Dr. Babar Basir, a graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Indiana and his cardiology training at Henry Ford Hospital. As the Director of the Acute Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Henry Ford, he specializes in complex coronary interventions, including chronic total occlusions and advanced mechanical circulatory support devices. With a specialization in CHIP training, Dr. Basir is a national leader in the treatment of cardiogenic shock and frequently speaks on podium regarding the use of temporary pumps for heart failure.
Shortly after you completed your fellowship training, was there a therapy area or subject matter you wish you were taught or had more experience in?
That’s a great question. I did my internal medicine residency at Indiana University – which is a really robust clinical program. There, we went to four completely different hospitals: a VA hospital, a county hospital, a university hospital, and the largest community-hospital in Indiana. Then coming to Henry Ford, which offered such an innovative interventional program, honestly, I felt really comfortable coming out of my training in terms of seeing and doing everything.
But something that I think is always nerve-racking is just coming out and making decisions on your own for the first time. That's probably what sat on my mind a lot—I would dream about what I was going to do for patients the next day and then harp a lot on what I did in the past few days.
When you think about going from training to "prime time”, where you are the lead interventionalist in a given procedure, do you have a specific experience in mind where you had to lean into the inherent anxiety that comes with that transition? Any tips or advice for other fellows at that point who are trying to get over the hump?
Actually, I remember it really well. My second case as an attending physician was before I completed my CHIP fellowship because I did a bit of independent work. It was my own independent case: an axillary, Impella-assisted, unprotected left main with another bifurcation in the circumflex territory, heavily calcified and needing atherectomy. I completely soaked through my shirt. It took me over four hours. I told all of my colleagues about the case. I worked in such a great environment that, one by one, people would come in through the window and check on me to make sure things were going okay. Thankfully, we got through it.
I think this is what’s crucial, early on, not to feel isolated. To be in an environment where you trust your senior partners and have their backing. To know that your skills are up to the task, but that you also have an emotional support network as you go through it for the first time.
With the understanding that each patient is unique, when you encounter calcific plaque in coronary artery disease, do you have a default algorithm or protocol you typically follow in most scenarios?
I'm pretty aggressive about trying balloon dilation. I've successfully fractured even 360-degree calcification using a simple non-compliant balloon. Obviously, with severely calcified lesions, mechanical atherectomy may be the initial choice. But my general algorithm is to use an undersized NC balloon.
I don't go crazy with the pressure and try to see if that alone gives me some working space to make decisions. I lean heavily on intravascular imaging to assess the level of calcium I’m dealing with, especially at a superficial level, because that's what the balloons and equipment are interacting with. I also consider patient nuances, such as age and comorbidities, to gauge the potential difficulty of the lesion.
Once I have all that information, I try to balloon it. If that doesn’t work, I proceed to use intravascular lithotripsy, especially if I believe it can yield a good result and allow balloon passage. If not, I consider mechanical atherectomy, with or without subsequent lithotripsy.
When it comes to the business of healthcare, are there a couple of things you wish you knew or had more knowledge of after completing your residency or fellowship?
This is something we're not taught in medical school—and I'm not a business person, so my understanding of it remains limited, even after six or seven years—but I think understanding how hospitals make money, how physicians make money, is important. Fortunately, being in an academic environment, I'm not pressured about RVUs, but there's still an inherent importance to one's "production" for the institution.
Medical education as a whole needs to do a better job of ensuring physicians are competent in these business aspects. With many in independent private practices, it's even more crucial to understand the dynamics of working within a corporate structure. You put in all this hard work, but at the end of the day, you're an employee. It's essential to know your rights and be mindful of the business perspective so you can feel secure and comfortable in your workplace.
Dr. Babar Basir, a graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Indiana and his cardiology training at Henry Ford Hospital. As the Director of the Acute Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Henry Ford, he specializes in complex coronary interventions, including chronic total occlusions and advanced mechanical circulatory support devices. With a specialization in CHIP training, Dr. Basir is a national leader in the treatment of cardiogenic shock and frequently speaks on podium regarding the use of temporary pumps for heart failure.
