Dr. Sravani Avula and her colleagues evaluated a program aimed at preparing Michigan schools for sudden cardiac arrest.

Sravani Avula

Dr. Sravani Avula
Class of 2013

Pediatric Cardiology Fellow
LSU Health New Orleans/Children’s Hospital Clinic
New Orleans, LA

Pediatrics Resident
Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine
East Lansing, MI

 

AUA Alumna Dr. Sravani Avula is a Pediatric Cardiology fellow at the LSU Health New Orleans Children’s Hospital Clinic. In June 2017, Dr. Avula and her coauthors published an article for the journal, Progress in Pediatric Cardiology, entitled, “Sudden cardiac arrest preparedness in Michigan: Partnering with Project ADAM to develop a HEARTSafe Schools state model.”

The article is an assessment of HEARTSafe Schools, the name for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) preparedness initiatives conducted in Michigan high schools by a coalition of groups from across the state and organized by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

In the first three years of the program, three people in participating schools were saved from a SCA. Dr. Avula and her colleagues concluded that HEARTSafe Schools were directly connected to the success of these resuscitations. They also found that the program “demonstrated that a state health department can be a neutral convener of invested parties around school SCA preparedness,” and that “providing honors to schools for cardiac-emergency preparedness empowers them to take action, while supplementing existing laws and strengthening community partnerships.”

Dr. Avula is originally from India and began her education at Kasturba Medical College International Center in Manipal before coming to Antigua. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from AUA, Dr. Avula completed a residency in Pediatrics at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine in East Lansing. As a resident, Dr. Avula was active with Kids Health for Haiti, a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers to Haiti to provide medical care and health education to children. She also received the “Scholar of the Year Award,” during her residency and presented research on the national level at the American Academy of Pediatrics convention in 2015. She hopes to enter into a cardiology imaging fellowship in the future.

Congratulations, Dr. Avula! We’re proud you’re an AUA grad and expect more great things from you!