Maddox: Remote monitoring, AI to play key roles in the future of cardiology (Links to an external site)

Thomas M. Maddox, MD, SM, professor of medicine and vice president of digital products and innovation at BJC HealthCare, Washington University School of Medicine, gave a presentation on new technology advances at ACC.24, the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). He then spoke with Cardiovascular Business, providing insights into cardiology’s future.

Hammond Awarded Harold Amos Faculty Development Award

Gmerice Hammond, MD MPH, Instructor in Medicine, received a Harold Amos Faculty Development Award for her project entitled “The Impact of the ACO REACH Program on Racial Inequities in Heart Failure.” The study examines whether a new Medicare payment program helps reduce gaps in care and outcomes for Black patients with heart failure. The Harold […]

Dr. Pan Ma joins the Department of Medicine (Links to an external site)

Dr. Pan Ma joined the Department of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division as an instructor in May 2024. As a researcher, she has made significant contributions to the understanding of myocarditis disease. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and presented at prestigious conferences, earning them recognition as a competitive early career investigator.

Zainab Mahmoud, MD, MSc funds her K23 (Links to an external site)

Congratulations to PROUD-MED Scholar Zainab Mahmoud, MD, MSc (Internal Medicine, Cardiology) on the funding of her K23 “Improving Maternal Cardiovascular Outcomes Through the Implementation of a Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Bundle in Nigeria”, 1K23HL173684-01.

Cardiovascular Faculty Complete Leadership Course

Recently, four members of the Cardiovascular Division faculty completed a 16-week pilot leadership course on the Fundamentals of Performance Improvement and Change Management presented by the Department of Medicine. Sixteen faculty members participated across the school of medicine: representing the Cardiovascular Division were Division Chief Dr. Sumanth Prabhu, and Drs. Mustafa Husaini, Justin Sadhu, and Sudhir Jain.

Cresci Vice-Chair of AHA Statement in Circulation

Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Wash U Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, Dr. Sharon Cresci is Vice-Chair on a new statement published this week in the journal Circulation on behalf of the American Heart Association.

Kurz Retires After 30 Years In Cardiovascular Division

Dr. Howard Kurz, Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division, will retire at the end of June. Dr. Kurz has served as Director of the Interventional Cardiology Training Program as well as Director of the Cardiac Procedure Center Catheterization Laboratory. He has been an essential part of the interventional cardiology team, and his mentorship and leadership will be greatly missed.

Maddox on Artificial Intelligence Emerging as a Part of Medical Practice (Links to an external site)

With the advent of the AI-based writing tool ChatGPT, attention has focused on assisting physicians with one of their most burdensome tasks, clinical documentation. Each of the four area health systems is developing an AI scribe function.

BJC HealthCare and its academic partner, Washington University School of Medicine, are conducting pilots of several AI products to help generate clinical notes. Thomas Maddox, MD, SM, who leads the Healthcare Innovation Lab at BJC and Washington University, described the effort:

“We installed a product in the exam room that records the clinical encounter. At the conclusion of the visit, it feeds the audio transcription into a large language model like ChatGPT. Then that model transforms the recording into a clinical note following the format that physicians often use. The physician then reviews and edits the draft instead of starting with a blank page.”

Cardiology Fellows Graduate

We congratulate the following fellows for completing their training with the Cardiovascular Division and are heading to the next phase of their careers: Christopher Evenson, MDParkview HospitalFort Wayne, IN Adam Lick, MDCrescent City PhysiciansTouro InfirmaryNew Orleans, LA Stephen Philip, MDUniversity Of WisconsinMadison, WI Cliff Pruett, MDHeart Failure FellowshipUT SouthwesternDallas, TX Vince Siebert, MDRooney Heart InstituteNaples […]

Q&A: Cardiologist Karen Joynt Maddox on why new healthcare policies are not improving outcomes (Links to an external site)

Cardiologist Karen E. Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH, specializes in evaluating how different healthcare regulations and policies can influence short- and long-term cardiovascular outcomes. In addition to seeing patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, she is a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where she serves as co-director of the school’s Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research.

McNeely Joins Cardiovascular Division

Christian McNeely, MD has joined the Division as an Assistant Professor of Medicine, serving as a faculty member in the Interventional Cardiology Section and as Lead Physician in the West County Cardiology Clinic

World Heart Rhythm Week (Links to an external site)

World Heart Rhythm Week, observed annually from June 3rd to June 9th, is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness about heart rhythm disorders and promoting cardiovascular health. This week-long event serves as an opportunity for healthcare professionals, advocacy groups, and individuals to come together to educate the public about the importance of maintaining a healthy heart rhythm and recognizing the signs and symptoms of heart rhythm disorders.

Verma Featured in KSDK Profile of Heart Attack Patient

Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Cardio-Obstetrics, Dr. Amanda Verma, was featured in a KSDK Sports Plus profile of a patient on the road to recovery after a heart attack. The patient, Dan Rolfe, is a 52 year old high school basketball coach. Dr. Verma explained to KSDK, “this is the left anterior descending […]

World Hypertension Day (Links to an external site)

May 17, 2024: “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer” The important World Hypertension Day was first held on 14 May 2005, and has since become an ever-expanding yearly event.