Shortly after you completed your fellowship training, was there a therapy area or subject matter you wish you were taught or had more experience in?
That’s a great question. I did my internal medicine residency at Indiana University – which is a really robust clinical program. There, we went to four completely different hospitals: a VA hospital, a county hospital, a university hospital, and the largest community-hospital in Indiana. Then coming to Henry Ford, which offered such an innovative interventional program, honestly, I felt really comfortable coming out of my training in terms of seeing and doing everything.
But something that I think is always nerve-racking is just coming out and making decisions on your own for the first time. That's probably what sat on my mind a lot—I would dream about what I was going to do for patients the next day and then harp a lot on what I did in the past few days.
When you think about going from training to "prime time”, where you are the lead interventionalist in a given procedure, do you have a specific experience in mind where you had to lean into the inherent anxiety that comes with that transition? Any tips or advice for other fellows at that point who are trying to get over the hump?
Actually, I remember it really well. My second case as an attending physician was before I completed my CHIP fellowship because I did a bit of independent work. It was my own independent case: an axillary, Impella-assisted, unprotected left main with another bifurcation in the circumflex territory, heavily calcified and needing atherectomy. I completely soaked through my shirt. It took me over four hours. I told all of my colleagues about the case. I worked in such a great environment that, one by one, people would come in through the window and check on me to make sure things were going okay. Thankfully, we got through it.
I think this is what’s crucial, early on, not to feel isolated. To be in an environment where you trust your senior partners and have their backing. To know that your skills are up to the task, but that you also have an emotional support network as you go through it for the first time.
With the understanding that each patient is unique, when you encounter calcific plaque in coronary artery disease, do you have a default algorithm or protocol you typically follow in most scenarios?
I'm pretty aggressive about trying balloon dilation. I've successfully fractured even 360-degree calcification using a simple non-compliant balloon. Obviously, with severely calcified lesions, mechanical atherectomy may be the initial choice. But my general algorithm is to use an undersized NC balloon.
I don't go crazy with the pressure and try to see if that alone gives me some working space to make decisions. I lean heavily on intravascular imaging to assess the level of calcium I’m dealing with, especially at a superficial level, because that's what the balloons and equipment are interacting with. I also consider patient nuances, such as age and comorbidities, to gauge the potential difficulty of the lesion.
Once I have all that information, I try to balloon it. If that doesn’t work, I proceed to use intravascular lithotripsy, especially if I believe it can yield a good result and allow balloon passage. If not, I consider mechanical atherectomy, with or without subsequent lithotripsy.
When it comes to the business of healthcare, are there a couple of things you wish you knew or had more knowledge of after completing your residency or fellowship?
This is something we're not taught in medical school—and I'm not a business person, so my understanding of it remains limited, even after six or seven years—but I think understanding how hospitals make money, how physicians make money, is important. Fortunately, being in an academic environment, I'm not pressured about RVUs, but there's still an inherent importance to one's "production" for the institution.
Medical education as a whole needs to do a better job of ensuring physicians are competent in these business aspects. With many in independent private practices, it's even more crucial to understand the dynamics of working within a corporate structure. You put in all this hard work, but at the end of the day, you're an employee. It's essential to know your rights and be mindful of the business perspective so you can feel secure and comfortable in your workplace.
Dr. Babar Basir, a graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Indiana and his cardiology training at Henry Ford Hospital. As the Director of the Acute Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Henry Ford, he specializes in complex coronary interventions, including chronic total occlusions and advanced mechanical circulatory support devices. With a specialization in CHIP training, Dr. Basir is a national leader in the treatment of cardiogenic shock and frequently speaks on podium regarding the use of temporary pumps for heart failure.
Shortly after you completed your fellowship training, was there a therapy area or subject matter you wish you were taught or had more experience in?
