Dr. Bria Giacomino joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2019.
Dr. Giacomino’s decision to specialize in cardiac critical care is not a common pathway, although she believes that this is a specialty that will continue to grow and this combination of cardiology and critical care ignites her passion more than either of them alone. She chose to continue to her post-graduate training with an additional year of critical care training to provide her cardiac patients in the cardiac intensive care unit with the best possible care, learning how to manage not only cardiac illnesses, but also acknowledging that there are other issues that need to be addressed. She believes that this training gives her a unique perspective and she hopes to inspire other cardiology fellows to follow a similar pathway. Dr. Mark B. Reid has been quoted saying, “Student, you do not study to pass the test. You study to prepare for the day when you are the only thing between a patient and the grave.” Dr. Giacomino’s goal is to continue to learn and grow throughout her whole life to be that person.
Although Dr. Giacomino has had the opportunity to be involved in many research projects encompassing a variety of subjects, her interest lies mostly within the cardiac intensive care unit, specifically investigating patient outcomes and improvement in workflows. Additionally, advanced mechanical support is a significant interest, and she is starting some projects surrounding improved patient selection and utilization of these devices. As an academic clinician, she is looking forward to working with medical students and residents/fellows. She has always enjoyed the teaching aspect of training, both in lectures and informally during rounds. In working with students and trainees, she frequently finds herself learning to view things differently or think about things in another way, which also improves her practice. Dr. Giacomino is looking forward to joining this group of educators who carry an extremely well respected reputation and will strive to continue this.