist and Assistant Professor at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), Western University. He obtained his MD and PhD from the University of Toronto, and pursued clinical training in Toronto as well, including his interventional training at University Health Network (UHN). His clinical and academic interests include CAD, complex PCI, cardiogenic shock, MCS and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He is on the leadership team of the LSHC Shock Program. When not at work, he enjoys great music, discovering new foods and then trying to work it off at the gym.
AGENDA
