My name is Rohit Malhotra. I'm a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at UVA Health.
In my clinical practice, I see patients with heart rhythm disorders. In some cases, people's heart races and goes too fast, and that can be related to a rhythm abnormality that we can treat often with medications, sometimes in a catheter-based way. In other patients, they need device therapy, where their heart beats too slow, and so we'll implant sometimes pacemakers or defibrillators if they have other conditions that may lead to heart rhythm abnormalities that could cause them to die suddenly.
I went into medicine for a number of different reasons. I have a longstanding interest in science. But rather than working in a lab where I wouldn't be around people, I was interested in helping people more directly. Interacting with people, seeing people in clinic gives me a lot of joy. I like to see people, I like to talk to people, and I like to try to help people.
At the University of Virginia, I was one of the first people to implant a pacemaker that has no wires and goes directly into the heart. In addition, I implant devices that allow people to stop taking blood thinners in the setting of atrial fibrillation.
I think one of the aspects of UVA Health that makes us unique is that I work in a very collaborative environment, and I think providing comprehensive care, both in my clinic and outside of my clinic, in collaboration with my colleagues and other physicians who are taking care of the patient is the best way to get the patients the best care we can provide.