Program Schedule

Brain-Heart & Neuromodulation Symposium

6th Annual — Preliminary Program

Bridging brain, heart, and innovation in patient care.

Friday–Saturday, March 13–14, 2026 — Scottsdale, AZ

Venue: Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia

Friday Evening

Evening Cocktails

06:00 PM

Evening Faculty Dinner

06:30 PM

Tribute A Tribute to Ben Scherlag, PhD

08:00 – 08:30 PM

A Short History of Cardiac Electrophysiology — from initial recordings of the His bundle by Scherlag, and a glimpse into the future.

Speaker: Melvin Scheinman, MD

Discussion Discussion

08:30 – 09:00 PM
Saturday Program

Morning Registration and Vendor Exhibits

07:30 AM

Welcome Welcome & Introduction to the 6th Annual Brain-Heart & Neuromodulation Symposium

07:55 – 08:00 AM

Speakers: Robert Lemery, MD, MA; Vijendra Swarup, MD; David Wang, DO; Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD

Scientific Program
Session I — Benjamin Scherlag, PhD and the Human Legacy to Cardiac Electrophysiology and the Autonomic Nervous System 08:00 – 09:30 AM
Moderators: Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD; Peter Hanna, MD, PhD; Miguel Valderrabano, MD, PhD
›
08:00 – 08:10 AM
Scherlag and Cardiac EP in the 1960s, Part I: The Role of the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital System
Robert Lemery, MD, MA
08:10 – 08:20 AM
Scherlag and Cardiac EP in the 1960s, Part II: Programmed Electrical Stimulation of the Heart and Intracardiac Recordings of the His Bundle
Robert Lemery, MD, MA; Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD
08:20 – 08:30 AM
Anatomy of the Conduction System in Humans, Part I: 3D Representation of Macroscopic Boundaries
Shumpei Mori, MD, PhD
08:30 – 08:40 AM
Anatomy of the Conduction System in Humans, Part II: All Is in the Details — Microscopic Findings
Peter Hanna, MD, PhD
08:40 – 08:50 AM
Scherlag: Neurocardiology (1973) — Selective Interventional Parasympathetic Control of the Heart
Sunny Po, MD
08:50 – 09:00 AM
Neural Mechanisms of Atrial Fibrillation
Peng-Sheng Chen, MD
09:00 – 09:10 AM
Scherlag and Translational Neurocardiology
Sunny Po, MD
09:10 – 09:30 AM
Panel Discussion & Q&A

Pause Break and Coffee

09:30 – 10:00 AM
Session II — From Structure to Signal: Anatomy and Physiology of Neurocardiology 10:00 – 11:30 AM
Moderators: Peng-Sheng Chen, MD; Sunny Po, MD; Shumpei Mori, MD, PhD
›
10:00 – 10:10 AM
Anatomy of the Autonomic Nervous System
Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD
10:10 – 10:20 AM
3D Visual Appreciation of McAlpine’s Human Heart
Shumpei Mori, MD, PhD
10:20 – 10:30 AM
Anatomy and Physiology of the Intrinsic Cardiac Nervous System
Peter Hanna, MD, PhD
10:30 – 10:40 AM
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate: Central Physiologic Determinants in Health and Disease
Brent Goodman, MD
10:40 – 10:50 AM
Sympathetic Innervation of the Vestigial Fold in Humans
Peter Hanna, MD, PhD
10:50 – 11:00 AM
Anatomic Relationships of the Vein of Marshall to the Left Atrium
Miguel Valderrabano, MD, PhD
11:00 – 11:10 AM
All Roads Lead to the Stellate Ganglion
Peng-Sheng Chen, MD
11:10 – 11:30 AM
Panel Discussion & Q&A
Session III — Cardiac Neuromodulation Affecting Mostly Sympathetic Innervation 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM
Moderators: David Wang, MD; Brent Goodman, MD; Sahib Khalsa, MD, PhD
›
11:30 – 11:40 AM
Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation for Malignant Arrhythmias: Unilateral or Bilateral
Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD
11:40 – 11:50 AM
Renal Sympathetic Denervation Beyond Blood Pressure: Upstream Therapy for AF
Vivek Reddy, MD
11:50 AM – 12:00 PM
Targeting the Vein of Marshall for Arrhythmia Management
Miguel Valderrabano, MD, PhD
12:00 – 12:10 PM
The Sympathetic Nervous System and Stress
Sahib Khalsa, MD, PhD
12:10 – 12:20 PM
Panel Discussion & Q&A

