Dr. Shakuntala Advani moved from the west coast to the east coast before settling in Des Moines in 1991.

She chose to be a physician early in life, but also has a strong interest in mathematics. Her first degree, from California State University in Long Beach, is in math. A master's degree from the University of California at Los Angeles is in biology.

Dr. Advani even taught calculus while earning a medical degree and doctorate in pharmacology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. After a residency in Los Angeles, she completed cardiology and invasive cardiology fellowships at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Dr. Advani is board certified in general, interventional and nuclear cardiology, as well as echocardiography. She practices at Iowa Heart Center's West University clinic in West Des Moines.