Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Akshay Khandelwal, MD, Named Gerald E. McGinnis Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine at AHN

PITTSBURGH (October 29, 2024) – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) has named Akshay Khandelwal, MD, as the Gerald E. McGinnis Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine.

The appointment was made possible through a generous $2 million endowment from the family of Gerald “Jerry” E. McGinnis, the late bioengineer, entrepreneur, founder of Pittsburgh-based Respironics and collaborator with the late Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) cardiovascular surgeon-pioneer, George Magovern, Sr., MD..

The purpose of the endowed Chair is to provide a nationally renowned surgeon or physician at the AHN Cardiovascular Institute with funding to advance therapeutic approaches for complex cardiovascular disease.

The appointment marks one of eight endowed chairs and professorships within the nationally-recognized AHN Cardiovascular Institute.

Dr. Khandelwal, a practicing interventional cardiologist, is Chair of AHN’s Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, part of the AHN Cardiovascular Institute. In his leadership role, he oversees a robust team of AHN physicians, fellows, residents and other clinicians to ensure the provision of advanced, high-quality cardiovascular care across AHN's hospitals, outpatient facilities and physician practices.

Since joining AHN in 2023, Dr. Khandelwal has been instrumental in championing multidisciplinary collaboration between AHN's cardiologists and surgical teams through all stages of the patient care journey. As an interventional cardiologist, he specializes in treating heart disease with catheter-based techniques; his areas of expertise include complex coronary interventions, such as angioplasty, stent procedures, and diagnostic cardiology.

“There are certainly similarities between Jerry McGinnis and Dr. Khandelwal,” said Stephen Bailey, MD, Chair of the AHN Cardiovascular Institute in a