Cardiology
Learning Objectives
- Interpret EKGs, identify and treat life-threatening arrhythmias
- Identify and treat acute coronary symptoms
- Understand pathology and treatment of heart failure
- Identify and treat acute coronary syndrome
- stabilizing patients with cardiogenic shock
This course equips healthcare professionals with the critical knowledge and skills required to rapidly assess and manage life-threatening cardiac emergencies. Participants will develop expertise in interpreting EKGs, recognizing and treating life-threatening arrhythmias, and identifying acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to initiate timely interventions. The course also explores the pathology and emergency treatment of heart failure, emphasizing stabilization strategies for patients in distress. Special focus is placed on the recognition and management of cardiogenic shock, guiding clinicians in implementing life-saving therapies. Through case-based discussions and hands-on simulations, learners will strengthen their ability to deliver prompt and effective cardiac care in high-pressure emergency settings.

Sharon Chekijian, MD, MPH
Dr. Chekijian joined the Yale School of Medicine faculty in 2007 where she works full-time as an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine. She is faculty member in the Section of Global Health and International Emergency Medicine as well as in the Section of Administration. She has served as the inaugural Medical Director of patient experience since 2011. She is also the Medical Director of the Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner group in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Chekijian is a seasoned educator and is the founding Medical Director of the APP residency program which admitted its 1st cohort in 2015. She completed the Yale Medical Education Fellowship in 2014. Her research interests lie in global emergency medicine and include emergency care systems' development in low and middle-income countries, unintentional injury prevention in low and middle-income countries, as well as stroke and cardiac care in low and middle-income countries. Dr. Chekijian has led and participated in projects in the Republic of Armenia, Uganda, and Iraq. She has consulted for the World Bank and the US Department of State. She is an active member of the Stroke Initiative Advisory Task-Force for Armenia (SIATA). Dr. Chekijian was awarded a Fulbright in 2020 for her work to improve emergency care in Armenia by the establishment of a new emergency medicine residency program in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health of Armenia and supported from a research standpoint by the School of Public Health at the American University of Armenia. She is deeply committed to patient experience, communication and humanism in medicine. Dr. Chekijian co-produced a film that addresses human rights as it relates to the Armenian Genocide of 1915 under the working title “The Hidden Map” that premiered at the Toronto Pomegranate Film Festival in 2019.

Oriane Longerstaey, MD
Dr. Longerstaey is currently a fellow in the division of Global Emergency Medicine at Brown University in Providence, RI. After obtaining her medical doctorate from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, she graduated from her residency in emergency medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Her research interests lie in global emergency medicine and capacity building of emergency systems. She has particular expertise in graduate medical education with ongoing residency education projects in Tanzania and Armenia. She has also worked in Rwanda to build a curriculum for mass casualty incidents response for physicians, nurses and paramedics.

Dr. Nare Ghazaryan
Nare Ghazaryan, MD, is a cardiologist at the Nork-Marash Medical Center who specializes in clinical arrhythmology.
Dr. Katarine Vardanyan
Katarine Vardanyan, MD, is a cardiologist from the Margaryan Medical Center, in Ijevan, Armenia.

Dr. Tatevik Hovakimyan
Tatevik Hovakimyan, MD, is a cardiologist and the Heat of the Arrhythmology Service at the Nork-Marash Medical Center.

Kim Hekimian, PhD
Kim Hekimian, PhD is Associate Professor of Nutrition in Pediatrics (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) and the Institute of Human Nutrition (IHN) at Columbia University Medical Center. She is the Director of the IHN’s Master of Science in Nutrition program. She is also the Associate Director of Education for the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons (VP&S) Program in Education in Global and Population Health. Dr. Hekimian teaches courses in global health, public health nutrition and research methods at VP&S and the IHN. She is a member of the Virginia Apgar Society of Medical Educators and a recipient of the Columbia University Provost Award for Hybrid Learning Course Redesign for Research Methods in Global Health.
Dr. Armen Khachatryan
Armen Khachatryan, MD is a cardiac electrophysiology at the Nork-Marash Medical Center

Dr. Ani Aydin
Ani Aydin, MD, is an emergency Medicine intensivist, currently practicing as an attending physician in the Emergency Department and Surgical Intensive Care Unit. She is also the Medical Director of SkyHealth and the inaugural Medical Director of the YNHH Adult Ground Critical Care Transport (CCT) team. She has served on several society boards, and is a recognized national and international speaker on Emergency Medicine and Critical Care topics.