Heart Rhythm

Dr. Sengupta is director of the Joseph F. Novogratz Family Heart Rhythm Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. He is board-certified in cardiac electrophysiology and specializes in the treatment of arrhythmias, performing procedures including catheter ablation and cardiac rhythm device implantation and management. Dr. Sengupta also serves as director of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Genetic Arrhythmia Center and co-director of the Cardiac Pacing and Device Clinic at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

He is a graduate of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine and completed his residency training in internal medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis. He then completed fellowship training in cardiology and, subsequently, cardiac electrophysiology at the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Sengupta is actively involved in educating future cardiologists and physicians as faculty in the Hennepin County Medical Center/Minneapolis Heart Institute cardiovascular disease fellowship and as a yearly mentor for MHI summer research interns. His recent awards include the Ray Bentdahl MHIF Distinguished Service Award, the Distinguished Teaching Award in the Hennepin County Medical Center/MHI cardiovascular disease fellowship and recognition as a Rising Star/Top Doctor in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

Dr. Abdelsayed earned his medical degree in 2023 from South Valley University in Egypt, pursuing a strong interest in cardiology. He later joined the Magdy Yacoub Heart Foundation, where he received a Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award from the American Heart Association and a travel grant from the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Association while leading and coauthoring multiple peer-reviewed publications in the field.

In addition to managing his ongoing research, Dr. Abdelsayed enjoys mentoring USMLE students from diverse backgrounds, drawing on his experience as an active member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations.

Dr. Alan Bank is director of research at MHI East at United Hospital, an associate professor of cardiology at the University of Minnesota and an associate member of the graduate faculty in biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota. He has directed the research division and the echo core laboratory at MHI East (formerly UHVC) for more than 20 years.

Dr. Bank has served as principal investigator in more than 100 research studies and has published more than 100 papers. His clinical interests are heart failure and echocardiography, and his primary research focus is cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). He has developed a novel noninvasive technology for measuring electrical dyssynchrony in heart failure patients with CRT and has submitted five patents on this technology.

He is currently directing several clinical studies that use this technology to optimize programming in CRT patients and plans to use data from these studies to support commercialization efforts. Dr. Bank is a founding member and serves on the board of the Joseph F. Novogratz Family Heart Rhythm Center at MHIF.

Kevin Burns serves as a research scientist on the Joseph F. Novogratz Family Heart Rhythm Center team and the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center & Core Lab team. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. After working as an engineer for 10 years, he returned to the University of Minnesota and received a PhD in kinesiology in 2010, with an emphasis in exercise physiology and a minor in biomedical engineering.

His thesis work used echocardiography to study the synchrony of cardiac contractions in patients with pacemakers. Kevin continues to perform echo analysis for industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated trials, and he has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Dr. Raymond Dent Underwood is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist. He earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine and completed fellowship training at Saint Louis University and the University of Wisconsin Medical School.

Julianne Feola, PhD, CCRP, serves as the clinical research manager for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s heart failure and electrophysiology team. She has an extensive background in clinical research, and her credentials as a Certified Clinical Research Professional make her an exceptional addition to the team.

Julianne previously worked at the University of Minnesota, where she served as a program manager within the medical school’s research department. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and psychology from the State University of New York at Geneseo and went on to receive her master’s degree and PhD in neuroscience from the University of Rochester in 2017.

Andrew Garner serves as a research coordinator II on the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s heart failure and electrophysiology team. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a master’s degree in exercise science and nutrition, where he worked as the principal investigator and research coordinator on his thesis project. Prior to joining MHIF, Andrew worked as a clinical exercise physiologist in nuclear medicine at CentraCare in St. Cloud and in cardiac rehabilitation at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.

Emily Halvorson serves as an associate research coordinator II on the Heart Rhythm Science Center team. She joined the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation in the summer of 2023 and plays an important role on the team, contributing to abstracts, abstracting patient data, preparing protocols, maintaining regulatory documents, and supporting multiple hybrid studies. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota in 2022 and is passionate about patient care, public health, and healthcare equity.

Dr. Hauser retired from the Minneapolis Heart Institute in 2015, where he was a senior consulting cardiologist. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, a former professor of medicine at Rush Medical College in Chicago, and former chairman and CEO of Cardiac Pacemakers (now Boston Scientific) in St. Paul. Dr. Hauser is currently a founding member of, and serves on the board of, the Joseph F. Novogratz Family Heart Rhythm Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

Efrah serves as an associate research coordinator III on the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s heart failure and electrophysiology team. Most recently, she was a research associate at Children’s Minnesota and previously worked in the emergency department at Regions Hospital, screening patients for eligibility in neurology and cardiology trials.

