Surya Teja Chaturvedula | 38
Interventional cardiology physician; Director of the
Structural Heart Program, UnityPoint Health Peoria
Dr. Chaturvedula provides cardiac care to patients with heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms and circulatory problems, in addition to non-emergency preventive and routine cardiac care. Meanwhile, he and his team have been able to offer minimally invasive valve replacement therapy to patients who would otherwise not have qualified for the traditional valve replacement surgery due to their high/prohibitive risks.
His nomination letter described him as “a shining star among the cardiology group,” always open to “new ideas, new technology, and new procedures.” Dr. Chaturvedula was instrumental in developing the Transcatheter Aortic Value Replacement (TAVR) program across UnityPoint’s central Illinois institutions, in addition to being a promoter of the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT). He also is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria.
Meanwhile, Dr. Chaturvedula is establishing a fund for a girls’ orphanage in Secunderabad, India.
Childhood aspirations: “In my 6th grade, I resolved to become a physician and never doubted that desire thereafter and chased my dream.”
Advice to 20-year-old self: “Learning to look at the ‘big picture’ is a virtue … Most of us set a goal but become very focused on the path rather than the goal itself. Unwavering focus on the goal will enable us wade through the obstacles along the path. Also, being brutally honest with oneself and not waiting for external feedback shorten the time to recovery from the failures and set you up for success.”
Favorite cause: “I aspire to support kindergarten through post-graduation education for underprivileged girl students, and my goal is to do that for at least 100 kids in my lifetime. In the developing world, women’s education can ensure sociopolitical, physical, and mental wellbeing of not only the recipient but her entire family, and perhaps the generations after.”
