ECG Companion for Beginning Experts

Electrocardiography (ECG) has existed in the medical field for over 100 years, but important concepts are still beyond the horizon for some trainees and physicians alike. This book occupies an unfilled niche, written for resident physicians across various specialties. Using a case-based format, it provides an analytical system that facilitates a high-yield interpretation, and by breaking down the 12-lead ECG using a simple system, the learner can quickly identify important findings. Thus, strengthening the knowledge of resident physicians, and facilitating better understanding and management of patients with abnormal ECGs—regardless of their career paths through the medical field.

Key Features:

• Utilizes a two-pronged explanation style to facilitate learning where the first prong is the “what” of the ECG, and the second prong is the “why” and “how.”
• Focuses on high-yield abnormalities and clinical pearls, to enable those providers outside of the cardiology space to become more knowledgeable and confident when interpreting ECGs.
• Uses a built-in question bank to test and reinforce concepts learned in the primer and case studies.

Dr. On Chen, MD, FACC, FSCAI is an Interventional Cardiologist and the Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and the Telemetry Units at Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH). He is the Founding Director of the Cardiogenic Shock Program; he also serves as the Director of Outpatient Cardiology Services and the Advanced Lipid Management Program. Dr. Chen has published numerous research studies and serves as the principal investigator in several multi-center trials. He has dedicated his career to educating students, residents, and fellows. He has authored multiple curricula for various cardiology rotations offered at SBUH and is spearheading quality improvement projects to improve resident and fellow well-being, while also contributing to high-value patient care.

Associate Authors

Dr. Ryan F. Heslin, MD, MBA earned his undergraduate degree from Stony Brook University, his MBA from Stony Brook University College of Business, and his MD from Stony Brook Medical School. He was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society and won the Excellence in Basic Science Research award for his research on burn injury progression and in vitro angiogenesis. Dr. Heslin completed Internal Medicine Residency at Stony Brook University Hospital and is currently a fellow in the Stony Brook Cardiology Fellowship. He has also authored numerous publications in internal medicine and cardiology, taken part in cardiology clinical trials, and is interested in cardiology education. Dr. Heslin is privileged to begin working as a non-invasive/imaging attending physician at Stony Brook University Hospital in 2025.

Dr. Jahan Manjur, MD is a graduate of Stony Brook University. He subsequently earned his medical degree at St. George's University. He completed his residency at Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH), and completed fellowships in Cardiovascular Diseases and Interventional Cardiology at NY Presbyterian - Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. During residency training, he took particular interest in ECG interpretation, and helped start the ECG Club at SBUH for the Internal Medicine residents. Currently, he is in practice as an interventional cardiologist serving North Jersey as a faculty member at Englewood Health Medical Center (EHMC). He continues to be passionate about ECGs and helps teach ECG interpretation to the house staff at EHMC.

Dr. Abhijeet Singh, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at SUNY-Stony Brook University in New York. Serving as Associate Program Director of the Cardiology Fellowship Program, he has a keen interest in the education of medical students, residents and fellows. Apart from conducting regular ECG lectures and "Transition to Residency" series for medical students, he plays an active role in the electrophysiology lecture series for cardiology fellows. Practicing as a cardiac electrophysiologist and being able to perform and interpret intra-cardiac electrograms and device interrogations, gives him a keen insight into subtleties of surface ECGs. This book is an attempt to reduce the anxiety associated around ECGs for all levels of trainees.

Dr. Mark Jacobs, MD earned his BS from University of Miami, and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he achieved distinction in clinical research. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital program, where he went on to serve as a Chief Resident in Quality and Safety at the Bruce W. Carter Veterans Affairs Hospital in Miami, Florida. He then went on to complete fellowships in Cardiovascular disease at Stony Brook University Hospital and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology at New York Presbyterian - Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is currently a fellow in Critical Care Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center while also completing an executive MBA/MS program in healthcare leadership at Cornell. He is passionate about cardiovascular clinical research, quality improvement, and medical education.

Dr. Andreas Kalogeropoulos, MD, MPH, PhD, FACC, FHFSA, FASE, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Director of Cardiovascular Research at Stony Brook University, Long Island, NY. He is a clinical researcher with expertise in heart failure, echocardiography, and research methodology. Dr. Kalogeropoulos graduated from the University of Patras, Greece (MD, 1994), where he completed his training in internal and cardio-vascular medicine (2004) and research methodology (PhD, 2012). He joined Emory University, Atlanta, GA, in 2006, where he trained in echocardiography, heart failure, and outcomes research (MPH, 2013). Dr. Kalogeropoulos has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles and 5 book chapters, and he is the lead editor in a major heart failure textbook. His research focuses on (1) risk factors, outcomes, and clinical prediction models for patients with heart failure or at risk for heart failure, with the goal to optimize management; and (2) applications of cloud computing using large electronic health records networks for outcomes research and regulatory applications in cardiovascular disease.