Eric J. Velazquez, MD, section chief
Nihar Desai, MD, MPH, clinical chief
Daniel Price, MD, clinical chief
Research
The current research portfolio of Cardiovascular Medicine includes dozens of active grant awards supported by nearly $200 million in total funding, including over $8 million in new funding during the past year, from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the American Heart Association, among others. Michael Nanna, MD, MHS, is the principal investigator on the randomized trial, “A TriaL ComparIng the EffectiVEness and ToleraBility of MEdicaTions in Older Adults with STablE Angina and Multiple ChRonic Conditions: LIVE BETTER” which was selected for a $7 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study coronary artery disease in older adults with multiple chronic conditions.
Education
The Section of Cardiovascular Medicine offers training programs in general cardiovascular medicine, as well as subspecialty training in adult congenital heart disease, advanced heart failure and transplantation, cardiac imaging, electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, cardiooncology, and research fellowships. Several programs offer robust T-32 postdoctoral fellowship training programs in vascular outcomes research and multi-modality molecular and translational cardiovascular imaging, imaging technology, and image-guided therapeutic interventions to identify novel targets for future interventions. Several undergraduate researchers participated in a fellowship program funded by the American Heart Association, now in its second year. Veer Sangha ’23 was recognized by the American Heart Association for his work on ECG Dx©, a promising research tool that uses AI to detect atrial fibrillation and other heart rhythm and conduction disorders.
This year also saw the growth of core and advanced fellowship training programs, with 43 accomplished fellows who continue to shape the practice of medicine for future generations. Jiun-Ruey Hu, MD, MPH, and Jia Wei Tan, MD, were recognized by the American Heart Association for their interactive consultation tool called GDMT for Everyone. Two fellows, Ricardo Avendaño, MD, and Amarnath Annapureddy, MD, completed the Fellows as Medical Educators (FAME) certificate course. Five graduating fellows in the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine were also promoted to faculty status: Antonio A. Giaimo, MD; Attila Feher, MD, PhD; Jennifer M. Kwan, MD, PhD; Katherine Clark, MD, MBA; and Samuel W. Reinhardt, MD.
Clinical Work
The section is committed to ensuring that the appropriate diagnostic technology, expertise, and preventive measures are available for patients. In the current digital era, guidelines have been established to ensure quality and equity for the telehealth program and other services.
Recent milestones include the launch of the Sports Cardiology Program, which offers a multidisciplinary approach to the identification and treatment of potentially life-threatening cardiac abnormalities in athletes.
The Heart Failure Program, led by Tariq Ahmad, MD, MPH, celebrated the 500th heart transplant at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) Heart and Vascular Center, and the introduction of donation after circulatory death (DCD) transplant—a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved method of heart transplantation that greatly expands the number of viable donor hearts. In addition, the section launched a novel blood pressure screening program in collaboration with the American Heart Association. The YNHH Barbershop Blood Pressure Program in New Haven is directed by Erica Spatz, MD, MHS, and dedicated staff from the Preventive Cardiovascular Health Program. Last, the Structural Heart Program under the leadership of John K. Forrest, MD, received the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation for excellence in mitral valve repair surgery.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Lauren A. Baldassarre, MD, is the vice chief for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine. She works closely with the section chief to strengthen the recruitment of members of groups underrepresented in medicine and to bolster clinician well-being. In the past year alone, the section has welcomed over 30 new faculty who enrich the department and expand service to the greater community.