Presenting Faculty

Jan N. Basile, MD, FACP, FASH, FAHA
Professor of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
Medical University of South Carolina
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Previous Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs AHA Council of Hypertension
US National Leader SURPASS-CVOT
Charleston, SC
Dr. Jan N. Basile earned his medical degree in 1978 from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He then completed his internship and residency at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, where he was also Chief Resident. He is board certified in internal medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), the American Society of Hypertension (FASH), and the American Heart Association (FAHA). For many years he served on the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) Board of Directors and has served within the AHA as Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs on the Council of Hypertension.
His honors and awards include the MUSC School of Medicine Excellence in Teaching award, the Golden Apple award, and, in 2014, he was the first recipient of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control Hypertension Physician of the Year award. In 2019, he received the Marvin Moser Clinical Hypertension Award from the American Heart Association Council on Hypertension. He was President of the Southern Medical Association from 2008-2009.
Currently, he is Professor of Medicine at MUSC in the Division of Cardiology. He spent 31 years at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center while faculty at MUSC, having retired from federal service as Chief of Primary Care in 2009. He remains a volunteer at the VA, his 45th year at that hospital. At MUSC, he continues to teach all 3rd year medical students clinical hypertension during their 3rd year core medicine rotation and currently sees clinical patients enrolled in research trials on the role of renal denervation in controlling hypertension.
Dr. Basile’s career research interests include outcome-based clinical trials involving hypertension, lipid disorders, and diabetes. He has been involved in many large hypertension trials that have defined how we treat hypertension including the NHLBI sponsored ALLHAT, ACCORD, SPRINT and SPRINT-MIND trials. In addition, he has been a principal investigator for the ACCOMPLISH, VALUE, ONTARGET, and TRANSCEND trials. Most recently, he has been involved in diabetes outcome trials with GLP1RA's including REWIND and is the US National Leader for the SURPASS-CV Outcome Trial comparing Dulaglutide with the dual-agonist Tirzepatide.
Dr Basile was a contributing reviewer of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) and the 2017 ACC-AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. He has published more than 400 original papers, abstracts, and book chapters, as well as a textbook, Hot Topics: Hypertension. He continues to be a contributing author for the hypertension section of “Up To Date”.

Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, GI
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Frank H Netter School of Medicine/Quinnipiac University
Manchester, CT
Dr. Peter Buch is a clinical Gastroenterologist with over 30 years of teaching experience. Teaching is his PASSION. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine/Quinnipiac University. He has also taught at the University of Connecticut APRN School and at several PA Schools. Dr. Buch has mentored dozens of medical students, residents, GI fellows, nurses, PAs and APRNs. His teaching style is case based, practical, very interactive and fun. He always learns from his audiences and is looking forward to learning from you.

Leslie R. Cadet, MD, MPH
Employee Health Medical Director, Loma Linda University Health
Loma Linda University Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
Associate Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Loma Linda, CA
Dr. Leslie R. Cadet is an accomplished Air Force Veteran whose work as a Flight Surgeon aided in the successful execution of 1,080 combat missions and 2,000 airlift missions in support of Operations INHERENT RESOLVE and ENDURING FREEDOM. After completing her military service, Dr. Cadet transitioned to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she completed her Occupational and Environmental Medicine residency. Dr. Cadet currently practices in Southern California. She is the Employee Health Medical Director at Loma Linda University Health, where she provides occupational health oversight for the University’s 22,000 employees. In addition to her administrative and clinical roles, Dr. Cadet teaches and trains occupational medicine, workplace wellness, and public health concepts to residents, providers, and employers.

