Kaitlyn McSurdy, MD ’20, has never been one to back away from a challenge. The former Division I sprinter from Ringtown, Pennsylvania, is now a third-year general cardiology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Heart and Vascular Institute, just months away from becoming a cardiologist.
Along the way, the first-generation college graduate has served as a chief resident, led research on artificial intelligence in medicine, taken up marathon running, and built an online community where she mentors aspiring physicians. She credits St. George’s University with setting that journey in motion.
“All you need is an opportunity, and it’s up to you what you do with it and what you make of it,” she said.
From SGU to cardiology
Dr. McSurdy first learned about SGU from a poster on her train commute, and after meeting the Philadelphia-based team who interviewed her and hearing how SGU had supported them, it turned out to be the perfect fit.
She excelled in her first term, soon began teaching review sessions to fellow students, and fell in love with Grenada, from Spicemas to teaching swim lessons with Get Grenada Swimming. She loved the island so much that she and her husband returned to get married there in 2024.
After graduating in 2020, she matched into internal medicine at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, one of the first SGU graduates to match into the program in more than a decade. She went on to be elected chief resident, taking on clinical teaching, curriculum development, and residency administration.
In 2024, she hit another major milestone, matching into cardiology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. Cardiology has historically been one of the more competitive internal medicine subspecialties to match into, and she credits mentors, including fellow SGU grad Dr. Pravin Patil, with helping her get there.
“SGU gave me three things,” she said. “It gave me the chance that no one else was willing to. It gave me support when I needed it. And it challenged me.”
Exploring new frontiers in heart care
Dr. McSurdy’s interests now center on sports cardiology and women’s heart health, two fast-growing fields with plenty of room to improve care. She’s especially focused on closing gaps for female athletes and helping clinicians better recognize heart disease in women. “I get excited and energized about fields that have a lot of room for impact,” she said.
Her research is already making its mark. She received a fellowship research grant to study how AI can detect atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heart rhythm in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively. She has won a research award for examining how generative AI affects medical trainees and was invited to present Grand Rounds at another institution on social media in medicine.
She also co-authored a case report in JACC: Case Reports on a marathoner who had a heart attack after finishing a race, spotlighting a gap in guidance for athletes returning to competition after certain cardiac events.
“No matter what professional accomplishments I can list, the greatest one is any time I can impact a patient’s life in a way they find meaningful,” she said.
Going the distance
After crossing the finish line at the New York City Marathon in 2023, Dr. McSurdy set her sights on completing all six original World Marathon Majors—a series of prestigious races held in New York City, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin, and Tokyo—before finishing fellowship. She has run most of them in support of charitable causes.
Balancing races with fellowship takes early-morning training runs and a strong support system. Her husband, a personal trainer, preps her meals during training and exam blocks, and her colleagues cheer her on.
“Don’t let what you think you’re good at limit your growth,” she said. “It takes a different level of you to commit to something you’re not good at and work at it tirelessly.”
The payoff goes well beyond the finish line. “Getting up to run 14 miles on your day off in the snow is not comfortable,” she said, “but it makes every other hard season of life feel manageable.”
Paying it forward
Dr. McSurdy started sharing study resources with fellow SGU students on Instagram. That effort grew into @prescriptionfitnessmd, where she now shares insights on medicine, fitness, and mentorship with aspiring physicians.
Having served on medical school, residency, and fellowship admissions committees, she knows what it takes to stand out. After fellowship, she hopes to build a sports cardiology practice, care for women’s hearts, and keep teaching the next generation.
“Sit at tables you are uncomfortable at,” she said. “So much of my growth has come from experiences I was terrified of.”
And she never forgets where it all began. “Just like the boat on the dock at campus says, ‘You know it don’t come easy,’” she said. “Building a career you want takes a lot of work, and the work isn’t easy.”
