I am a pediatric imaging specialist at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. I perform and interpret echocardiograms for individuals with congenital heart defects ranging from simple heart lesions (such as an atrial septal defect, or a hole between the top two chambers of the heart) to very complex lesions, as well as acquired cardiovascular conditions (such as heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and infections involving the heart).

I knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was a young child. Then, while attending medical school in Germany, I had the opportunity to work closely with a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. I became captivated by the complexity of the heart and decided to pursue extra elective rotations in pediatric cardiology, which led me to pursue residency training in pediatrics and ultimately fellowship training in pediatric cardiology.

My love for echocardiography became apparent very early in my fellowship training. It's amazing what modern technology has enabled us to do – to see the beating heart and make diagnoses non-invasively. Echocardiography is not painful or harmful and yet extremely useful.

Fetal echocardiography is my passion and I particularly enjoy working with pregnant mothers and helping them attain the information and resources necessary to ensure their babies get the best care possible.

As a mother, I care for each patient as I would want my own child to be cared for. Often, I get to know patients and their families very well as I follow them throughout their lives. It's an honor and a privilege to get to accompany our heart heroes along the way.

I also love the intellectual challenge of my work and the opportunity to work closely with a team of qualified professionals to provide the best care possible to every patient.

Hospital Affiliations

• Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
• Memorial Hospital Miramar
• Memorial Hospital West
• Memorial Regional Hospital

Gender

• Female

Languages

• German

Education

Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg, 2005
Rheinisch-WestfalischeTechnische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, 2011

Residency

TC Thompson Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2015, Pediatrics

Fellowships

Medical University of South Carolina, 2018, Pediatric Cardiology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2019, Pediatric Cardiology

Certifications

American Board of Pediatrics-Pediatric Cardiology
American Board of Pediatrics-Pediatrics

Research

My research interests include echocardiography – especially fetal echocardiography – quality improvement and education.

Professional Organizations

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Society of Echocardiography
• American College of Cardiology

Presentations

Oral

• Tarah Popp. (2018, March). Kawasaki Update. Oral Presentation presented at Pediatric Grand Rounds; UTCOM, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• Tarah Kuschel. (2012, April). Ultrasonic Debridement of Deep Surgical Site Infection and Mediastinitis After Sternectomy. Oral Presentation presented at: 129th Congress of the German Society for Surgery; Berlin, Germany.
• Tarah Kuschel and Vanessa Pigg.(2014, May).Improving Patient Safety: The Triple Check. Oral Presentation presented at Resident Research Day UTCOM. Awarded first prize.

Poster

• Popp TJ, Thankavel PP, Lemler MS. Posterior-Aorta Transposition of the Great Arteries with Subaortic Conus. Presented at ASE 2019 Meeting in Portland, OR, 6/23/2019.
• Popp TJ, Chowdhury SM, Buckley JR, Taylor CL. NASA and Pediatric Echo Errors: Echo QA is Not Rocket Science. Presented at ASE 2018 Meeting in Nashville, TN, 6/25/18.
• Popp TJ, Chowdhury SM, Buckley JR, Taylor CL. NASA and Pediatric Echo Errors: Echo QA is Not Rocket Science. Presented at MUSC DCRI Resident Research Day, 4/13/18.
• Gerding B, Bradley S, Popp T, Hlavacek AM. Preoperative Imaging of Pulmonary Arteries in Neonates with Ductal Dependent Congenital Heart Disease. Presented at MUSC DCRI Resident Research Day, 4/13/18.
• Popp TJ, Henshaw MH, Carter J, Thomas TN, Chowdhury SM. Racial Differences in Myocardial Deformation in Obese Children: The Influence of Inflammatory State. Presented at MUSC DCRI Resident Research Day, 3/24/17.
• Popp TJ, Henshaw MH, Carter J, Thomas TN, Chowdhury SM. Racial Differences in Myocardial Deformation in Obese Children: The Influence of Inflammatory State. Presented at CHOP Cardiology 2017 Meeting in Orlando, FL, 2/25/17.
• Kuschel, T and Pigg, V. Improving Patient Safety: The Triple Check. Poster Presentation at Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) Conference 11/5/2014.