Lee Bankin Beerman, MD

  • Professor of Pediatrics
  • Director of Pediatric Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Center

Lee Bankin Beerman, MD, is Director of Electrophysiology Services and the Pediatric Arrhythmia Program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Beerman is highly respected not only at Children’s Hospital, but also throughout the local medical community in Western Pennsylvania, and nationally as a Pediatric Electrophysiologist. He has won numerous awards for his teaching, and has contributed to the literature of pediatric cardiology in general, and electrophysiology in particular. Beerman is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed his residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He arrived at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh  in 1977, where he completed his fellowship in 1979 and has remained on the Pediatric Cardiology staff to this day. Beerman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He is a former President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and Governor of the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACC. He has been a member of the American Heart Association since 1977.

At the start of his career, Beerman was the recipient of a fellowship grant and seven research grants from the American Heart Association. He actively participated on the local research committee and is a member of the Council for Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, recently severved on the national committee for Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease. He is the Immediate Past President of Children’s Hospital’s Medical Staff and past President of the Children’s Alumni Association. Beerman is involved in clinical research in topics related to arrhythmias and sudden death in the pediatric population and active in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. He sees general cardiology patients and specializes in the care of patients with arrhythmias. He also treats adults with congenital heart disease, many of whom he has followed since their early childhood. Beerman resides in the Point Breeze section of Pittsburgh, PA., with his wife Janet. They have two children, Michael and Elizabeth, and two grandchildren, Atticus and Cecelia

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships​

  • Society of Pediatric Echocardiography, 1983
  • American Heart Association, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, 1983
  • Society of Pediatric Electrophysiology, 1985
  • Medical Alumni Association of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 1985
  • American College of Cardiology - Served as Governor of Western Pennsylvania, 1992-1995
  • Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Cardiology – Governor and Vice-President, 1992-1994
  • Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Cardiology - Governor and President, 1994-1995
  • North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology [NASPE], 2000
  • Heart Rhythm Society (formerly known as NASPE), 2004
  • Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawaski Disease Committee, Council on CV Disease in the Young, 2005-2015

 

 

Education & Training

  • BA, Chemistry, Franklin and Marshall College, 1970
  • MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1974
  • Pediatric Internship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1974-1975
  • Pediatric Residency, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1975-1977
  • Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital Pittsburgh, 1977-1979

Selected Publications

Rosenthal D, Chrisant MR, Edens E, Mahony L, Canter C, Colan S, Dubin A, Lamour J, Ross R, Shaddy R,  Addonizio L, Beerman L, et al.  International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation:  Practice guidelines for management of heart failure in children.  Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.  23(12):1313-  33, 2004.

Law YM, Ettedgui J, Beerman L, Maisel A, Tofovic S.  Comparison of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide levels in single ventricle patients with systemic ventricle heart failure versus isolated cavopulmonary failure.  American  Journal of Cardiology.  98(4):520-4, 2006.

Restrictive hemodynamics are present at the time of diagnosis of allograft coronary artery disease in children. Law Y, Boyle G, Miller S, Clendaniel J, Ettedgui J, Beerman L, Counihan P, Webber S. Pediatr Transplant. 2006 Dec;10(8):948-52.

 Dexmedetomidine: a novel drug for the treatment of atrial and junctional tachyarrhythmias during the perioperative period for congenital cardiac surgery: a preliminary study. Chrysostomou C, Beerman L, Shiderly D, Berry D, Morell VO, Munoz R. Anesth Analg. 2008 Nov;107(5):1514-22.

 Update on cardiovascular implantable electronic device infections and their management: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Baddour, Larry M,  Epstein, Andrew E. Erickson, Christopher C. Knigh. Bradley P. Levison, Matthew E. Lockhart, Peter B. Masoudi, Frederick A. Okum, Eric J . Wilson, Walter R. Beerman, Lee B. Bolger, Ann F. Estes, N A Mark 3rd. Gewitz, Michael. Newburger, Jane W. Schron, Eleanor B.Taubert, Kathryn A. American Heart Association,   Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease Committee, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in Young. Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, Council on Cardiovascular Nursing, Council on Clinical Cardiology,  Interdisciplinary Council on Quality of Care. American Heart Association. Circulation. 121(3):458-77, 2010 Jan 26.

Fetal and Neonatal Presentation of Long QT Syndrome. Komarlu  R, Beerman LB, Freeman D, Arora G. PACE 2011;1-4

Wackel P, Irving C, Webber S, Beerman L, Arora G.  Risk Stratification in Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome: The Correlation Between Noninvasive and Invasive Testing in Pediatric Patients.  PACE 2012;00:1-7.    

Wackel P, Beerman L, Arora G.  Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and adenosine response in pediatric patients.  PACE 2013;36:491-6.

 Cain N, Irving C, Webber SA, Beerman LB, Arora G.  Natural History of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome  diagnosed in childhood.  Amer J Cardiol.  2013;112:961-5.   

Wackel P, Beerman LBB, West L, Arora G.  Tachycardia Detection Using Smartphone Applications in Pediatric Patients.  Journal of Pediatrics (in press), published online March 20,2014.

Academic and Research Interests

  • Pediatric Electrophsiology
  • Sudden Cardiac Death in the young
  • Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Research Grants

1981-1982 Epidemiology of blood pressure in children: Echocardiographic evaluation. (Collaborating Investigator; Principal Investigator, Joseph Schlacter, M.D.,) Graduate School of Public Health, Dept. of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh.  

1985-1986 Dysrhythmia detection in normal children - American Heart Association of Western Pennsylvania.  

1986-1987 Dysrhythmia detection in normal children (Renewal) - American Heart Association of Western Pennsylvania. 

1988-present Study of SYNAGIS for prophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus in children with congenital heart disease. (Co-Investigator; Principal Investigator, Susan A. Miller, M.D.). 

1999 Multicenter Study: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Sotalol in a Pediatric Population with Ventricular and Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias (Co-investigator).

1999 Multicenter Study:  Prospective Follow up of Cardiac Ablation in Pediatric Population, NIH

2000-2002 Multicenter Study (Local PI):  Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of Amiodarone in Pediatrics 

2003-Present Consultant on Grant Application to the Dept of HHS and Public Health Service:  Clinical and Molecular Analysis of Brugada Syndrome [ Barry London, M.D. – PI ]

2003 Contributing writer to multicenter committee to write guidelines for management of arrhythmias in pediatric patients with heart failure

2008-present Consultant, Hereditary Arrhythmic Syndromes, PI Jan Nemec MD- PI)