Nihar R. Desai, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine
Associate Chief, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine
Investigator, Center for Outcomes Research and Investigation
New Haven, CT
Dr. Nihar R. Desai is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief of the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, an Investigator at the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, and Medical Director for Value Innovation at the Yale New Haven Health System Heart and Vascular Center. His interests focus on cardiovascular health services and comparative effectiveness research, examining patterns of care, identifying opportunities to improve clinical outcomes, and evaluating the impact of novel care delivery systems on cost and quality. In addition, he serves as a clinical consultant on the CMS acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery readmission and mortality measures. He graduated with highest honors from Lehigh University before completing an internship in the Clinton White House. He then attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he received his Doctorate in Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health where he received his Master’s in Public Health. Dr. Desai completed his residency training in Internal Medicine as well as his clinical fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He then completed a research fellowship at the TIMI Study Group with Dr. Eugene Braunwald. His scholarly work has been published in New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Circulation, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Samira Farouk, MD, MSCR, FASN
Associate Professor of Medicine & Medical Education
Associate Director, Nephrology Fellowship Program
Division of Nephrology
Recanati Miller Transplant Institute
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, NY
Dr. Samira Farouk is a transplant nephrologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). She is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Education, Associate Program Director of the Nephrology Fellowship Program, and Social Media Director of the Division of Nephrology. Dr. Farouk is a graduate of Princeton University where she received her B.S.E in Chemical Engineering with a certificate in Spanish and Portuguese Language and Culture. She received her MD from Rutgers University – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School where she graduated with a Distinction in Research. She completed her internship, residency, and nephrology and transplant fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and also served as chief fellow.
Dr. Farouk is involved in all levels of medical education and teaches medical students, residents, and fellows and has been the recipient of multiple teaching awards. She is interested in the development and study of innovative medical education tools and technologies, including free open access medical education (FOAMed) and social media. She is the co-founder of NephSIM winner of the 2018 American Society of Nephrology Innovations in Kidney Education contest, co-faulty lead of Renal Fellow Network, Executive Committee member of NephMadness and the Nephrology Social Media Collective, and founder of NephSIM Nephrons – a one-year virtual mentoring program for trainees interested in learning about nephrology. Dr. Farouk serves on the Editorial Board of journals including the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Kidney News, Clinical Transplantation, and the Journal of Nephrology and is a member of committees of the ASN and American Society of Transplantation.

Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Director, Weight Management & Obesity Prevention
Medical Director
Yale Stress Center
New Haven, CT
Dr. Ania Jastreboff is an Obesity Medicine physician-scientist, board certified in adult Endocrinology and Metabolism, Pediatric Endocrinology, and Obesity Medicine. She is nationally and internationally recognized in the Obesity Medicine field for developing Clinical Practice Guidelines (2016) for The Comprehensive Care of Patients with Obesity (AACE/ACE), serving on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), educating the next generation of Obesity Medicine physicians by teaching annually at Harvard Blackburn Treating Obesity course and the Columbia/Cornell Obesity course, and conducting cutting-edge clinical translational obesity research. Her research includes both large, multi-center clinical outcomes trials using anti-obesity medication as well as neuroimaging studies (fMRI and PET) examining the neurobiology underlying obesity and the mechanisms of anti-obesity medications. Recently, Dr. Jastreboff served as the lead author on the SURMOUNT-1 trial investigating novel GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, tirzepatide, for the treatment of obesity (Jastreboff, et al., NEJM, 2022).
Clinically, Dr. Jastreboff specializes in sophisticated use of anti-obesity medication combinations to help patients reach their weight and health goals. She mainly sees patients for obesity treatment and weight management and additionally cares for patients with prediabetes and diabetes. Dr. Jastreboff is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Pediatric Endocrinology, and Obesity Medicine.
She completed her PhD at Yale University's Investigative Medicine Program focused on clinical translational investigation with a dissertation entitled “Neural Response to Food Cues and Stress in Individuals with Obesity".
Dr. Jastreboff's research is supported by NIH/NIDDK (R01s) and industry funded global, multi-center clinical trials.

Mikhail Kosiborod, MD, FACC, FAHA
Professor of Medicine
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Executive Director at Cardiometabolic Center Alliance
Vice President of Research, St. Luke’s Health System
Kansas City, MO, USA
Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod is a cardiologist, the Vice President of Research at Saint Luke’s Health System, Executive Director of the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance, Director of Cardiometabolic Research and Co-Director of the Haverty Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the inaugural recipient of the Ben McCallister, MD Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research at Saint Luke’s Health System. Dr. Kosiborod received training in clinical research, epidemiology and health policy through the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, as well as clinical training in cardiovascular medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Kosiborod is an internationally recognized expert in cardiometabolic medicine. Dr. Kosiborod has authored and co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications, including scientific statements and position documents. Dr. Kosiborod is involved in the leadership of multiple clinical trials and multi-center registries.

