Working in the Cardiology Department

By Ryan Ngo ‘25​
Improving healthcare outcomes via optimal intervention
Ryan poses in front of the Lankenau Institute of Medical Research sign.

I worked in the interventional cardiology department at the Lankenau Institute of Medical Research in the greater Philadelphia area.​ With Dr. Serge Sicouri, MD, I created clinical risk prediction tools and databases for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and transcatheter edge to edge repair (TEER) surgeries.​ Our objective was to examine surgical outcomes and find statistical relationships to determine the most optimal intervention on a patient-by-patient basis. 

Through this experience I had learned the importance of patience and adapting to change as we encountered many shifts in the direction of our research.​ Inspired by the innovation in medical research, I became compelled to continue this work in the future to further improve healthcare outcomes.​ I learned to become creative and apply existing skills from statistics/biology obtained at Bowdoin to practical data in the workplace. I enjoyed shadowing surgeries and recording heart rhythms from electrocardiogram data to further the depth of our research. I also loved interacting with patients before procedure and putting a story behind the hearts that I had been studying all summer. 

Internship funded by the Peter Buck Internship Fund​.