by Deshi Tribune Special Correspondent:
Renowned Bangladeshi-American cardiologist Dr. Chowdhury H. Ahsan has been appointed Chair of the International Committee of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, one of the most prestigious professional bodies in interventional cardiology in the United States. The appointment was confirmed in a formal letter dated March 27, signed by SCAI President Dr. Jay Don Abbott. The letter noted that Dr. Ahsan’s two-year term takes effect immediately and will run through the 2028 SCAI Scientific Sessions.
The appointment marks another milestone in the distinguished career of a physician who has spent decades building bridges between American medicine and Bangladesh. Dr. Ahsan is a gold medallist from Dhaka Medical College and was among the founding members of Sandhani, the voluntary blood donation and eye donation organisation that has since become one of Bangladesh’s most celebrated student-led institutions. He subsequently earned his MRCP and PhD from the United Kingdom before completing fellowship training in internal medicine and cardiology in the United States.
He has been based in Las Vegas for many years, where he serves at the University of Nevada in multiple senior roles, including Director of the Cardiology Fellowship Program and Director of the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory. He has also been elected to serve as Governor of the state of Nevada for the American College of Cardiology, one of the most respected professional distinctions available to cardiologists in the United States.
Dr. Ahsan previously served as President of the North America Bangladesh Medical Association, during which he worked to build the organisation into a larger and more effective institution for Bangladeshi-American medical professionals.
His contributions extend well beyond the United States. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he edited and published an important clinical reference book on Covid treatment that became a valuable resource for physicians at a critical time. When Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unable to secure sufficient vaccine supplies, Dr. Ahsan played a central role in procuring 25 million Covid vaccines and arranging their delivery to Bangladesh. Working with the White House Covid team with the support of then Vice-President Kamala Harris, he joined as an American expert to facilitate the process. He worked alongside a team that included Professor Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed and Dr. Masudal Hasan to ensure the vaccines reached Bangladesh. He later cooperated with Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed in the delivery of 850 ventilators to the country.
Dr. Ahsan’s commitment to Bangladesh’s healthcare system is longstanding and ongoing. He travels to Bangladesh every year to support medical initiatives for ordinary patients. Under his guidance and involvement, the Ibrahim Cardiac Centre at BIRDEM has developed into an internationally recognised institution. He has provided training at the Heart Foundation in Dhaka, the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and various other hospitals across the country.
In his home district of Bagerhat in Khulna, he has piloted an internationally standardised cardiac centre — a model he hopes can bring world-class cardiac care to communities that have long lacked access to it.
Dr. Ahsan’s wife is a distinguished neurologist in her own right, and the couple’s two sons are both established professionals in their respective fields.
His latest appointment to chair the International Committee of SCAI is a recognition not only of his individual excellence but of the growing contribution of Bangladeshi-American physicians to the highest levels of global medicine.
