Syed Waqas Haider, MBBS, MD, MPH

Syed Waqas Haider, MD, MPH, FACC is a board-certified cardiologist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, where he serves as Director of the Pericardial Disease Program. He specializes in the evaluation and treatment of complex pericardial syndromes, recurrent pericarditis, and inflammatory cardiac conditions, with additional clinical expertise in multimodality imaging and general cardiology.

Dr. Haider is certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, and nuclear cardiology. His academic work focuses on advanced imaging applications for inflammatory heart disease and clinical trials in recurrent pericarditis. He is actively involved as site investigator for the RESONANCE registry and co-primary investigator for the MAvERIC-Pilot trial, a multi-center study investigating cannabidiol therapy in recurrent pericarditis. He previously contributed to NIH-sponsored COVID-19 trials during the pandemic’s early phase.

…He has published in high-impact journals including JACC Case Reports, Frontiers in Medicine, and BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, and served as a guest editor for JACC Case Reports. In addition to his clinical and research leadership, Dr. Haider is a committed educator and received the 2023 Educator of the Year award from the MedStar Georgetown/Washington Hospital Center Cardiovascular Fellowship. He holds an MPH from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Philosophy of Care

 Many of my patients call me an "old-school doctor"—a term I wear with pride. I believe in personalized, attentive care and take the time to listen beyond just cardiac symptoms. In doing so, I often uncover important clinical details that shape better diagnoses and treatment. Cardiovascular disease is one of the few major killers we can often prevent or control. My goal is to translate complex guidelines and therapies into clear, actionable steps for each patient—making care not just evidence-based, but practical.

Clinical Trials 

2023–present: Co-Primary Investigator- MAvERIC-Pilot Trial. Phase II trial of cannabidiol (CardiolRx™) in recurrent pericarditis.

2023–present: Site Investigator-RESONANCE Registry for recurrent pericarditis registry (Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals).

2020- Secondary Investigator-NIH COVID-19 Therapeutic Trial. Remdesivir safety and efficacy in moderate COVID-19. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04292730.

2023: Co-primary investigator- Cardiol 100-004 Study (MAvERIC-Pilot). Cardiol 100-004 is a Phase 2 multi-center, open-label, pilot study assessing the impact of CardiolRx™ (cannabidiol) oral solution, on recurrent pericarditis. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05494788). 

2020: Secondary investigator- Study to Evaluate the Safety and Antiviral Activity of Remdesivir (GS-5734™) in Participants With Moderate Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Compared to Standard of Care Treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04292730).