Torsten P. Vahl, MD, is the Director of Translational Research and an attending physician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Dr. Vahl is board-certified in interventional cardiology, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, and internal medicine. He specializes in the percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease and structural heart disease, including cardiac catheterization. His primary focus areas include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement (TMVR), and left atrial appendage closure.Dr. Vahl is involved in preclinical and first-in-human studies through his work with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. He served as the national principal investigator for the ALIGN-AR trial, following his involvement in the device's preclinical research. He also proctors other interventional cardiologists on TAVR using the Trilogy valve and on TMVR with the Cephea valve. In the area of left atrial appendage closure, he has helped develop an intracardiac echo program that enables patients to undergo the procedure without general anesthesia or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).Dr. Vahl earned his medical degree from Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany. He completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He then completed fellowships in interventional cardiology and structural interventional cardiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.