Maria Alwan

Postdoctoral Research Fellow @MethodistHosp @Almallah_Labs | MD’24🇱🇧 AAMC ID 15776510

[ASNC Society @MyASNC]

🎉ASNC is excited to announce that Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, MD, MSc, MASNC, will deliver the Mario S. Verani Memorial Lecture at #ASNC2026.

His lecture, “From Perfusion to Precision: Charting the Future of Nuclear Cardiology in a Multimodality World,” will examine the evolving and essential role of nuclear cardiology in today’s increasingly multimodality-focused cardiovascular imaging landscape. 
👉 https://t.co/dk2enUGgBp

[Uzoamaka Ofong @Obialunanma]

#ACC26
Attending & presenting our original research at my first in-person ACC was an early 2026 win.
Incredibly grateful to our mentor @almallahmo and all @Almallah_Labs teammates
@HMethodistCV

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Extremely grateful to share that I matched at @MethodistHosp for Internal Medicine training.

Truly thankful to my incredible mentor @almallahmo for his guidance and unwavering support, and to the entire Houston Methodist family for their trust and support. This wouldn’t have been possible without Dr @WilliamZoghbi @HeartToProve @ mahmoudalrifai

Excited to continue learning and growing with the Methodist community!

#Match2026

[Saliha Erdem MD @mderdem3]

Great case presentation by our research fellow @MariaAlwan_ 👏

Rb-82 PET showed normal perfusion, but F-18 flurpiridaz PET unmasked LAD territory ischemia ; highlighting the superior resolution and diagnostic sensitivity of F-18 imaging. @MyASNC

[Malek Nayfeh @MalekNayfeh]

Always a great time at #ACC, where I get to reconnect with old friends and mentors, and make new ones.

[Alaaeddine El Ghazawi @ElGhazawi_Alaa]

Honored to attend my first #ACC2026 conference with a moderated poster on MFR & secondary prevention

🚀 Proud to be part of an exceptionally productive team

🙏 Grateful to my mentors for their continuous guidance and support

@HMethodistCV @ACCinTouch

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

@jad_zeitoun @MethodistHosp Congratulations Jad!!

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Dream Team🌟

[Saliha Erdem MD @mderdem3]

Houston Methodist showing up strong at #ASNC 🙌
And a special cameo from a former Methodist legend in the front 😄

Great to see familiar faces and our fellows doing amazing work!
@DeBakeyCVedu @MohakGuptaMD @MariaAlwan_ @almallahmo

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

@IzzaShahid_ Thank you Izza!🤍🤍

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

@HudaElMais @umkcIM Congratulations Huda!��

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

@Mhamad8azal @UMiamiHealth @UMJMHCardiology Congratulations Mohamad!!

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Wrapping up Day 2 with a series of very interesting case-based discussions 🫀✨

Highlighting the role of:
• PET for viability in ischemic cardiomyopathy
• PET FDG in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy
• PET in ANOCA
• PET for transplant vasculopathy
Incredible insights from all presenters and panelists!
@AabuzaidDr @m_alfawara @MyASNC #CVNuc #ThinkPET

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

@docHJ @AabuzaidDr Our pleasure!

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Great talk by Dr. Aljizeeri on the incorporation of MBF into routine practice and its impact on patient outcomes 🫀

Key conclusions:
🔹 MBF & MFR are robust tools for evaluating chest pain and help explain symptoms in patients with or without obstructive CAD
🔹 MFR provides prognostic value across the full spectrum of cardiovascular disease
🔹 Should be integrated into clinical decision-making when evaluating patients with chest pain
@MyASNC #CVNuc #CVD #ThinkPET

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Starting Day 2 of Nuclear Cardiology Now: Middle East with an exciting session by Dr. @PanithayaC on ¹⁸F Flurpiridaz PET MPI 🫀✨

Key highlights:
🔹 Superior image quality: high spatial resolution, high count statistics & excellent contrast resolution
🔹 Residual activity subtraction avoids flow overestimation & restores defect severity
🔹 Adoption barriers: cost, infrastructure, training needs & reimbursement limitations
🔹 Pathways forward: regional distribution, standardized protocols, expanded training & equity-focused implementation

Exciting momentum for the future of ¹⁸F PET MPI!
@MyASNC #CVNuc #ThinkPET #CVD

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Excellent overview by Dr. @falbadarin on advances in cardiac amyloidosis imaging

Key conclusions:
🔹 SPECT (+/– CT) with demonstration of myocardial uptake should be standard ; planar-only imaging is not sufficient
🔹 Always rule out plasma cell dyscrasia
🔹 PET tracers hold strong promise in overcoming limitations of 99mTc-based imaging
@MyASNC #CVNuc #CardiacAmyloidosis

[A.Sami Abuzaid MD,EMHL,FASE,FSCCT,FSCMR,FESC,FACC @AabuzaidDr]

PET/CT is a powerful tool for diagnosing infective endocarditis, especially in patients with prosthetic valves or devices, where echocardiography and blood cultures can be inconclusive. Key teaching points are that PET/CT offers both high sensitivity and specificity for prosthetic valve endocarditis, provides invaluable information in ambiguous clinical scenarios, and can detect extracardiac complications or septic emboli—enabling comprehensive patient evaluation. Integration of PET/CT into the diagnostic algorithm can reclassify uncertain cases, guide targeted therapies, and ultimately improve outcomes, making it an essential modality for modern endocarditis care
@MyASNC @JNCjournal @EANM_NucMed @emiratescardiac
#CVNUC #THINKPET

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Key takeaway 🔍
A risk-based approach is essential in CAD evaluation:
🔹 Low–intermediate risk: CCTA has high NPV
🔹 Intermediate–high risk: Functional testing + CAC → improved risk stratification
🔹 MBF quantification enhances accuracy for both obstructive & non-obstructive CAD
@mdicarli
@MyASNC #CVNuc #CVD @almallahmo @falbadarin

[Maria Alwan @MariaAlwan_]

Starting off the first session of Nuclear Cardiology Now: Middle East! ✨
Kicking off with Dr. @mdicarli 's talk on Practical CAD Assessment in 2025, followed by insights from an outstanding expert panel.
A great start to two days of top-tier nuclear cardiology education! 🫀
@MyASNC
@almallahmo @falbadarin