Ahmad Kassar, MD

Ahmad Kassar is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Cardiology. Graduating with an M.D. degree from the Lebanese American University, Ahmad pursued the prestigious Scholars in Health Research Program (SHARP) at the American University of Beirut, where he gained a robust foundation in clinical and translational research. Following this, he joined the Atrial Fibrillation Program at the University of Washington under the mentorship of Dr. Nazem Akoum.

Ahmad then became an active member of the CardSS Lab, where his research centers on utilizing findings from multimodality imaging and cardiac electroanatomic data to deepen our understanding of atrial myopathy in patients with atrial fibrillation. His exceptional work earned him first place in the Western Atrial Fibrillation Symposium Scientific Scholarship Competition in Park City, Utah. Additionally, his research has been highlighted at national conferences, where several of his abstracts received “Highest Scoring Abstract” in their respective societies.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Ahmad is an active person where he enjoys hiking, kayaking, playing tennis, and exploring Seattle’s rich culinary scene.

Nadia Chamoun, MD

Nadia is a Postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Cardiology. She earned her medical degree from the University of Balamand in Beirut, Lebanon. Following medical school, she spent two years conducting research in the structural heart program at the American University of Beirut. Subsequently, she joined the EP team at Tulane University, and later, the Atrial Fibrillation Program under Dr. Nazem Akoum’s mentorship, with the goal of pursuing a career in cardiology. During her research years, Nadia also completed a two-semester, 12-credit online diploma called the “Scholars in Health Research Program (SHARP)” at AUBMC, which is an international diploma designed to equip graduates with a solid foundation in clinical and translational research. She later joined the CardSS lab to investigate the impact of ablation on epicardial adipose tissue and explore the relationship between EAT and scar formation post-ablation.

Outside of her professional life, Nadia enjoys playing the piano, hiking, and discovering new restaurants.

Surbhi Sharma, BTech, MTech, PhD

Surbhi is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Her passion for math and science is a direct result of the rich academic environment fostered by her parents, who collectively share a background in teaching STEM-related subjects. Following this passion, she traversed the path of a PhD where she applied advanced mathematical techniques to unravel biological secrets. She pursued her PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology under the supervision of Dr. Kishalay Mitra where she worked on several interesting projects funded by the Government of India.

Throughout her diverse projects, Surbhi learned and employed different computational techniques, including mathematical modeling, optimization, and machine learning, to address critical biological challenges. She has published several research articles supporting her novel findings. During her PhD research, Surbhi developed a profound interest and fascination for machine learning. Utilizing such techniques for the betterment of humankind, such as improving clinical diagnosis and healthcare, is one of her biggest motivations.

In the CardSS lab, Surbhi is leading a project that focuses on leveraging ML to identify the risk of Cardiomyopathy in childhood cancer survivors. She is also leading another project that is focused on developing ML techniques for identifying risk factors leading to sudden cardiac arrest in a general population.

During her free time, Surbhi enjoys doing Yoga, reading non-fiction, and exploring the beautiful PNW outdoors with her husband.

Education:

PhD: Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
MTech: Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
BTech: Chemical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology

Åshild Telle, BSc, MSc, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Bioengineering

Åshild (pronunciation guide) was born and raised in Norway, in a town ~2 hours away from Oslo. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Oslo, specializing in Mathematics and Informatics. During her undergraduate studies, she got into scientific programming, appreciating how it could be used to solve large mathematical problems. Åshild also holds a Master of Science degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Melbourne, with a combined focus on applied mathematics, graph theory, and optimization problems. Her studies abroad in Australia introduced her to a wide range of real-world problems, and to scientific research as a trade. Most recently, she earned her PhD from the University of Oslo, for work undertaken at the Simula Research Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Aslak Tveito, Chief Research Scientist Samuel T. Wall, and others. Her dissertation research was based in part on an ongoing collaboration with researchers at the UC Berkeley Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering Laboratory, led by Prof. Kevin E. Healy who served as one of Åshild’s doctoral co-supervisors. During her PhD studies, she got into biology for the first time, learning how mathematics and scientific computing could be combined with life sciences to explore aspects of and obtain a deeper understanding of human physiology. She developed a new mechanical cell-based model for cardiac tissue, and explored various techniques and tools for analyzing mechanical features of cardiac microtissues, developed from cardiomyocyte-like cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. In the CardSS Lab, she will serve as the lead researcher and key technical engineer on our NIH-funded project exploring the concept of the fibrotic left atrium as a pathophysiological nexus for thrombogenesis and arrhythmogenesis.

During her free time, Åshild is an avid traveller, a coffee drinker, a plant person, a hiker, and an instagrammer.

Education:

BSc: Mathematics and Informatics, University of Oslo
MSc: Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne
PhD: Informatics, University of Oslo

Dissertation title: “Modeling cardiac mechanics on a microscale; Mechanical modeling and analysis of cardiomyocytes and cardiac micromuscles”

Yaacoub Chahine, MD

Yaacoub is an Internal Medicine Resident at the UW School of Medicine and a former postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Cardiology. Yaacoub’s interest in cardiac electrophysiology dates back to his first classes on ion channels and cardiac conduction in his early years of college. After finishing medical school, Yaacoub joined the Atrial Fibrillation Program under the mentorship of Dr. Nazem Akoum with plans of pursuing a career in cardiology.

Yaacoub received his medical doctorate from the Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon. Passionate about medicine, he graduated valedictorian of his class and received the Academic Merit Scholarship from the American Lebanese Medical Association.

Yaacoub joined Dr. Patrick Boyle and the CardSS lab to study the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue and fibrotic remodeling in patients with atrial fibrillation. After presenting his work in Park City, Utah, Yaacoub won first place in the Western Atrial Fibrillation Symposium Scientific Scholarship Competition.

Outside of work, Yaacoub enjoys working out and weightlifting, trying out new bars and restaurants with friends, watching soccer, and the occasional Netflix series.

Education:

M.D.: Lebanese University Faculty of Medical Sciences, 2021