Dr. Kelly Richardson’s path to becoming a cardiologist didn’t begin with stethoscopes or hospital rounds – it began underwater.
“I thought I was going to be a marine biologist,” says the Chattanooga native, who now works at The Chattanooga Heart Institute at CHI Memorial. “After my sophomore year of college, I spent a summer doing marine research at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences and at the Duke Marine Lab (in North Carolina). But it was boring.”
That summer became a turning point for Richardson, who surprised her father with a new ambition. “I told my dad, ‘I want to be a doctor.’ He said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before you go off to medical school, let’s make sure it’s what you really want to do.’”
To gauge her interest, Richardson arranged to spend the summer after her junior year of college shadowing doctors at the Heart Institute, where she observed patient consultations, peered into imaging labs and watched procedures in real time. And she loved it, she says.
“I was able to tell my dad, ‘I definitely want to go into medicine.’”
Richardson didn’t change her mind again. Rather, she stayed the course while earning her medical degree Vanderbilt University, completing her residency and internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and undertaking fellowships in cardiovascular medicine, electrophysiology and biodesign innovation at Stanford Medical Center. Upon finishing this demanding educational arc, Richardson found herself at another crossroads: deciding which subspecialty to pursue.
She narrowed her focus to two options: interventional cardiology or electrophysiology. In a moment of levity with friends, she created a tongue-in-cheek decision chart titled “Plumber vs. Electrician” to compare the two paths.
“We made columns with pluses and minuses,” Richardson says. “The final line was ‘Lifestyle.’ Interventional cardiology meant getting called in the middle of the night for heart attacks. That was ‘minus, minus, minus.’ Electrophysiology had fewer emergencies. That was ‘plus, plus, plus.’”
That was the deciding factor. And today, Richardson is one of the region’s top specialists in cardiac electrophysiology, a specialty that tasks her with helping patients with heart rhythm disorders – especially atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common arrhythmia in adults.
Earlier this year, Richardson used the FDA-approved FARAPULSE system to perform the first pulsed field ablation (PFA) procedure in the Chattanooga region. The breakthrough treatment uses focused electrical pulses – rather than heat or cold – to selectively disable the faulty heart cells that cause AFib while sparing surrounding tissue.
“Atrial fibrillation is becoming more common, and treatments like PFA allow us to safely and efficiently restore normal rhythm,” Richardson explains. “The recovery is faster, and the risk of damage to healthy heart structures is lower.”
Richardson still marvels at how far her field has come. “When I was a fellow, we’d isolate two veins, go downstairs for lunch, come back, do the other two, and finish by 5 p.m. It took all day,” she says. “Now we can isolate all four pulmonary veins in 30 minutes. And upcoming tools might get that down to 10 to 20 minutes. It’s exciting.”
While the technology is cutting-edge, the most meaningful moments still come from Richardson’s patients. “I’ve had people tell me they feel like a new person after ablation,” she says. “They can exercise again. One woman lost 40 pounds after her procedure. Some patients say they feel calmer.”
Richardson says this tangible impact keeps her going. “Cardiology is intellectually stimulating, and there’s always something new on the way, but when you can help someone feel better, live longer or avoid a stroke – that’s rewarding.”
Despite her professional success, Richardson remains grounded in her roots. After years of training and working in California, she and her husband chose to return to Chattanooga.
“My parents were still here and having health issues, and we wanted to be close by,” she explains. “Plus, my oldest child was starting sixth grade, and the schools here are wonderful. It’s a great place to raise a family.”
Richardson’s husband, Dr. Ray Tabibiazar, is a cardiologist by training who is leading a company focused on developing new drug therapies for cardiovascular conditions, including atrial fibrillation. “He’s drawn to the science behind the treatment,” Richardson says. “While I’m treating patients, he’s working on creating the next generation of medications to complement procedures like ablation.”
While Richardson and her husband might be serving the medical arena in different capacities, they’re working together to raise three children. Their eldest, a senior at Girls Preparatory School, plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Their middle child, a high school sophomore, is considering medicine, too, but with a surgical twist.
“She’s a perfectionist,” Richardson says. “She crochets and knits, so I’ve told her, ‘You’d make a great plastic surgeon.’”
When she’s not in scrubs, Richardson recharges by traveling. She’s been to nearly 70 countries, with Madagascar standing out as a favorite. “It was eye-opening. People were living in huts with no running water,” she says. “But the wildlife was amazing and we did a lot of diving.”
Richardson’s next adventure is more mission-driven. This summer, she and her family will travel to Tanzania to assist with a research project at a children’s orphanage founded by a California friend. “We’ll be looking at the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in kids there,” she says. “It’s a different kind of work, but just as important.”
The innovative nature of Richardson’s work and her globe-trotting adventures might be entertaining fodder for conversation, but neither one is the most surprising thing about her. That would be the food she admits to enjoying.
“I always tell my patients not to eat like I do,” she laughs. “My favorite dessert is cheesecake. And I love kebabs. My husband is Persian, so that worked out perfectly.”
For young women considering a career in medicine, Richardson offers advice that mirrors her path: seek out real-world experience early. “Shadow doctors, spend time in clinics, see what the day-to-day looks like,” she offers.
Richardson also stresses the importance of finding mentors and building a support system. “If you’re curious, motivated and willing to put in the work, there’s a place for you in this field.”
Essentially, don’t be afraid to forge your own path – even if you start off heading in the wrong direction.