Dr Rohan Jagathesan MD

BSc (Hons) MBBS FRCP
Consultant Cardiologist

Background

I graduated from the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in London in 1993 and during my undergraduate training I also completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Pharmacology. My post qualification general training rotation was based at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington during which time I experienced the epiphany that Cardiology was my interest and motivation.

I passed the MRCP qualification in 1995 and then entered 2 years of cardiac research as an MRC Fellow at Imperial College London working towards an MD investigating coronary physiology and cardiac stress testing. During this time I published a number of peer reviewed research papers and presented at numerous international scientific conferences. I also had the opportunity of working as co-principal investigator in a multinational clinical trial.

Following my research endeavours, I was appointed to the highly competitive North London Specialist Training Rotation in Cardiology where I trained at the Chelsea and Westminster, Royal Brompton, Northwick Park, St Mary’s Paddington, Hammersmith, Royal Free and St Bartholomew’s Hospitals in London. I was subsequently appointed as a Consultant Cardiologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and Barts and the London NHS Trusts in 2005. I spent the next two years developing and improving the local cardiology service at Princess Alexandra Hospital and working as part of the Barts and the London Heart Attack Centre.

In 2007, I was then appointed Consultant Cardiologist at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre in Basildon, where I currently undertake coronary stenting procedures and am actively involved in the Regional Primary PCI service for Essex, one of the largest Heart Attack Centres in the UK.

In 2011, I was appointed the Lead Cardiologist for the Essex Cardiac and Stroke Network responsible for the development and delivery of future cardiac healthcare service development for the region.

In 2013 I was appointed Divisional Lead Cardiologist for the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre.

In 2019 I was appointed as Clinical Director for the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre and Essex Cardiology Lead for the East of England Strategic Clinical Network.

In 2020 I was appointed Group Clinical Director for Cardiac Services at Mid & South Essex NHS Trust responsible for The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre as well as Cardiology services at Basildon, Southend and Broomfield Hospitals.

I was appointed to my current post of Divisional Medical Director at in April 2021. This role encompasses the senior leadership and management of the medical workforce including all relevant operational developmental and strategic matters for Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Services, Vascular Services, Renal Medicine and Critical Care ITU Services across Mid & South Essex NHS Trust. Despite this significant managerial responsibility, I continue to maintain and enjoy a full time clinical practice.

YouTube Video Introduction

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Press Coverage

Please view the links below for our recent article on the importance of screening for heart health in Christian Jessen, as well as our feature in Health Innovations.

Christian Jessen – Is your heart healthy?

Mail on Sunday Healthcare Innovations – How healthy is your heart?

Areas of Expertise

I deal with all aspects of adult general cardiology including chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, dizzyness, blackouts, cholesterol abnormalities, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart valve problems and screening for cardiac disease. I perform all standard cardiac procedures including echocardiography, stress testing, coronary angiography and permanent pacemaker implantation. In 2010, I completed Level 2 accreditation for non-invasive CT coronary angiography and coroanry calcium scoring in Princeton, USA.

My specialist interest is the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease and I am an interventional cardiologist specializing in complex angioplasty/stenting performed from either the wrist or groin. I perform a large volume of procedures each year with excellent outcome results with a very low complication rate. My recent published figures can be found via this link.

Currently I am co-developing the percutaneous aortic valve replacement service at the Essex CTC. This technology allows patients with significant aortic valve disease deemed too unwell for conventional open heart surgery to have the treatment of valve replacement undertaken using a catheter based technology from the groin.

Teaching and Research

I continue to be an active teacher/trainer in a number of medical teaching courses for postgraduate training in London and for General Practitioners in Mid and West Essex. He is also a trainer/mentor for two GP’s with specialist interests in Cardiology currently practicing in West Essex.

I also continue to maintain an interest in research. I am currently a UK Regional coordinator for CLARIFY, a multinational prospective registry investigating cardiac risk factors in patients with stable angina. I am also involved in a number of clinical trials and registries investigating outcomes and new treatments in interventional cardiology based at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre. A number of these projects have led to presentations at both national and international cardiology meetings.