Leslie Ynalvez, MD
Department of Cardiology, Division of Internal Medicine
About Dr. Leslie Ammabel Ynalvez
Leslie Ynalvez, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Cardiology. Dr. Ynalvez graduated medical school from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (2018). She then completed her Internal Medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine (2021) and Cardiovascular Disease fellowship training at the University of Texas Health Science Center McGovern Medical School (2024), where she served as chief cardiology fellow.
During her training, she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and was the recipient of the Golden Stethoscope Award, Resident-as-Teacher Award, and Outstanding Resident Award during residency training at BCM; Smythe Award for Excellence in Resident Education and Outstanding Clinical Fellow Award during all three years of fellowship training at UTHealth. Her clinical and research interests include preventative cardio-oncology, adult echocardiography, and medical education.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Cardiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2018 | The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, US, MD |
| 2013 | The University of Texas at Austin, US, Cell and Molecular Biology, BS |
Postgraduate Training
| 2021-2024 | Fellowship, Cardiovascular Disease, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2018-2021 | Residency, Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2024 | Texas Medical License |
Experience & Service
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Associate Director, Echocardiography Laboratory, Department of Cardiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2025 - Present
Education Committee, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program, Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, 2025 - Present
Chief Fellow, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program, Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, 2023 - 2024
Honors & Awards
| 2026 | Faculty of the Year Award, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program |
| 2024 | Outstanding Imaging Fellow, 2023-2024, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Cardiology |
| 2024 | Outstanding Clinical Fellow, 2023-2024, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program |
| 2023 | Outstanding Clinical Fellow, 2022-2023, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program |
| 2023 | Clinical Fellow of the Year, 2022-2023, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Christus Spohn Hospital – Shoreline |
| 2022 | Outstanding Clinical Fellow, 2021-2022, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program |
| 2022 | Outstanding Fellow of the Year, 2021-2022, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Internal Medicine Residency Program |
| 2022 | Smythe Award for Excellence in Resident Education, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Internal Medicine Residency Program |
| 2021 | Outstanding Resident Award, Baylor College of Medicine, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Harris Health System |
| 2021 | Resident-As-Teacher Award, Baylor College of Medicine, Internal Medicine Residency Program |
| 2019 | Golden Stethoscope Award, Baylor College of Medicine, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Harris Health System, Smith Clinic |
| 2012 | Summer Research Internship Program (SIP), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine |
| 2011 | Summer Research Internship Program (SIP), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2026. 16th Annual Houston State-of-the-Art Echo Symposium & Boot Camp for the 2026 Board. Invited. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. The Breakthrough of GLP-1 Agonists in Cardiovascular Disease: SELECT to SUMMIT. Invited. Grand Rounds. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Interactive Exercises in Cardiovascular Health Equity: Preview of the American College of Cardiology Education Health Equity Case Initiative. Invited. UCLA Grand Rounds. Los Angeles, California, US.
National Presentations
- 2025. Session 234: What's the Skinny on GLP-1 Agonists?. ACC.25. Chicago, Illinois, US.
Formal Peers
- 2026. Echocardiography 2D Linear Quantification for the Left Ventricle. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Echocardiographic Evaluation of Aortic Regurgitation. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. The University of Texas Health Science Center, McGovern Medical School, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program Weekly Didactics. Houston, Texas, US.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Ranganath S, Ynalvez L, Ali HR, Hamzeh I, Kumar S, Zehner C, Koutroumpakis E, Palaskas N, Chandrasekharan C, Deswal A, Iliescu C, Khalaf S. Imaging of myocardial carcinoid metastasis. J Am Coll Cardiol Case Rep 31(26), 2026. PMID: 42153926.
- King N, Kapadia M, Schubert S, Jacob J, Song J, Kumar S, Ynalvez L, Kantharia B, Deswal A, Karimzad K. Cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with cancer: a single cancer center experience. Heart Rhythm O2, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Ynalvez LA, Iliescu C, Hamzeh IR, Deswal A, Palaskas NL. Treating a metastatic pericardial tumor. J Am Coll Cardiol Case Rep 30(17), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40615195.
- Walser E, Nance A, Ynalvez L, Yong S, Aoughsten JS, Eyzaguirre EJ, Williams SB. Focal laser ablation of prostate cancer: results in 120 patients with low- to intermediate-risk disease. J Vasc Interv Radiol 30(3):401-409, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30819483.
- Ynalvez LA, Kosarek CD, Kerr PS, Mahmoud AM, Eyzaguirre EJ, Orihuela E, Sonstein JN, Williams SB. Atypical small acinar proliferation at index prostate biopsy: rethinking the re-biopsy paradigm. Int Urol Nephrol 50(1):1-6, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29064003.
- Williams SB, Huo J, Chamie K, Smaldone MC, Kosarek CD, Fang JE, Ynalvez LA, Kim SP, Hoffman KE, Giordano SH, Chapin BF. Discerning the survival advantage among patients with prostate cancer who undergo radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy: the limitations of cancer registry data. Cancer 123(9):1617-1624, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28099688.
