2021 FAME Grant Awardee Spotlight: Neal Bhatia

The Department of Medicine FAME (Fostering the Academic Mission in the Emory DOM) grant program is designed to provide support for clinical faculty to dedicate up to 20 percent of their professional time to scholarly activity including research, education, mentoring, and quality improvement projects.

Get to know one of the recipients of the 2021 FAME grant, Neal Bhatia, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology.


What is your professional background?
I majored in biology and chemistry at VCU, went to medical school at George Washington University, then trained in internal medicine, cardiology, and cardiac electrophysiology at Emory University. I did a postdoctoral year at Stanford University, concentrating on digital health, medical device innovations, and machine learning applications in health care. I currently practice primarily at Emory University Hospital Midtown.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?
I work in the Division of Cardiology (Cardiac Electrophysiology Section). My clinical mentors for this project are Faisal Merchant, Gari Clifford (Department of Medicine, Bioinformatics) and Sanjiv Narayan (Stanford). 

Tell us about your FAME grant project, why it is important, and what it means to you to receive funding?
My FAME grant revolves around leveraging the vast amount of data contained within cardiac devices to help predict ventricular arrhythmias. While ICDs are highly effective for termination of fatal arrhythmias, there are significant limitations, including inappropriate shocks and increased mortality. Our overall goal is to investigate the clinical and physiological significance of electrical signals prior to ventricular arrhythmias through deep learning techniques, as this might contain novel digital signatures that lead to ventricular arrhythmias.

What do you like most about Emory?
The people. The Emory community is large, but a close network that is difficult to replicate. It is the reason I love coming to work.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?
My favorite movie is “Back to the Future,” and my favorite TV show is “Scrubs.”

What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I love spending time with family and friends while exploring Atlanta.   

What is a fun fact about you?
I have performed standup comedy in front of tens of people.

About the Author

Emory Department of Medicine
The Department of Medicine, part of Emory University's School of Medicine, promotes excellence in education, patient care, and clinical and basic research.

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