Friday, October 24, 2025
| Time (PT) | Talk | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 pm | Cocktails | |
| 6:30 pm | Faculty Dinner | |
| 8:00 – 8:30 pm | Neurocardiology and Cardiac Neuromodulation: Physiologic Principles and Therapeutic Expectations | Kalyanam Shivkumar MD, Olujimi Ajijola MD |
| 8:30 – 9:00 pm | Discussion |
Saturday, October 25, 2025
| Time (PT) | Talk | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30 am | Registration & Vendor Exhibit | |
| 7:55 – 8:00 am | Welcome & Introduction to the 5th Annual Brain–Heart & Neuromodulation Symposium | Robert Lemery MD, Vijay Swarup MD, David Wang DO, Kalyanam Shivkumar MD |
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Session I — Jeff Ardell & the Human Legacy to the Physiology of the Autonomic Nervous System & the Intrinsic Cardiac Nervous System
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| 8:00 – 8:10 am | How About 7 Decades of Contributions to Human Physiology from the Trio of Randall–Ardell–Armour | Robert Lemery MD |
| 8:10 – 8:20 am | Anatomy of the (Cardiac) Autonomic Nervous System | Guru Kowlgi MBBS |
| 8:20 – 8:30 am | Physiology of the Extrinsic and Intrinsic Cardiac Nervous System | Sunny Po MD |
| 8:30 – 8:40 am | Simultaneous Recordings of ECG and Skin Sympathetic Nerve Activity | Peng-Sheng Chen MD |
| 8:40 – 8:50 am | Jeffrey L. Ardell, PhD.: Translational Neurocardiology. I. Contributions | Olujimi Ajijola MD |
| 8:50 – 9:00 am | Jeffrey L. Ardell, PhD.: Translational Neurocardiology. II. Advancements | Olujimi Ajijola MD |
| 9:00 – 9:10 am | Jeffrey L. Ardell, PhD.: Translational Neurocardiology. III. Future Impact | Olujimi Ajijola MD |
| 9:10 – 9:30 am | Panel Discussion & Q&A | |
| 9:30 – 10:00 am | Pause and Coffee Break | |
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Session II — Cardiac Neuromodulation Affecting Mostly SYMPATHETIC Innervation
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| 10:00 – 10:10 am | Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation: Anatomic & Physiologic Principles During Thoracoscopic Surgical Interventions for VT/VF | Kalyanam Shivkumar MD |
| 10:10 – 10:20 am | Psychological and Psychiatric Outcomes Following Stellate Ganglion Block and Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation | Sahib Khalsa MD |
| 10:20 – 10:30 am | Sympathetic Tone and Neuropeptide Y: Culprit and Foe | Olujimi Ajijola MD |
| 10:30 – 10:40 am | Sympathetic Nerve Activity and ST-segment Depression | Peng-Sheng Chen MD |
| 10:40 – 10:50 am | Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation Targeting the Vestigial Fold in Humans | Kalyanam Shivkumar MD |
| 10:50 – 11:00 am | PFA and Thermal Ablation Technologies for Ablation of AF and Different Impacts on Autonomic Tone | Guru Kowlgi MBBS |
| 11:00 – 11:10 am | Epicardial Delivery of Electroporation on the Cardiac Ganglia: PFA Does Impact Autonomic Tone | Guru Kowlgi MBBS |
| 11:10 – 11:30 am | Panel Discussion & Q&A | |
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Session III — Atrial Fibrillation & Stroke Prevention Debate
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| 11:30 – 11:40 am | The PHARMACOLOGIC Approach: Anticoagulants and Beyond — PRO | Arash Aryana MD |
| 11:40 – 11:50 am | The COMBINED Approach: Catheter Ablation + Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion — PRO | Shephal Doshi MD |
| 11:50 – 12:00 am | The COMBINED Approach: Catheter Ablation + Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion — CON | Vijay Swarup MD |
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Lunch — Heart Failure Primer
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| 12:10 – 12:20 pm | Neuromodulation in Congestive Heart Failure: Carotid Baroreceptor Stimulation and Cardiac Contractility Modulation | David Kenigsberg MD |
| 12:20 – 12:30 pm | Leadless Pacing for Performing Conduction System Pacing | Shephal Doshi MD |
| 12:30 – 12:40 pm | Extravascular Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Systems | Sudarone Thihalolipavan MD |
| 12:40 – 12:50 pm | Amyloid Disease in the Brain and Heart: Stabilizing Transthyretin Protein in Cardiac Amyloidosis | Sina Nafisi MD |
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Session IV — Atrial Fibrillation & the Management of Stroke
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| 1:00 – 1:10 pm | How Modern AF Ablation and LAA physiology are Rewriting Stroke Prevention | Vijay Swarup MD |
| 1:10 – 1:20 pm | Embolic Strokes of Unknown Source (ESUS): Controversies in Diagnosis, Risk, and Treatment | Supreet Kaur MD |
| 1:20 – 1:30 pm | Tailored Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation | Edip Gurol MD |
| 1:30 – 1:40 pm | Atrial Fibrillation & Cognition | Edip Gurol MD |
| 1:40 – 1:50 pm | Moving Forward: Beyond 30 years of Lytic Treatment for Acute Stroke Management | David Wang DO |
| 1:50 – 2:00 pm | Low-Field MRI for Diagnosis of Stroke Care: Revolutionizing Detection, Diagnosis and Intervention | David Wang DO |
| 2:00 – 2:10 pm | The Ambulatory Surgical Center & The Management of Rhythm Disorders: A New Era in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology | Arash Aryana MD |
| 2:10 – 2:30 pm | Panel Discussion & Q&A | |
| 2:30 – 3:00 pm | Pause and Coffee Break | |
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Session V — Cardiac Neuromodulation Affecting Mostly PARASYMPATHETIC Innervation
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| 3:00 – 3:10 pm | Neuromodulation for Paroxysmal AF. I. Conceptual Basis | Peng-Sheng Chen MD |
| 3:10 – 3:20 pm | Neuromodulation for AF. II. Tragus Nerve Stimulation & Cardioneural Ablation (Paroxysmal & Post-Operative AF) | Sunny Po MD |
| 3:20 – 3:30 pm | Neuromodulation for Syncope. I. Conceptual Basis | Sri Sundaram MD |
| 3:30 – 3:40 pm | Neuromodulation for Syncope. II. Cardioneural Ablation — The US Registry Trial | Sri Sundaram MD |
| 3:40 – 3:50 pm | Outcomes of Neuromodulation Interventions: Nuclear Imaging of the Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System | Robert Lemery MD |
| 3:50 – 4:00 pm | Cardiac Interoception and Neuromodulation | Sahib Khalsa MD |
| 4:00 – 4:10 pm | Cardiac Neuromodulation: A Fine Balancing Act | Kalyanam Shivkumar MD |
| 4:10 – 4:30 pm | Panel Discussion & Q&A | |
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Session VI — NIH & Industry Sponsored Trials: NEW and UPCOMING
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| 4:30 – 4:35 pm | Research Study I | |
| 4:35 – 4:40 pm | Research Study II | |
| 4:40 – 4:45 pm | Research Study III | |
| 4:45 – 4:50 pm | Research Study IV | |
| 4:50 – 4:55 pm | Research Study V | |
| 4:55 – 5:00 pm | Summary | |
| 5:00 pm | Concluding Remarks | Robert Lemery MD, Vijay Swarup MD, David Wang DO, Kalyanam Shivkumar MD |
| 5:05 pm | Meeting Adjourns | |
| 5:05 – 6:00 pm | Refreshments and Snacks | |
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.