Samit M. Shah, MD, PhD

Samit Shah, MD, PhD, is an interventional cardiologist who specializes in diagnosing and repairing problems with blood vessels in the heart and throughout the body. He has specific expertise in disorders of coronary physiology, or problems with the way the heart receives blood, which often leads to chest pain.

Dr. Shah initially planned to be an ear, nose, and throat surgeon and has a doctorate in neuroscience in addition to one in medicine, but he found a different calling in cardiology when his father, a primary care doctor, had a heart attack. He says he enjoys “getting to the root of challenging problems and coming up with an intervention or a medication regimen precisely tailored to each patient's condition.”

He says caring for patients with heart disease is not just about improving chances of survival, but also about quality of life, as well as open communication between the doctor and the patient. “Caring for patients with heart disease creates a special relationship between a provider and a patient; often the stakes are high, but the results can be very rewarding,” he says.

In addition to treating patients for such conditions as coronary artery disease, coronary microvascular dysfunction, and coronary vasospasm, Dr. Shah developed a program at Yale for the diagnosis of disorders of coronary physiology during invasive heart catheterization procedures. In addition, he performs advanced and complex coronary artery interventions, carotid artery interventions, and lower extremity peripheral arterial interventions.

An assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Shah is involved in active research projects at Yale regarding invasive coronary physiology testing, ischemic heart disease in women, and the vascular effects of psychological stress. A specific research interest is in people who have cardiac catheterization, but don’t have blockages.