Shreeram Sabareesan

Education: Johns Hopkins University
MD Mentor: Dr. Jay Sengupta
Staff Mentors: Dawn Witt / Matt Katsiyiannis
Project: Clinical Outcomes of WATCHMAN FLX Pro versus WATCHMAN FLX in Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion

How did you hear about the MHIF internship and why did you want to participate?

I heard about the internship through a friend, and I was drawn to the cardiovascular focus of the program. My current research spans computational electrophysiology and cardiovascular medical device design, but it has all been framed from an engineering-heavy perspective. MHIF stood out to me as a place where I could approach that work from the clinical side, and the institute's close ties to the surrounding medtech industry felt like an ideal environment for me!

What sparked your interest in the field of research, medicine and cardiology?

I have found the heart fascinating on both a mechanical and electrophysiological level, and I have great interest in how disturbances in one inevitably reshape the other, whether through arrhythmia, remodeling, or heart failure. What initially drew me to cardiology was learning how widespread sudden cardiac death is globally, and especially in India, where it remains a leading cause of mortality among young adults. That reality guided my engineering interests toward medical device design, computational methods for risk stratification, and advancing minimally invasive cardiovascular care. Cardiology has always felt like the field where my engineering and clinical interests most naturally come together.

What is your desired career in medicine?

I hope to pursue an MD-PhD and build a career in either cardiothoracic surgery or cardiac electrophysiology, while still being involved with engineering and medical device work. I would like to develop devices from a clinician's perspective, ideally through a more entrepreneurial path, and stay involved in clinical research on the translational side, particularly around bringing novel technologies into practice.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

I am looking forward to meeting my fellow interns and the clinicians I will be working with! I also hope to explore Minneapolis and try new places to eat!

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

I hope to gain experience working within a new clinical research environment! This summer will also be an important chance to learn what the clinician-scientist lifestyle actually looks like day to day and get a clearer sense of what that path may look like for me in the future.

What are your plans after the summer?

I plan to finish up my final year of undergraduate studies, and then likely take a gap year working in clinical research or the medtech industry before applying to medical school.

What is a fun fact about you?

The summer before college, I completed a half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) with a friend! Part of the (brutal) three months of training also meant teaching my friends how to swim, and it is one of the most rewarding things I have done!