Ep. 55 Navigating Interventional Cardiology with an MBA with Dr. Abdulla A. Damluji

When your questions in cardiology go beyond the bedside and into healthcare innovation and transformation, is an executive MBA your next step? On this episode of BackTable Cardiology, Dr. Ankit Patel interviews Dr. Abdulla A. Damluji of the Cleveland Clinic about his journey from clinical cardiology to business school, and how an MBA empowered him to drive real change in healthcare. Dr. Damluji shares how business education gave him the tools to lead new programs, challenge the financial assumptions behind emerging technologies, and build a cardiovascular center focused on aging. --- Get the BackTable app https://www.backtable.com/app --- Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 04:52 - Why Pursue an MBA 08:06 - Choosing the Right Program 11:15 - Building a Cardiovascular Center on Aging 14:54 - Balancing Clinical Work and Business School 18:48 - Focusing on Finance and Analytics 23:27 - Evaluating Programs and Medical Devices 29:47 - Reimbursement and Training Implications 33:05 - MBA Return on Investment and Opportunity Cost 36:28 - Who Should Consider an MBA 46:20 - Artificial Intelligence and Business Education 50:53 - The MBA’s Impact on Cardiology 54:33 - Closing Remarks --- More about this episode They discuss balancing clinical work with MBA coursework, using business frameworks to evaluate new programs and devices, and how finance and analytics shape impactful decisions. Dr. Damluji explains how the MBA network expands professional options, the importance of aligning business education with your mission in medicine, and why the degree is most powerful for physicians who want to solve problems that go beyond patient care at the bedside. --- Resources Dr. Ankit Patel’s Physician Profile https://www.getcare.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/provider/ankitkumar-kirankumar-patel/1316247 Dr. Abdulla A. Damluji’s Physician Profile https://providers.clevelandclinic.org/provider/abdulla-damluji/4826749 Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis in Patients Who Cannot Undergo Surgery (PARTNER trial) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1008232 Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients (PARTER 2 Trial) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1514616 NY Stern’s Executive Master in Business Administration (EMBA) https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/executive-mba --- BackTable Cardiology is the go-to podcast for interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and other healthcare professionals that manage cardiovascular conditions. Download the free BackTable app to get early access to new episodes, cases, and courses curated by physicians in your specialty. ► https://www.backtable.com/app