She received a double bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas in biology of global health and public health, and she is currently working toward her master’s degree in regulatory science.

Melanie is a key member of the Joseph F. Novogratz Family Heart Rhythm Center team. With more than 20 years of nursing experience, she has worked in the Minneapolis Heart Institute’s Pacemaker & Defibrillator Clinic since 2015, where she played an instrumental role in developing and implementing several implantable cardiac device policies at Abbott Northwestern Hospital’s Holmes Heart Center. She is a board-certified cardiac device specialist (CCDS) and holds a master’s degree in nursing informatics, and she brings unique expertise in making data accessible and actionable for clinicians and researchers.

Dr. Kristopher Krueger is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist who focuses on combining advanced procedural care with clear, compassionate communication. His practice philosophy centers on continually improving medical management and procedural skills while prioritizing patient education as a vital part of care.

He is particularly passionate about catheter ablation, appreciating that every case is a little different and offers ongoing variety and challenge. He is also deeply committed to helping patients understand their conditions and treatment options, believing that education gives patients a sense of control and helps them make informed decisions about their care.

Tamara Langeberg, RN, MSN, CNP, is credentialed through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a family nurse practitioner. She completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1995 and her master’s degree in nursing in 2002 at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has worked as a nurse practitioner with the Minneapolis Heart Institute since 2002, initially with the general cardiology service, and she has been part of the electrophysiology group since 2004.

As a member of the Heart Rhythm Management Team, Tamara provides cardiac electrophysiology care for patients in both hospital and clinic settings and performs direct current cardioversions and tilt table studies. She has been instrumental in developing the cardioversion program and standardizing anticoagulation protocols.

Dr. Daniel Melby is medical director of the Electrophysiology Lab, with a special interest in complex catheter ablation and experience performing more than 4,000 procedures to treat fast heart rhythms, particularly atrial fibrillation. He is a recognized expert who speaks nationally on the latest ablation techniques and technology and has participated in many national research studies evaluating new ablation technologies.

Dr. Joellyn Moore is a cardiac electrophysiologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders. She received her medical degree from George Washington University.

She is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease and holds medical licenses in Ohio and Minnesota. Dr. Moore completed fellowships in cardiovascular medicine and electrophysiology at the Cleveland Clinic and is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Matthew Olson is a cardiac electrophysiologist recognized by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine as a Top Doctors: Rising Stars honoree in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Marquette University and his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School.

He completed both his cardiovascular disease fellowship and his electrophysiology fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

Rachel serves as a clinical research coordinator II on the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s heart failure and electrophysiology team. She brings more than five years of research experience, beginning her career as a research coordinator at the University of Minnesota in psychiatry and mental/behavioral health and most recently working as a clinical research associate for EarliTec Diagnostics, a medical device company in the autism field. She has also worked as a mental health specialist at Meriter UnityPoint Health in Wisconsin.

Rachel graduated from St. Olaf College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and holds a clinical research associate certification through ACRP.

Dr. Fernando Santiago, PhD, MSc, serves as a senior scientist on the Heart Rhythm Science Center team with Dr. Alan Bank at United Hospital in St. Paul. He is a molecular biologist with expertise in aging, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and stem cell biology.

He comes from a medical family; his father is a cardiothoracic surgeon and former chief of ambulatory medicine at the Atlanta VA Hospital, and his niece is preparing to enter her residency.

Dawn Witt serves as a program director II for the Joseph F. Novogratz Heart Rhythm Center and the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center. She has been with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation for more than 16 years in roles ranging from research assistant to senior scientist, giving her extensive knowledge of the organization’s clinical research.

Before joining MHIF, Dawn worked as a research assistant at the University of Minnesota, where she also earned her PhD, MPH and BA. Her advanced education in public health and nursing has led her to projects that combine health care research with community-driven health interventions to create accountable care communities. She brings strong research skills, cultural competency and a creative outlook to projects focused on cardiovascular disease in populations that are often underrepresented in research.

Dr. John Zakaib is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist with advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders. He completed both his cardiovascular disease fellowship (2003–2006) and his cardiac electrophysiology fellowship (2006–2008) at the Cleveland Clinic.

He is especially interested in the unique circumstances of each patient with cardiac rhythm problems and strives to tailor his approach to each person’s individual needs and philosophy of care. He considers it a privilege to help people with heart rhythm disorders feel better and live well.

Dr. Edwin Zishiri is a cardiac electrophysiologist at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. He received his MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) from the University of Zimbabwe, completed his residency at Boston Medical Center and went on to a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.

His clinical interests include catheter ablation of cardiac arrhythmias; pacemaker, ICD and biventricular device implantation; lead extraction; and risk stratification and prevention of sudden cardiac death. He also has additional training in complex arrhythmia ablation.