Profile of Dr. Asirvatham submitted by Traci L. Buescher, RN, FHRS, CEPS, CCDS

If you are searching for an individual with a passion for teaching electrophysiology, who also exemplifies the art of selfless giving, look no further than Sam Asirvatham. Dr. Asirvatham’s devotion to teaching, his great willingness to educate and share his time and talents, and his ability to inspire others has resulted in his being honored by the Heart Rhythm Society with the Distinguished Teacher Award.

Samuel Asirvatham, MD, FHRS, Heart Rhythm Society 2011 Distinguished Teacher award recipient.

Despite being “comparatively” new in the practice of cardiac electrophysiology, Dr. Asirvatham is an internationally recognized expert in the field of cardiac rhythm disorders. He obtained his medical degree at Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, India. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital, New York City, NY and at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. His cardiology fellowship took place at the University of Oklahoma from 1995-1998; followed by fellowship in electrophysiology at the Mayo Clinic from 1998-2000.

At present, he serves as a Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic as well as the Vice Chair of the Cardiovascular Innovation in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic. He is a consultant in the Department of Pediatric Cardiology as well as the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases. He is also the Program Director for the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Training Program at Mayo Clinic and the Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area Team Leader in the Research Translation Program for Mayo Clinic Health Solutions. 

Dr. Asirvatham has served as faculty at the Heart Rhythm Society’s Annual Scientific Sessions in addition to many other symposiums and meetings. His lectures at the electrophysiology Board Review Course are highly regarded by both his peers and course attendees. He is involved in innovative ventures designed to provide safe and efficacious treatment to patients with heart rhythm disorders. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications and book chapters pertaining to cardiac electrophysiology. 

Many individuals claim to have the ability to teach, but few possess the unique talent to motivate people to achieve full potential as does Dr. Asirvatham. He does this in his humble, soft-spoken manner, engaging all, regardless of job capacity. His mentoring has touched countless fellows, visiting physicians, nurses, technicians, secretaries, and patients; spreading well beyond the boundaries of the Mayo Clinic. All this has been done without regard for his own personal time constraints or well being.

An example of such selfless giving included an offer extended to three CV technicians studying for a certification exam. They gladly accompanied him on a three-hour automobile journey he needed to make in order to take advantage of his teaching availability!

His tremendous intellectual capacity in combination with this enthusiasm to educate others has been longstanding. Indeed, he was recognized in 1994 while completing his residency at the University of Wisconsin for excellence in teaching. At Mayo Clinic, he has received annual awards for teaching in either the division of Cardiovascular Medicine or Internal Medicine since 2001!

Our sincere thanks go out to Dr. Asirvatham for sharing his wealth of knowledge, and for doing so with grace, humility, and passion. To quote Aristotle, “The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons!”