That’s a great question. I did my internal medicine residency at Indiana University – which is a really robust clinical program. There, we went to four completely different hospitals: a VA hospital, a county hospital, a university hospital, and the largest community-hospital in Indiana. Then coming to Henry Ford, which offered such an innovative interventional program, honestly, I felt really comfortable coming out of my training in terms of seeing and doing everything.
But something that I think is always nerve-racking is just coming out and making decisions on your own for the first time. That's probably what sat on my mind a lot—I would dream about what I was going to do for patients the next day and then harp a lot on what I did in the past few days.
When you think about going from training to "prime time”, where you are the lead interventionalist in a given procedure, do you have a specific experience in mind where you had to lean into the inherent anxiety that comes with that transition? Any tips or advice for other fellows at that point who are trying to get over the hump?
Actually, I remember it really well. My second case as an attending physician was before I completed my CHIP fellowship because I did a bit of independent work. It was my own independent case: an axillary, Impella-assisted, unprotected left main with another bifurcation in the circumflex territory, heavily calcified and needing atherectomy. I completely soaked through my shirt. It took me over four hours. I told all of my colleagues about the case. I worked in such a great environment that, one by one, people would come in through the window and check on me to make sure things were going okay. Thankfully, we got through it.
I think this is what’s crucial, early on, not to feel isolated. To be in an environment where you trust your senior partners and have their backing. To know that your skills are up to the task, but that you also have an emotional support network as you go through it for the first time.
With the understanding that each patient is unique, when you encounter calcific plaque in coronary artery disease, do you have a default algorithm or protocol you typically follow in most scenarios?
I'm pretty aggressive about trying balloon dilation. I've successfully fractured even 360-degree calcification using a simple non-compliant balloon. Obviously, with severely calcified lesions, mechanical atherectomy may be the initial choice. But my general algorithm is to use an undersized NC balloon.
I don't go crazy with the pressure and try to see if that alone gives me some working space to make decisions. I lean heavily on intravascular imaging to assess the level of calcium I’m dealing with, especially at a superficial level, because that's what the balloons and equipment are interacting with. I also consider patient nuances, such as age and comorbidities, to gauge the potential difficulty of the lesion.
Once I have all that information, I try to balloon it. If that doesn’t work, I proceed to use intravascular lithotripsy, especially if I believe it can yield a good result and allow balloon passage. If not, I consider mechanical atherectomy, with or without subsequent lithotripsy.
When it comes to the business of healthcare, are there a couple of things you wish you knew or had more knowledge of after completing your residency or fellowship?
This is something we're not taught in medical school—and I'm not a business person, so my understanding of it remains limited, even after six or seven years—but I think understanding how hospitals make money, how physicians make money, is important. Fortunately, being in an academic environment, I'm not pressured about RVUs, but there's still an inherent importance to one's "production" for the institution.
Medical education as a whole needs to do a better job of ensuring physicians are competent in these business aspects. With many in independent private practices, it's even more crucial to understand the dynamics of working within a corporate structure. You put in all this hard work, but at the end of the day, you're an employee. It's essential to know your rights and be mindful of the business perspective so you can feel secure and comfortable in your workplace.
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World's Brightest Physicians
Delivered straight to your inbox. Completely free. No spam.
Fun, Insightful Interviews with the
World's Brightest Physicians
Delivered straight to your inbox. Completely free. No spam.
For a young physician embarking on their career after residency or fellowship, how important do you believe networking is? Any advice based on your experience building relationships, both within the cardiology community and across disciplines?
I think networking is extremely important, particularly for academic work and research. When you're a clinician at a hospital, you often focus on the politics and leadership structure of that institution. But for leadership, national societies, and making progress for our patients at a higher level, networking is really crucial. I've been given so many opportunities because of people I’ve met at conferences that I didn't have a prior relationship with, or met through my mentors’ relationships, which created a platform for me to work with those individuals.
In terms of advice, I think the most important thing is to be genuine in your interactions. It's really important. I feel my personal success has come from being a very regular person that others can relate to, someone they could watch a basketball game with. I'm genuine with what I say and give honest answers, whether good or bad. People find me as truthful now as they did five years ago, and hopefully in the future too. I think that's my greatest recommendation to people coming out of training.
