Fellow Spotlight: Shalini Dixit, MD

Shalini Dixit, MD, was born in the East Bay and earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Northwestern University. She spent a Fulbright year in Madrid teaching high school English, then completed her medical degree and internal medicine residency at UCSF. She also completed advanced training in clinical research, working with cardiologist Gregory Marcus, MD, Endowed Professor of Atrial Fibrillation Research, to study how secondhand smoke and alcohol contribute to atrial fibrillation.

During training, Dr. Dixit volunteered at Clínica Martín Baró in San Francisco, co-facilitated a weekly support and education group for Spanish-speaking cancer patients at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), and led a medical Spanish elective. “I’ve always liked the social aspect of teaching, and answering questions helps you solidify your own thoughts about material,” she said.

One highlight of her cardiology fellowship so far was her ZSFG rotation, where she performed echocardiograms, reviewed EKGs from the emergency department, and was part of the cardiac catheterization team caring for heart attack patients. “I got to do a mix of everything, which was a fun introduction to cardiology,” said Dr. Dixit.

In the future, she likely wants to pursue a career in general cardiology with a focus on prevention. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking and spending time with her fiancé, Kevin Kane, MD, an internist at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.