- Calvi C, Podowski M, Lopez-Mercado A, Metzger S, Misono K, Malinina A, Dikeman D, Poonyagariyon H, Ynalvez L, Derakhshandeh R, Le A, Merchant M, Schwall R, Neptune ER. Hepatocyte growth factor, a determinant of airspace homeostasis in the murine lung. PLoS Genetics 9(2), 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23459311.
Review Articles
- Deng B, Desai S, Ynalvez LA, Aziz MK, Iliescu C. Evaluating the shared risk factors between atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cancer: how significant is the link?. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther 23(7), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 2527704.
- Desai S, Aziz MK, Marmagkiolis K, Cilingiroglu M, Iliescu C, Ynalvez LA. Management of stable coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome in patients with cancer. Curr Cardiol Rep 27(1):65, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40035980.
Professional Educational Materials
- Ynalvez LA, Yang EH, Deswal A, Chen MH. Challenges in Contemporary Cardiac Care: A Case-Based Module. American College of Cardiology, 2024.
Editorials
- Desai S, Ynalvez LA, Wehrens XH. Optimal P2Y12 inhibitor after myocardial infarction: can angio-IMR guide treatment selection?. Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy 40(2):415-417, 2026. PMID: 40591127.
- Ynalvez LA, Deswal A, University ACP. In adults with HF with preserved ejection fraction and obesity, tirzepatide reduced a composite of CV death or worsening HF at 2 y. Ann Intern Med 178(4):JC43, 2025. PMID: 40163881.
Abstracts
- Ynalvez L, Kosarek C, Kerr P, Fang J, Eyzaguirre E, Orihuela E, Williams SB. Atypical small acinar proliferation: Progression to clinically significant prostate cancer?. 17th Annual Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology.
- Ynalvez LA, Kaczmarek JV, Etchegaray MA. Cardiac tamponade with pericardial metastasis: An initial presentation of a GI malignancy. Southern Society of General Internal Medicine.
- Ynalvez LA, Simpson L, George J, Nguyen HL, Sudhakar D, Nair A, Oberton S, Delgado R, Seth S, Bandeali S, Mattar A, Loor G, Shaffi A, Liao K, Civitello A, Taimeh Z. Elderly patients > 70 years old have comparable survival to younger patients on Impella 5.0 support for cardiogenic shock. Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 2019.
- Ynalvez LA, Urena P, Paniagua DE, Induni E, Paniagua LM, Alcantara JR, Ynalvez MA, Paniagua D. First human transcatheter aortic valve implantation of the Colibri Heart Valve, a pre-mounted, pre-packaged, low profile dry valve: A 7-year follow-up. Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 2020 - Virtual Conference; Challenging Case.
- Amatullah A, Yarrabothula A, Ynalvez L, Ynalvez MA, Kee P, Tung P. Diastolic dysfunction in pregnancy: Echocardiographic parameters in patients with cardiometabolic risk factors. 2022 Annual Conference of the American Society of Echocardiography.
- Ynalvez L, Mandviwala T, Marah N, Arain S. Mechanical thrombectomy of a pacemaker-related subclavian vein thrombus using the Penumbra Indigo System Lightening 12. 2022 Annual Conference of the Cardiovascular Innovations.
- Ynalvez L, Nadadur S, Arain S. Coronary intervention: Snaring victory from the ostium of defeat. 2023 Annual Conference of the Cardiovascular Research Technologies.
- Ynalvez LA, Lalani S, Rosales OR. Decision for renal artery stenting in renovascular disease. 2023 Annual Conference of the American College of Cardiology; Challenging Clinical Case.
- Ynalvez L, Monlezun D, Hust M, Madjid M, Alexandrescu S, Koutroumpakis E, Palaskas N, Honan K, Liu V, Cilingiroglu M, Marmagkiolis K, Deswal A, Smalling R, Iliescu C. COVID-19 complicated by respiratory failure increases inpatient STEMI mortality: Machine learning-augmented modified propensity score adjusted longitudinal cohort study. 2023 Annual Conference of the American College of Cardiology.
- Ynalvez L, Monlezun D, Ali A, Shadid H, Seal Z, Pushparaji B, Koutroumpakis E, Park JK, Cilingiroglu M, Marmagkiolis K, Iliescu C. Covid-19 incidence, mortality, and disparities for cancer, cardio-oncology, and the general population: Machine learning national analysis of 27 million hospitalizations in 2020. 2023 Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association.
- Clement M, Ynalvez L, Patnaik, S. Transthoracic echocardiogram in cardiac sarcoid screening: Rethinking current practice. 2024 Annual Conference of the American Society of Echocardiography.
- Ali A, Ynalvez L, Song J, Koutroumpakis E, Ali HJ, Khalaf S, Mendoza K, Yusuf S, Palaskas N, Iliescu C, Jain P, Deswal A. Risk assessment for cardiac adverse events with Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with mantle cell lymphoma. 2024 Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association.
- Ynalvez LA, Ebrahimi S, Thomas S, Gensini L, Seif S, Khalaf S, Ali HJ, Kumar S, Palaskas NL, Iliescu C, Deswal A, Koutroumpakis E, Hamzeh I. Novel indices strengthen echocardiographic diagnosis of light-chain cardiac amyloidosis. 2026 Annual Conference of the American College of Cardiology.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified July 22, 2026