When considering a practice to join after fellowship, what are some red flags to look out for or recommendations you'd offer to help others find the right fit?
It's a multi-pronged process. We often undervalue the importance of our own happiness. First and foremost, focus on the location that will make you and your family the happiest. Then, when it comes to the practice, it's about genuinely being with people you like, who relate to you, and with whom you feel comfortable. You want colleagues who would look out for you as you would for them. Those are important things to keep in mind.
Another crucial aspect, especially early on, is mentorship. You don't want to be on an island by yourself doing a complex case without anyone to help you. Ensuring those support avenues are available is very helpful.
Let's jump into some rapid-fire questions. Do you listen to music in the cath lab? If so, any favorites on your playlist?
We always have music playing in the cath lab, but I'm not a huge music person myself. I lean more towards podcasts and lectures these days. Anyone who trained at Ford knows my one rule, though: no country music allowed in the cath lab!
How about movies? Are there a couple that are at the top of your list?
When I was younger, I loved Independence Day. I saw it in theaters on its release day, July 3rd, and thought it was fantastic. Then, in high school and college, I watched Training Day probably like 100 times, and I still love that movie. Most recently, Top Gun: Maverick is a movie I've already seen maybe five times. It's on the Delta playlist, so I watch it all the time when I'm traveling.
If you could go back to your mid- to late-20s, when you’re fresh out of medical school, is there anything you'd whisper in young Dr. Basir's ear?
I would just say, “Don't worry about the future so much. Enjoy your time; enjoy the moment.” I was always worried about the next step. Now that I'm established in my career, I look back and think, “I wish I had spent a summer abroad in Europe, Africa, or somewhere else. I wish I had more fun experiences along with the hard work.”
Are there any upcoming events, congresses, or clinical research talks that you'd like to raise awareness for?
Well, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we're doing SCAI Shock in October. It's going to be in DC this year. It's my favorite conference—two and a half days dedicated to cardiogenic shock. We bring cardiogenic shock teams from all across the country to share our experiences and learn from each other. So, for me, that's the event I'm most looking forward to this year.
For a young physician embarking on their career after residency or fellowship, how important do you believe networking is? Any advice based on your experience building relationships, both within the cardiology community and across disciplines?
I think networking is extremely important, particularly for academic work and research. When you're a clinician at a hospital, you often focus on the politics and leadership structure of that institution. But for leadership, national societies, and making progress for our patients at a higher level, networking is really crucial. I've been given so many opportunities because of people I’ve met at conferences that I didn't have a prior relationship with, or met through my mentors’ relationships, which created a platform for me to work with those individuals.
In terms of advice, I think the most important thing is to be genuine in your interactions. It's really important. I feel my personal success has come from being a very regular person that others can relate to, someone they could watch a basketball game with. I'm genuine with what I say and give honest answers, whether good or bad. People find me as truthful now as they did five years ago, and hopefully in the future too. I think that's my greatest recommendation to people coming out of training.
When considering a practice to join after fellowship, what are some red flags to look out for or recommendations you'd offer to help others find the right fit?
It's a multi-pronged process. We often undervalue the importance of our own happiness. First and foremost, focus on the location that will make you and your family the happiest. Then, when it comes to the practice, it's about genuinely being with people you like, who relate to you, and with whom you feel comfortable. You want colleagues who would look out for you as you would for them. Those are important things to keep in mind.
Another crucial aspect, especially early on, is mentorship. You don't want to be on an island by yourself doing a complex case without anyone to help you. Ensuring those support avenues are available is very helpful.
Let's jump into some rapid-fire questions. Do you listen to music in the cath lab? If so, any favorites on your playlist?
We always have music playing in the cath lab, but I'm not a huge music person myself. I lean more towards podcasts and lectures these days. Anyone who trained at Ford knows my one rule, though: no country music allowed in the cath lab!
How about movies? Are there a couple that are at the top of your list?
