Jim W. Cheung, M.D.

Jim Cheung, MD, FACC, FHRS is Professor of Medicine, Associate Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Director of Clinical Electrophysiology Research, and Director of the Cornell Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program at Weill Cornell Medicine. A native New Yorker and valedictorian from the Bronx High School of Science, he graduated summa cum laude in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University in 1995 and received his medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 1999. He completed his internship and residency training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Cheung performed his fellowship training in cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital - Cornell University Medical Center.Dr. Cheung specializes in the treatment of all heart rhythm disorders with a focus on innovative treatments. His areas of expertise include 1) catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) including use of pulsed field ablation, 2) complex atrial tachycardia (with specialization on the use of zero and near-zero X-ray exposure techniques), 3) ventricular arrhythmias (with extensive experience in robotic magnetic navigation-guided ablation), and 4) cardiac device implantation (with emphasis on His/left bundle region pacing, cardiac resynchronization therapy devices and subcutaneous/extravascular implantable cardioverter-defibrillators [ICDs]). He employs a tailored patient-centered and multidisciplinary approach to the management of AF and VT and has successfully treated patients who have failed treatment at other centers.He is co-founder of the Weill Cornell Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Group (CORG) whose mission is to assess the effectiveness and outcomes of cardiovascular interventions with a focus on the treatment of heart rhythm disorders and structural heart disease and the improvement of healthcare delivery. He has published over 150 papers on original studies, review topics and editorials on the outcomes of catheter ablation of AF and ventricular arrhythmias, arrhythmia mechanisms, genetics of inherited arrhythmias, syncope and other aspects of heart rhythm disorders. Dr. Cheung is conducting research on areas including: 1) innovative AF ablation techniques and technologies, 2) novel arrhythmia devices, 3) real-world outcomes of arrhythmia therapies, 4) genetic and metabolic factors on the development of arrhythmias in patients, and 5) robotic magnetic navigation-guided ablation of complex arrhythmias. He is the site principal investigator of several major clinical trials including AVANT GUARD for pulsed field ablation of AF (Clinicaltrials.gov ID NCT06096337), REACT AF for a novel strategy for anticoagulation for AF (NCT05836987), the EV-ICD pivotal study for a novel extravascular implantable-cardioverter defibrillator (NCT04060680) and the Left versus Left randomized clinical trial comparing left bundle branch pacing versus conventional CRT (NCT05650658). In a collaboration with the Weill Cornell Englander Institute of Precision Medicine, Dr. Cheung is the principal investigator of a study evaluating the role of next generation sequencing for the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders, including atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest in young patients.He is Chair of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Electrophysiology Section Leadership Council, Vice-Chair of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Electrophysiology Fellowship Program Directors Committee, and Board Member of the Society for Cardiac Robotic Navigation. He has been a faculty speaker and moderator at the Heart Rhythm Society, American College of Cardiology and Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society scientific sessions. He is a Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society and Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.Dr. Cheung has regularly been named a New York Magazine Top Doctor in Cardiac Electrophysiology since 2018. His other honors include: Castle Connolly Top Doctor in Cardiac Electrophysiology since 2015, Harvard Medical School Class of 2001 Teaching Award for mentorship of medical students, the Massachusetts General Hospital Internal Medicine Resident Teaching Award in 2002 and the NSLIJ Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. He was a 2011 Weill Cornell Medical College Department of Medicine Investigators Research Award Finalist. He is fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin.