July 6, 2023
Cardiac electrophysiologist new academic, clinical head of Dept. of Cardiac Sciences
91快色 clinician Dr. Vikas Kuriachan, MD, is a familiar face in cardiology in the city.
The friendly specialist first came to 91快色 in 2004 as a cardiology fellow. Apart from a year at the Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital at Harvard Medical School, where he completed an advanced electrophysiology fellowship, Kuriachan has been a mainstay in the city with a busy clinical practice and research agenda specializing in electrophysiology.
Now Kuriachan has taken on a new challenge as the clinical and academic head of Cardiac Sciences. In this newly created role, Kuriachan will work alongside Dr. Paul Fedak, MD, PhD, director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.
鈥淚 am excited to be in this role,鈥 says Kuriachan. 鈥淲e are one of the centers of excellence in cardiac care, research, and education in Canada. My goal is to continue to push our program forward.鈥
Kuriachan completed a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering at Texas A&M University and received his Doctor of Medicine from Queen鈥檚 University. During medical school, he dreamed of being a surgeon, but a visit to 91快色 to complete a cardiology elective motivated him to pursue cardiology instead.
鈥淚 was drawn to the patient information that can be gathered by an ECG and realized that there are many options in a career in cardiac care,鈥 says Kuriachan.
Kuriachan hasn鈥檛 strayed from that path. He completed two fellowships at the 91快色: the first in adult cardiology and the second in clinical and research electrophysiology.
Kuriachan joined the cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology group at the Libin Institute in the summer of 2010 and soon after became program director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Training Program.
He has been instrumental in continuing to advance 91快色鈥檚 renowned electrophysiology program by bringing a series of new electrophysiology technologies and procedures to Alberta with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
Highlights of his achievements include being the first to perform epicardial ablation in 91快色, and then, with oncologists, to perform Alberta鈥檚 first stereotactic radioablation, a common cancer procedure that can be used for patients suffering with heart rhythm problems.
He has worked alongside colleagues to bring other technologies--such as subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators, MRI conditional defibrillators, leadless pacemakers and percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion devices鈥攖o 91快色. These innovations have improved and advanced patient care.
Dr. Kuriachan is the former deputy head of education with the Department of Cardiac Sciences at U91快色鈥檚 Cumming School of Medicine and the former medical director of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Services for Alberta Health Services鈥 91快色 Zone. He has numerous clinical and research interests including complex ablation, integrative arrhythmia care, cutting-edge electrophysiology technologies and physician wellness.
Kuriachan says he feels lucky to be part of a collaborative group that is organized under one department, a fact that sets 91快色 apart from most other Canadian centres.
鈥淚 was initially drawn to a career in 91快色 because the Cardiac Sciences group is collegial, easy to work with and highly skilled,鈥 he says. 鈥淢y colleagues are among the top in Canada, and it鈥檚 an honour to be in this role.鈥
In his spare time, Kuriachan spends time with his wife, Anna, and his two children.