Cambridge Cardiac Care Centre

Meet our team of cardiologists

Our lead cardiologist: Dr. A. Shekhar Pandey B.Sc (CL), MD, FRCPC ABIM, CBNC

Dr. A. Shekhar Pandey is the lead cardiologist and founder of Cambridge Cardiac Care. He is presently a Staff Cardiologist at Cambridge Memorial Hospital and is a Cath’ing Cardiologist at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener, ON. Professionally, his great passion is bridging the world of research and clinical practice, ensuring that science is applied to the real-world problems that cardiac patients live with and that he sees everyday in his practice. As an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, Dr. Pandey is heavily invested in the education of a future generation of cardiologists and clinicians. He is the father of 3 boys who are the true joy & passion of his life. Growing up in Cape Breton, NS, he went on to complete his BSc at Dalhousie University and MD at the University of Toronto. He currently has appointments with the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary and the Waterloo-Wellington Regional Cardiac Care Committee. He is the founder of the P.R.E.V.E.N.T. Clinic, a multi-disciplinary, cardiac rehabilitation & risk-reversal clinic focused on lifestyle optimization. Included among his numerous awards and scholarships is the Rhodes Fellowship for Young Investigators with the International Society of Heart Research. Since 1987 he has authored over 30 publications and abstracts in such diverse areas as organic mercury toxicity, endothelin blockade, Congestive Heart Failure Hyperlipidemia management.

Our Adult Cardiologists

Co-director medical director of echocardiography: Dr. Katie Connolly MD, FRCPC, Advanced Heart Failure Specialist, Level III certification in echocardiography

We are honoured to have Dr. Connolly as the co-medical director of the echocardiography department at Cambridge Cardiac Care. She is a keenly sought after, uniquely qualified specialist with training in Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation. As well, she is level III trained in Echocardiography. With an expressed interest in medical education, Dr. Katie Connolly is the education site lead for Cardiology at St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at McMaster University. She developed and continues to lead the Cardiac Amyloidosis clinic at Hamilton General Hospital. Dr. Connolly brings this extensive experience to our non-invasive cardiac imaging department, expanding the breadth of diagnostics and clinical practice at Cambridge Cardiac Care. It is a privilege to have Dr Connolly on our team.

Dr. Jeff Healey MD, MSc, FRCPC, FHRS

It is an absolute privilege to have the esteemed and highly appointed Dr. Jeff Healey on board our team of adult cardiologists at Cambridge Cardiac Care. Jeff Healey is a Cardiologist/Electrophysiologist and Professor of Medicine at McMaster University. He is the director of the division of cardiology and the Population Health Research Institute Chair in Cardiology. He is the chair of the Canadian Stroke Prevention and Intervention Network (CSPIN) and past chair of the Canadian atrial fibrillation guidelines committee. He was the lead author of the ASSERT trial, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012 and demonstrated the increased stroke risk associated with sub-clinical atrial fibrillation detected by pacemakers. He was also the lead author of the RELY AF cohort study, a 15,000-patient worldwide registry, published in the Lancet in 2016, examining the causes, treatment and outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation. He leads, also, the ARTESIA trial, evaluating the role of anticoagulation in patients with subclinical AF. We are honoured to have Dr. Jeff Healey’s breadth of clinical and research expertise on board as we forge ahead to an exciting future in cardiac investigations.

Dr. Vera Chiamvimonvat MD, FRCPC, ABIM, CBNC

Dr. Chiamvimonvat has been practicing cardiology for over two decades and she still has a smile on her face. She completed her medical degree, cardiology residency training and nuclear cardiology fellowship at the University of Toronto, and is board certified in nuclear cardiology and echocardiography. She is currently a staff cardiologist and co-director of the cardiac rehabilitation program at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Outside of work, she enjoys outdoor activities including skiing, sailing and scuba diving.

Dr. Chiamvimonvat offers her expertise in non-invasive cardiac diagnostics to Cambridge Cardiac Care, a most welcome addition to the team.

