Advanced Heart Failure Transplant Cardiology (AHFTC) Fellows
Janki Thakker, MD
Dr. Janki Thakker grew up in the Chicagoland area before completing an accelerated BA/MD program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She completed her internal medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, followed by a cardiovascular disease fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Her academic and clinical interests lie at the intersection of advanced heart failure and cardio-obstetrics, with a focus on managing complex pregnancy-related and postpartum cardiac complications. Outside the hospital, you can find her competing in trivia nights with friends or going hiking.
Elena Vasti, MD, MPH
Elena Vasti was proudly raised by her mom and Yiayia in the California central valley before pursuing her MPH at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and MD at UCSF School of Medicine. She became passionate about the intersection of cardiovascular medicine and public health, piloting a bluetooth-enabled blood pressure monitoring program for underserved patients as a second-year medical student. She continued similar needs-based work throughout residency, supported by incredible mentors including Drs. Fatima Rodriguez, Paul Wang and Alex Sandhu. She served as a chief medical resident from 2022-2023, where she was fortunate to be mentored by her program director, Dr. Witteles, and an amazing group of APDs. She is excited to pursue a career in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. Outside of work, you may spot her hitting the pavement on her daily 8-mile run to "Elena Ave" for good luck.
Aradhana Verma, MD
Dr. Aradhana Verma is a physician with a strong interest in using population health and digital innovation to improve heart failure care delivery. She earned her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Translational Medicine through a joint program from UC Berkeley and UCSF. She received her MD from California Northstate University and completed her internal medicine residency at UCLA. During residency, Dr. Verma led the implementation of a dashboard-enabled telehealth intervention to rapidly optimize guideline-directed medical therapy for Veterans with heart failure (DASH-HF). She has continued her research in digital health and equitable care delivery as part of the American Heart Association Health Equity Research Network, working with Drs. Alex Sandhu and Paul Heidenreich. Outside of medicine, her favorite days begin with a good book and a strong cup of cappuccino.