Cecilia C. Low Wang, MD, FACP
Professor of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes
Department of Medicine
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Aurora, CO
Dr. Cecilia C. Low Wang, (pronounced “lowwong”), is an endocrinologist and Professor of Medicine at University of Colorado, Clinician-Scientist at CPC Clinical Research, and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. She earned her medical degree at the University of Rochester and did her residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Utah. She completed her fellowship in Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes at the University of Colorado (CU) and joined the CU faculty, initially at the VA where she did research on a VA career development award to understand cellular mechanisms of atherosclerosis, then moving to the University in 2012. Dr. Low Wang currently chairs the FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee. She helps design and run clinical trials for drugs, devices, and biologics, oversees medical safety for clinical trials, and adjudicates major adverse cardiovascular and limb events, and bleeding end points for international multicenter trials. She is the principal investigator for continuous glucose monitoring trials in the inpatient setting, remote continuous monitoring to facilitate a dietary intervention in rural Colorado, and lead investigator for a phase 1 trial of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for diabetic foot ulcer. She teaches medical students, housestaff, fellows, and peers in a number of settings, and is a member of the Academy of Medical Educators and founding Program Director for the primary care Diabetes Fellowship Program at CU. Dr. Low Wang also directs the Glucose Management Team at the University of Colorado Hospital. She has served on a number of committees for the Endocrine Society and is currently on the Nominating Committee and Clinical Endocrine Update Core Committee. She is past chair of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Disease State Network in Diabetes and is on the Task Force for the 2022 Update of the AACE Consensus Statement Comprehensive Type 2 Diabetes Management Algorithm. She serves on the Lifestyle Diabetes Committee of the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health for the American Heart Association.

David M. Plourd, MD, FACOG
Staff Obstetrician & Gynecologist & Obstetric Hospitalist
Formerly Naval Hospital
San Diego, CA
Dr. David M. Plourd has been an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, and at UCSD, for two decades, before joining the Obstetrics Hospitalist Team at Scripps Hospital. Dr. Plourd has been teaching and lecturing nationally and internationally on numerous women’s healthcare topics. He was voted “Teacher of the Year” by the interns and residents at the Naval Medical Center. Dr. Plourd has been a Board Examiner for the American Board of OB/GYN. He is also an expert consultant for the Medical Board of California.

Jessie Werner, MD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, UCSF Fresno
Director, Emergency Medicine Medical Education Fellowship
Director, Medical Student Clerkship
Faculty at EM:RAP
Fresno, CA
Dr. Jessie Werner is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at UCSF Fresno where she is also the Medical Education Fellowship Director and the Medical Student Clerkship Director. She is core faculty with Emergency Medicine Reviews and Perspectives (EM:RAP), a medical education company.
Dr. Werner attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed residency at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She completed a fellowship in Medical Education at UCSF Fresno with an emphasis on Digital Media and Technology. Dr. Werner is a founding member of EMRACast, the podcast for the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA), Associate Editor of EMRAP's EM Fundamentals Series, Associate Editor of EMRAP’s audio board review series, CrunchTime Audio, Contributor for The Daily Dose, and Editor of EMRAP's CorePendium Spotlight Interviews. She is the past Vice Chair of Education for the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association and has served for several years on the planning committee for the California division of the American College of Emergency Physicians (CalACEP).
Dr. Werner has lectured nationally and internationally. She has won several education awards including "The Dean's Excellence in Teaching Award" from Brown University and recognition as a "Positive Champion of the Learning Environment" at Brown University. Dr. Werner's academic interests include medical education for medical students, residents, and practicing providers. Her professional goal is to improve the learning experience for all by making medical education more accessible and creating a culture of support.