Events

Mark Sweesy, FHRS is a CFIT consultant and member of the advisory board. He is founder and professor emeritus of Arrhythmia Technologies Institute. Sweesy is a fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society and is certified by the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners as a Certified Cardiac Device Specialist, Certified Electrophysiology Specialist, and Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist. In 2021, Sweesy was the first non-physician to be awarded the Top Teacher Award by the Heart Rhythm Society. He has published more than 100 articles in the cardiac device field.

Leon Blue, M.D., FACC, FACP, FSCAI is a member of the CFIT advisory board. He is a fellow in the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians and the Society of Cardiac Angiography and Interventions and is a member of the American Society of Echocardiography. Dr. Blue has served on the executive board of White County Medical Center where he was the chief of staff. He has published numerous articles in the American Journal of Cardiology, Investigative Radiology and Clinical Research. Dr. Blue earned his Doctor of Medicine fromUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where he also completed both his residency and a fellowship. He is board certified in both cardiovascular disease and internal medicine. Dr. Blue earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Harding University.

Kenneth Turley, Ph.D., FACSM is director and professor of CFIT. Turley is a fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine and is past president of the Central States Chapter of ACSM. He previously was the chair of Harding’s Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences where he taught physiology of exercise and laboratory methods in exercise physiology and conducted research for 25 years. Turley’s research has focused on the systemic control of blood pressure during exercise in both the pediatric and adult populations. He has published 24 peer-reviewed articles, including three invited reviews, and has presented data at regional and national conferences.

Turley earned his doctoral degree in exercise physiology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995. He received his master’s degree from Harding University in 1990 and his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University.

Tristan Pendergrass, MBA, FHRS is an assistant professor of CFIT. He is a fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society and is certified by the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners as a Certified Cardiac Device Specialist, Certified Electrophysiology Specialist, and Certified Remote Monitoring Specialist. He has nine years experience working in the cardiac device technology industry and five years experience teaching at Arrhythmia Technologies Institute in Greenville, South Carolina.
Pendergrass earned his Master of Business Administration from University of South Carolina in 2022. He received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Louisiana Tech University. He also completed Arrhythmia Technologies Institute’s certificate program in cardiac devices in 2007.