The Cardiovascular Division at Washington University School of Medicine: History and Milestones

The Cardiovascular Division at Washington University School of Medicine has a long and rich tradition in patient care, cardiovascular research, and training. A primary faculty of over 60 members leads the mission of this division focused on high quality patient care, cutting-edge research, and training future academic cardiologists. The emergence of the Center for Cardiovascular Research and the merger of Barnes Hospital and The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis in 1996 were evolutionary milestones in the history of the Division.

The Clinical component of the Cardiovascular Division has emerged as a national leader in the delivery of high quality cardiovascular care to a large patient population. The Division, in partnership with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, provides a full range of services including General Cardiologic Consultation staffed by a team of nationally recognized academic clinical scholars, Electrophysiology, Cardiac Catheterization/Intervention, Heart Failure and Transplantation, Rehabilitation, Adults with Congenital Heart Disease including a variety of genetically determined diseases such as Marfan’s syndrome, and extraordinary Imaging Units (MRI, CT, nuclear medicine, PET). The clinical excellence of this Division is reflected in its respected Training Program, which attracts outstanding fellows and its consistent top-ten ranking in the US News and World Report ranking system. The recent completion of modern Cardiac Ambulatory Care Centers on the Washington University School of Medicine campus and in the western and southern suburbs of the St. Louis metropolitan area ensure the continued growth of the clinical programs and provide new hubs of patient-oriented research activities.

Robust and innovative research and training programs have been developed through partnerships between the Cardiovascular Division and clinical and basic science divisions and departments throughout Washington University. This interdisciplinary approach has formed the underpinnings of the academic success of this Cardiovascular Division. This success is underscored by the numerous discoveries made by the Division’s researchers and the remarkably successful funding record. The Division has acquired a number of program and center grants to support divisional research and training including: 1) National Institutes of Health-sponsored Specialized Center of Organized Research (SCOR) in Ischemic Heart Disease (1973-94), 2) National Research and Demonstration Center in Ischemic Heart Disease (1985-89), 3) Principles in Cardiovascular Research Training Grant (1975-present), 4) NHLBI SCOR in Pediatric Heart Disease (1998-2004), and 5) NHLBI SCCOR in Diabetic Myocardial Disease (2005-present). The faculty’s current research programs are also supported by individual grants from the NIH (RO1s, K awards), the American Heart Association (Established Investigator Awards, Scientist Development/Grant-in-Aid Awards), and by other prestigious foundations such as the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund, the Whitaker Foundation, and the American Diabetes Association. The new outpatient centers have been designed to provide dedicated space for clinical research activities focused on genomics, vascular and myocardial imaging with MRI and CT angiography, nuclear scanning, and PET; vascular flow studies; biochemical assays; and other analyses relevant to human phenotyping.