Mehak Dhande, MD, is an interventional cardiac electrophysiologist with a master's degree in clinical informatics and management. She is a physician-scientist leading international studies to test patient-facing applications of artificial intelligence.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to medicine.

I was born and raised in India. I became interested in medicine from a very early age because it seemed to be a fulfilling and rewarding profession. My medical journey started with medical school in India, a quick stop in Vancouver, Canada and then finally the U.S., where I did my internal medicine residency, cardiology and electrophysiology (EP) fellowships. I am currently an EP faculty clinical instructor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where I do procedures about once a week. I am also a T-32 research fellow, and I recently completed my master's in clinical informatics and management at Stanford University in Stanford, CA.

What led you to pursue EP?

I became interested in EP because I enjoy procedures and love the cardiovascular system. I made the choice to go into cardiology as a procedural specialty, narrowing it down to either interventional or EP.  Ultimately, I chose EP because of the ever-evolving technology, precision and role of digital technology within the specialty.

As a woman in cardiology, what was your approach to seeking out mentors whose vision you felt was in line with what you wanted to achieve?

At present, we have three female EP faculty, but before, my male mentors here left no stone unturned to support and sponsor me. I went through in vitro fertilization (IVF) during EP fellowship training and had a long journey to motherhood. At first, I was not quite sure if it was the right time to pursue IVF, but the amount of support I received from all my female and male mentors and faculty blew me away. I was able to keep up with procedural skills, participate in scientific meetings, publish papers while going through a successful pregnancy thanks to the support of my peers and EP leadership. In hindsight, it was intuitive for me – I chose a program where the culture felt supportive for women, in addition to, of course, providing excellent clinical training and mentorship.

What is your advice for EP fellows who are navigating the job market?

First, I recommend figuring out if you want to work in a private or academic setting, or a blend of both. If you decide on academic, networking becomes important especially if you have specific research interests, as only certain institutions may have the infrastructure or mentorship needed for that. You also should consider your specific skill set and whether it's important to you to have an institution willing to develop and invest in it. This applies to me personally because when looking for full time jobs after training in EP and clinical informatics and management, I still need to ask major academic institutions if they would have a need for someone with my "unique" skill set. And finally, it is important to know you can always switch lanes – in fact, switching lanes can help maintain novelty and excitement in a career in medicine.

This article was authored by Omar J, Baqal, MBBS, a FIT at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale in Scottsdale, AZ.