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Meet the Champions: In Conversation with the Missouri Chapter Team, Winners of ACC National Domestic FIT Jeopardy 2025
ACC FIT Jeopardy is a highly anticipated game show-style competition among domestic and international fellows-in-training that tests their clinical knowledge of a variety of topics. The popular competition fosters FIT engagement in their state or national chapters and features Jeopardy categories based on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Cardiovascular Disease Exam Blueprint. ACC members submit hundreds of questions across multiple cardiovascular categories to be included in the competition.
During the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25), 40 domestic teams and four international teams faced off in the ACC Fellows-in-Training (FIT) Jeopardy competition. In a historic, first ever win, the Missouri Chapter of the ACC won the Domestic FIT Jeopardy Competition. The atmosphere in the final round was electric, and the Engage stage was packed with an audience holding its collective breath. The Missouri Chapter team consisting of Arshad Muhammad Iqbal, MD, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, Raja Zaghlol, MD and Shreyas Venkataraman, MD, Washington University, St. Louis performed immensely well under pressure and pulled off an incredible win with their excellent teamwork, poise and confidence.
The MO ACC Connect interviewed the exuberant trio to get a glimpse of their journey. They all emphasized enjoying the process and the competition as much as the victory.
They offered sound advice and words of wisdom for the Missouri team that will participate next year. Arshad noted “My biggest piece of advice would be to trust in your team and be adaptable. No matter how much you know and prepare, there will always be surprises, so staying flexible and supporting each other when things get tough is key. The ability to stay calm under pressure is crucial, and practicing together will help you not only answer the questions more effectively but also work better as a unit. Also, make sure to take time to enjoy the process. The journey itself can be just as rewarding as the win.”
Shreyas added “Chemistry over cramming—that’s the heart of it. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to memorize obscure facts, but what really carries you through a competition like this is how well you work together. Know your strengths, understand your teammates’ rhythms, and trust each other enough to take the swing, especially when someone else misses. There were moments when one of us would fumble a question or go blank, but the others would jump in without hesitation to keep the momentum going. That kind of mutual belief can’t be crammed—it’s built through shared effort and respect.”
Excerpts from their interview –
- What does this win mean for you personally?
AI: This win is incredibly meaningful to me because it represents not just a culmination of hard work, but also the dedication and teamwork that went into getting here. Personally, it’s a testament to my growth and commitment to not just the competition, but also the valuable lessons I’ve learned along the way about collaboration, and perseverance.
RZ: A pleasant surprise and fun experience. Enjoyed meeting fellows from different programs and refreshing my memory on different topics in cardiology outside my specialty.
SV: It’s humbling, truly. To compete with and learn from such an accomplished group of fellows from across the country reminded me that cardiology is as vast as it is deep. Winning felt less like a finish line and more like a spark—a reminder of how much more there is to explore. It wasn’t just about getting questions right—it was about being present, staying curious, and trusting the process.
- Can you share a memorable moment from your journey that led to this achievement?
AI: One of the most memorable moments was in the semifinal when our team was facing a particularly tough round, and we were behind in the score. It felt like we might not catch up, but we managed to work together seamlessly to answer tough questions. The way our team communicated and supported each other through that moment made me realize just how much we had grown together as a team. When we pulled ahead in the final round, the sense of relief and accomplishment was unforgettable—it really showcased our teamwork and resilience.
RZ: Coming back from trailing by -500 to winning the round after we got all $400 questions correct
SV: I remember being a second-year internal medicine resident, sitting in the back of a Jeopardy session at ACC, wide-eyed and maybe just a little overwhelmed (Okay- very overwhelmed!). These folks were answering obscure questions in seconds—I was just trying to keep up. But that moment stuck. It lit a fire. Fast-forward to this year, Arshad and my first time competing at ACC, and it’s surreal. Turns out, if you love the process, if you keep chipping away, the summit doesn’t feel quite so far. - What were your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a team?
AI: Our biggest strength was our communication and ability to stay calm under pressure. We were able to quickly exchange thoughts under pressure, which helped us answer questions correctly and efficiently. However, one of our weaknesses was sometimes hesitating on questions that seemed tricky at first. There were moments where we overthought things instead of trusting our initial instincts. But we learned to focus on the bigger picture, which really helped us in the end.
RZ: Each member of the team was specializing in a different field in cardiology, so we had strength on most topics. Unfortunately, we did not prepare or meet before the meeting. Some questions we hesitated on buzzing and lost them.
SV: Our greatest strength? Balance. Each of us brought a different flavor to the table with post-fellowship interests—interventional, EP, heart failure. We had diversity in thought and depth in strategy. And even when we were down—sometimes by 800 points—we believed we could ride a comeback wave if we stayed sharp. Now, our Achilles’ heel? Adult congenital heart disease. I’d say we collectively held our breath every time it popped up. But what surprised us was how our apparent weakness—being from different fellowship programs—turned into a strength. Different perspectives, same mission. We gelled better than we could’ve imagined.