Lunch Lunch

12:20 – 01:00 PM
Session IV — Atrial Fibrillation, Cognition, and Stroke Prevention: Management and Future Directions 01:00 – 02:30 PM
Moderators: Jared Bunch, MD; Edip Gurol, MD; Supreet Kaur, MD
›
01:00 – 01:10 PM
Atrial Fibrillation and Cognitive Decline: Beyond Stroke to Silent Brain Injury
Jared Bunch, MD
01:10 – 01:20 PM
Atrial Fibrillation and Cognitive Decline: The Importance of the Glymphatic System
Edip Gurol, MD
01:20 – 01:30 PM
Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source: What We Know, What We Miss, and Why the Heart Still Matters
Supreet Kaur, MD
01:30 – 01:40 PM
Acute Ischemic Stroke Management in the Modern Era: Time, Thrombus, and the Cardiac Connection
David Wang, DO
01:40 – 01:50 PM
Anticoagulation in the Era of LAA Occlusion: When Drugs Still Matter — and When They Don’t
Arash Aryana, MD
01:50 – 02:00 PM
LAA Occlusion Devices: Comparative Effectiveness, Unmet Needs, and Where the Field Is Headed
TBD
02:00 – 02:10 PM
LAA Occlusion in 2026: What the Randomized Trials Actually Tell Us
Dhanujaya Lakkireddy, MD
02:10 – 02:30 PM
Panel Discussion & Q&A

Pause Pause and Coffee Break

02:30 – 03:00 PM
Session V — Cardiac Neuromodulation Affecting Mostly Parasympathetic Innervation 03:00 – 04:30 PM
Moderators: Win Shen, MD; Robert Lemery, MD, MA; David Kenigsberg, MD
›
03:00 – 03:10 PM
Neuromodulation in Heart Failure, Part I: Ablation of Splanchnic Nerves Altering Splanchnic Capacitance
Vijay Swarup, MD
03:10 – 03:20 PM
Neuromodulation in Heart Failure, Part II: Carotid Baroreceptor Stimulation and Cardiac Contractility Modulation
David Kenigsberg, MD
03:20 – 03:30 PM
Syncope: A Neurologic Condition
Brent Goodman, MD
03:30 – 03:40 PM
Syncope as an Autonomic Disorder: The Physiologic Rationale for Neuromodulation
Win Shen, MD
03:40 – 03:50 PM
Cardioneural Ablation for Syncope: The U.S. Registry Trial and What’s Next?
Sri Sundaram, MD
03:50 – 04:00 PM
Cardioneural Ablation for Syncope: A Word of Caution
Sunny Po, MD
04:00 – 04:10 PM
Cardiac Interoception, Behavioral Approaches, and Neuromodulation
Sahib Khalsa, MD, PhD
04:10 – 04:30 PM
Panel Discussion & Q&A

Pause Pause and Coffee Break

04:30 – 04:40 PM
Session VI — Pulsed Field Ablation Has Displaced Thermal Ablation Technologies: Early Implications 04:40 – 05:20 PM
Moderators: Vivek Reddy, MD; Arash Aryana, MD; Vijay Swarup, MD
›
04:40 – 04:50 PM
PFA and Thermal Ablation Technologies for Ablation of AF: Different Impacts on Autonomic Tone
Jared Bunch, MD
04:50 – 05:00 PM
PFA, Coronary Vasospasm, and Sudden Cardiac Death
Arash Aryana, MD
05:00 – 05:10 PM
The PFA Technologies: The New Playing Field
Vivek Reddy, MD
05:10 – 05:20 PM
Discussion
Session VII — Heart Failure and Pacing-Defibrillation 05:20 – 06:00 PM
Moderators: Rahul Doshi, MD; Jared Bunch, MD; Sudarone Thihalolipavan, MD
›
05:20 – 05:30 PM
Leadless AV Pacing
Rahul Doshi, MD
05:30 – 05:40 PM
Leadless Pacing for Performing Conduction System Pacing
Ken Ellenbogen, MD
05:40 – 05:50 PM
Extravascular Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Systems
Sudarone Thihalolipavan, MD
05:50 – 06:00 PM
Discussion
Session VIII — The World We Live In and Advocacy 06:00 – 06:30 PM
Moderators: Ken Ellenbogen, MD; Dhanujaya Lakkireddy, MD
›
06:00 – 06:10 PM
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Past Presidents of HRS
Ken Ellenbogen, MD
06:10 – 06:20 PM
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Future Presidents of HRS
Dhanujaya Lakkireddy, MD
06:20 – 06:30 PM
Discussion

Adjourn Symposium Adjourns

06:30 PM

Reception Refreshments and Snacks

06:30 – 07:00 PM

This activity has been planned and implemented by CineMed and Arizona Cardiovascular Research Foundation. CineMed is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

CineMed designates this live activity for 8.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This educational activity is also approved for 8.00 contact hours for nurses.