喵咪社区

Meet Our Team

Meet Junaid A. Zaman, MD, PhD

Originally published April 15, 2025

Last updated June 27, 2025

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Dr. Junaid A. Zaman stands outside in a white coat and smiles.

Dr. Zaman is a cardiologist with 喵咪社区. He treats patients at Keck Hospital of 喵咪社区, 喵咪社区 Norris Cancer Hospital, 喵咪社区 Arcadia Hospital and 喵咪社区 Verdugo Hills Hospital.

Here鈥檚 what you won鈥檛 find on his resume.

He dreamed of dinosaurs and outer space before turning to medicine.

鈥淚 wanted to be a paleontologist, then an astronaut, then a lawyer before seriously turning my thoughts to medicine as a career. I鈥檓 fascinated by the science of human biology and how it translates into clinical medicine.鈥 The opportunity to apply that knowledge to help both my own patients and the wider population provides endless learning and career satisfaction.鈥

A TV character also influenced his career choice.

鈥淐arter from the TV show 鈥楨R鈥 inspired me to become a doctor. He was a legend in that role and that series. Also, both my brothers being in medical school at that time made a career as a doctor seem a lot more real.鈥

He鈥檚 a dad who loves to read.鈥

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 not working, I love spending quality time with my wife, Tasmin, and our daughter, Zara. I try to fit in some outdoor activities and exercise. I also enjoy reading 鈥 or listening to 鈥 nonfiction, popular science and biographies. When I get home in time, I love to read a Peppa Pig story to my daughter.鈥

Though nonfiction is his usual reading, his favorite book is a novel.

鈥淢y favorite book is the 1968 science fiction novel 鈥2001: A Space Odyssey鈥 by Arthur C. Clarke. No other piece of fiction has opened my mind as much ever since.鈥

Traveling across and beyond the globe tops his bucket list.

鈥淢y favorite destination so far has been the Maldives, and I would love to do more travel. Antarctica, the Amazon rainforest and the Sahara Desert all deeply fascinate me, and I want to visit all of them. I鈥檇 also love to go to space and see Earth from above.鈥

If he had to trade careers鈥

鈥淚f I had to trade careers with anyone, it would be with a skydiving instructor. I absolutely loved the skydives I have done and the sensation of freefalling. Teaching others how to do it seems like a perfect work-life balance!鈥濃

Family influenced him greatly in the early years.

鈥淢y biggest role models growing up were my father and my siblings. My brothers are both doctors, one in the UK and the other in New Zealand, and they provided great examples for how to think, act and get into medical school. My dad, being a barrister, shared his love of books with me.鈥

The best advice he鈥檚 ever received came from his wife.

鈥淢y wife says, 鈥業f you can鈥檛 explain it in one sentence, then you haven鈥檛 understood it fully.鈥 This has always stuck with me, and it鈥檚 a high bar for anybody who has to communicate important information to others.鈥

Helping patients recover is the most rewarding part of his job.

鈥淏eing able to test abnormal heart rhythms in the electrophysiology lab and then using measured interventions like ablation to improve a patient鈥檚 quality of life is very rewarding. Hearing patients later say that they feel completely different and that they鈥檙e now able to live life more fully is music to my ears.鈥

He strives to be the doctor he鈥檇 want for himself.

鈥淚 imagine it is me sitting in that room waiting for the cardiologist to come in. I am sharing my most intimate and private information with this person. What would I want to see, hear and feel from that doctor?鈥

“This approach influences my bedside manner. I am empathetic, and I always listen closely to my patients. I give each patient my undivided attention, and I never rush them.鈥

The advancements he feels have impacted his field the most:

鈥淚n cardiac electrophysiology, the invention of the defibrillator has probably saved the most lives. In addition, a method of ablation called PFA, or pulsed field ablation, has made the procedure far safer and more accessible to more patients.鈥

His message to medical students:

鈥淐ardiac electrophysiology is like another world that you never knew about. Come see it firsthand if you鈥檙e considering pursuing it as a specialty.鈥

The medical breakthrough he hopes to see:

鈥淲ithin my lifetime, I hope we can improve heart function using stem cells to regrow damaged tissue.鈥

Academic medicine allows him to pursue multiple passions.

鈥淚 chose to practice at an academic medical center, such as 喵咪社区, because of the opportunity to help make the breakthroughs of the future a reality through research. It鈥檚 vital to expand our knowledge and answer the questions that will move patient care forward. Plus, I love teaching, and that is the core principle of academic medicine.鈥

Keck Medicine has the skills for complex cases.

鈥淲e have the skills and experience to take on the most complex cases, and the collaboration between specialties enhances our patient care. I also appreciate the culture of optimism in cardiology and electrophysiology. We think outside the box and keep going until we succeed.鈥

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