Dr. Guy Amit MD

Dr. Amit is an associate professor with the faculty of medicine at McMaster University. Dr. Amit’s diverse background and training makes his contributions to the Cambridge Cardiac Care team all the more valuable. Dr Amit received his MD, MPH, and completed his internal medicine residency at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He Completed his Cardiology residency at the Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and his electrophysiology and arrhythmia fellowship at Case western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio, USA). He is presently an Associate Professor, at McMaster University (since 2013), and a staff cardiologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, where he is the Director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Services that includes the Electrophysiology Lab and Device & Arrhythmia clinic.

Dr. Narendra Singh MD FRCPC FCCS FACC FAHA

A class topper at Dalhousie Medical School in Halifax, Dr. Narendra Singh went on to complete a residency and cardiology fellowship at the University of Toronto. He has previously served as Director of Scarborough Cardiology Research, co- founder of the GTACC organization, and also past National Secretary of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Dr Singh is currently serving as a Director with CCRN- Canadian Collaborative Research Network and SANSAR – a national health charity. He has also been appointed Clinical Assistant Professor at Emory University. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Dr. Singh has been a site investigator in over 100 national and international clinical trials. He actively designs and conducts independent research and has published extensively on topics ranging from acute coronary syndromes, health outcomes, disparities in access to care and the proliferation of heart disease in the South Asian diaspora.

Dr. Sarah Pinto BSc MD MPH FRCPC

Dr. Sarah Pinto grew up in southern Ontario and did her B.Sc. at McMaster University in Hamilton. Completing her MD degree at the University of Toronto, Dr. Pinto continued on to her internal medicine followed by cardiology residencies at the University of Toronto as well. Subsequently, she did her Certification in Adult Cardiac Electrophysiology, also from UofT. Dr. Pinto is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Cardiology and Internal Medicine). She is a Diplomate with the American Board of Internal Medicine. She did her Masters of Public Health at Harvard University in Boston. Outside of her exceptional medical career and dedication to the heart health of her patients, Dr. Pinto is a loving wife and mother who is passionate about her family, friends and community and dedicates her life to making a difference in the lives of others.

Dr. Yuri Frenklah MBBS FRACP FRCPC FAANMS

Dr. Yuri Frenklah is an internal medicine specialist, sub-specializing in cardiovascular medicine. Originally from Australia, Dr. Frenklah is a graduate of the University of Melbourne Medical School and received his Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine and Nuclear Medicine training in Melbourne, attaining Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in all three specialities. Dr. Frenklah subsequently did advanced fellowship training in cardiovascular imaging in Europe, the US and finally Toronto, where he has now settled with his wife and children. Dr. Frenklah has been treating and managing the complex cardiovascular needs of professional and varsity athletes since 2002. He has previously held professorial appointments at the University of Toronto and clinical appointments at Women’s College and St. Michael’s Hospitals, as well as at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia. Dr. Frenklah is a member of the European Society of Cardiology and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Our Paediatric Cardiologists

Dr. Claudia Almeida

Dr. Claudia Lace de Almeida is a paediatric cardiologist in the Division of Paediatric Cardiology at McMaster University. Her main interests are clinical cardiology, pediatric cardiac intervention and fetal intervention. Dr. Almeida also has a focus in medical education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Dr. Claudia Lace de Almeida was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she obtained her MD. Following her Paediatric Residency, she specialized in Paediatric Intensive Care and Paediatric Cardiology in Brazil. She then completed her paediatric cardiology training including a subspecialty in Interventional Paediatric Cardiology at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Claudia Lace de Almeida then joined the McMaster Pediatric Cardiology team in 2008 and finally joined the Cambridge Cardiac Care family of cardiologists.

Dr. Tapas Mondal

Dr. Tapas Mondal trained as a paediatrician in India. He further specialized in paediatric cardiology in the UK. Since then, Dr. Mondal completed a Paediatric Fellowship in Canada and secured a Faculty position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at McMaster University with a cross- appointment at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Mondal is primarily a clinician educator with research interest in fetal medicine as well as fetal cardiac development. In 2009, Dr. Mondal was honoured with the Best Teacher award from McMaster University and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010. He also honoured with an award for top Senior Resident from Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, Delhi in 1994. Dr. Mondal’s research is frequently published in peer-reviewed publications in leading journals.

Cambridge Cardiac Care is unified, nevertheless, by a practice philosophy of integrated care with a sense of personal responsibility.