When I was younger, I loved Independence Day. I saw it in theaters on its release day, July 3rd, and thought it was fantastic. Then, in high school and college, I watched Training Day probably like 100 times, and I still love that movie. Most recently, Top Gun: Maverick is a movie I've already seen maybe five times. It's on the Delta playlist, so I watch it all the time when I'm traveling.
If you could go back to your mid- to late-20s, when you’re fresh out of medical school, is there anything you'd whisper in young Dr. Basir's ear?
I would just say, “Don't worry about the future so much. Enjoy your time; enjoy the moment.” I was always worried about the next step. Now that I'm established in my career, I look back and think, “I wish I had spent a summer abroad in Europe, Africa, or somewhere else. I wish I had more fun experiences along with the hard work.”
Are there any upcoming events, congresses, or clinical research talks that you'd like to raise awareness for?
Well, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we're doing SCAI Shock in October. It's going to be in DC this year. It's my favorite conference—two and a half days dedicated to cardiogenic shock. We bring cardiogenic shock teams from all across the country to share our experiences and learn from each other. So, for me, that's the event I'm most looking forward to this year.
For a young physician embarking on their career after residency or fellowship, how important do you believe networking is? Any advice based on your experience building relationships, both within the cardiology community and across disciplines?
I think networking is extremely important, particularly for academic work and research. When you're a clinician at a hospital, you often focus on the politics and leadership structure of that institution. But for leadership, national societies, and making progress for our patients at a higher level, networking is really crucial. I've been given so many opportunities because of people I’ve met at conferences that I didn't have a prior relationship with, or met through my mentors’ relationships, which created a platform for me to work with those individuals.
In terms of advice, I think the most important thing is to be genuine in your interactions. It's really important. I feel my personal success has come from being a very regular person that others can relate to, someone they could watch a basketball game with. I'm genuine with what I say and give honest answers, whether good or bad. People find me as truthful now as they did five years ago, and hopefully in the future too. I think that's my greatest recommendation to people coming out of training.
When considering a practice to join after fellowship, what are some red flags to look out for or recommendations you'd offer to help others find the right fit?
It's a multi-pronged process. We often undervalue the importance of our own happiness. First and foremost, focus on the location that will make you and your family the happiest. Then, when it comes to the practice, it's about genuinely being with people you like, who relate to you, and with whom you feel comfortable. You want colleagues who would look out for you as you would for them. Those are important things to keep in mind.
Another crucial aspect, especially early on, is mentorship. You don't want to be on an island by yourself doing a complex case without anyone to help you. Ensuring those support avenues are available is very helpful.
Let's jump into some rapid-fire questions. Do you listen to music in the cath lab? If so, any favorites on your playlist?
We always have music playing in the cath lab, but I'm not a huge music person myself. I lean more towards podcasts and lectures these days. Anyone who trained at Ford knows my one rule, though: no country music allowed in the cath lab!
How about movies? Are there a couple that are at the top of your list?
When I was younger, I loved Independence Day. I saw it in theaters on its release day, July 3rd, and thought it was fantastic. Then, in high school and college, I watched Training Day probably like 100 times, and I still love that movie. Most recently, Top Gun: Maverick is a movie I've already seen maybe five times. It's on the Delta playlist, so I watch it all the time when I'm traveling.
If you could go back to your mid- to late-20s, when you’re fresh out of medical school, is there anything you'd whisper in young Dr. Basir's ear?
I would just say, “Don't worry about the future so much. Enjoy your time; enjoy the moment.” I was always worried about the next step. Now that I'm established in my career, I look back and think, “I wish I had spent a summer abroad in Europe, Africa, or somewhere else. I wish I had more fun experiences along with the hard work.”
Are there any upcoming events, congresses, or clinical research talks that you'd like to raise awareness for?
Well, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we're doing SCAI Shock in October. It's going to be in DC this year. It's my favorite conference—two and a half days dedicated to cardiogenic shock. We bring cardiogenic shock teams from all across the country to share our experiences and learn from each other. So, for me, that's the event I'm most looking forward to this year.