Donor plays key role in driving personalized cardiovascular research at the School of Medicine (Links to an external site)

When St. Louis native Kim Kuehner, MBA ’77, made his first foray into medical philanthropy in 2018, he viewed it as a long-term investment that would enable him to play a role in advancing human health. He did not expect his $15 million gift for an endowment supporting personalized cardiovascular research at Washington University School of Medicine to yield rapid results.

Diwan named inaugural Shaeffer professor (Links to an external site)

Abhinav Diwan, MD, a highly regarded cardiologist with expertise in the molecular underpinnings of cardiovascular disease, has been named the inaugural Charlie W. Shaeffer, MD, Professor of Cardiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Javaheri Among School of Medicine Researchers to Receive Longer Life Grants 

Dr. Ali Javaheri, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division, received $62,500 to study effects of dietary protein on cardiac function and muscle wasting in the setting of cancer chemotherapy. The project is called Longer Life Foundation Longevity Research Program (LRP)

Sadhu Selected as DASP Faculty Honoree

Associate Professor of Medicine Dr. Justin Sadhu is a 2023-2024 faculty honoree of the Washington University Distinguished ALumni Scholarship Program. Created in 1989, the Distinguished Alumni Scholarship Program (DASP) grants four entering students per year a four-year, full-tuition scholarship, for a total of 16 DASP students at the school at one time. Institutional funds are […]

Quader Elected to ASE Board of Directors

Associate Professor of Medicine Nishath Quader, MD, has been elected to the board of the American Society of Echocardiographers, to serve a term that will begin in July 2024.

The American Society of Echocardiography is an organization of professionals working to advance cardiovascular ultrasound and improve lives through excellence in education, research, innovation, advocacy, and service to the profession and the public.

Structural Intervention Group Performs first St. Louis Jena Valve Procedure

The multidisciplinary Structural Intervention group, including Cardiovascular Division faculty members Drs. Zajarias, Sintek, Lasala, and Quader, along with colleagues in Cardiothoracic Surgery, recently performed the first JenaValve procedure for aortic regurgitation at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital site.

Braverman to Host 15th Heartworks Gala to Benefit Marfan Foundation

“Our gala provides awareness of the incredible work of The Marfan Foundation and raises important funds for the Foundation’s programs that improve the lives of people with genetic aortic conditions. The gala brings together our loyal supporters that include a community of friends, colleagues, and affected individuals and their families for an evening of celebration,” said the Bravermans.

Huffman Named William Bowen Endowed Professor

Mark D. Huffman, MD, MPH, tenured Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the DOM Global Health Center, has been appointed as the inaugural William Bowen Endowed Professor. The appointment recognizes Dr. Huffman’s outstanding leadership in preventive cardiology and cardiovascular health research at an individual and population level, and at a global scale. His research program […]

Thakker Named Program Director for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

Effective April 1,2024, Dr. Prashanth Thakker has been appointed as the new Program Director for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, succeeding Dr. Andy Kates who has served admirably in this role for the last 16 years. Dr. Thakker received his MD from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2013 as part of the BS/MD program with the […]

Huffman to Present at NIH Lecture Series

Dr. Mark Huffman, Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Division), and Co-Director Global Health Center will be participating as a speaker at the NIH Health Equity Research Outreach (HERO) speaker series. The event is April 29th, from 9:30-11AM CDT and will be available to stream virtually.

Thakker Coauthors Research Letter in JACC

Dr. Prashanth Thakker, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of Program Development in the Cardiovascular Fellowship program was coauthor of a research letter published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology titled “A Leadership Program to Support Career Development of Cardiovascular Chief Fellows”. The letter details the importance of the role of […]

Stitziel Elected to the Association of University Cardiologists

Professor of Medicine Nathan Stitziel, MD, PhD was recently elected to the prestigious Association of University Cardiologists. Active membership in the United States is limited to just 135 cardiologists “who shape the course of research and training in cardiovascular disease.”

Dr. Kan Liu on AI use in Echocardiology (Links to an external site)

“Different CNNs have been developed for echocardiography image interpretation to distinguish visually similar conditions such as pathologic vs. physiologic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, constrictive pericarditis vs. restrictive cardiomyopathy, and stress induced cardiomyopathy vs. acute myocardial infarction,” said author Kan Liu.

Evolution of Heart Valve Repair (Links to an external site)

Study the anatomy of a human heart, and you’ll notice that there are four chambers and four valves that work sequentially to move blood into the heart and then out into the body. As the heart contracts and relaxes, its valves work in a set order, opening and closing to ensure that blood flows in one direction. One valve opens to allow blood to flow in and then closes to prevent backward flow.

ACC Updates HFrEF Decision Pathway, Reinforcing the Four Pillars of Therapy (Links to an external site)

Thomas M. Maddox, MD, MSc, Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division at WashU Medicine, and colleagues recently published an Expert Consensus Decision Pathway (ECDP) for the many decisions required in the management and treatment of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The document was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Agarwal and Huffman Publish Polypill Study in Nature Medicine (Links to an external site)

A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis bolsters previous findings that polypills are beneficial in preventing heart attacks and strokes and reducing deaths among people with cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In this meta-analysis, the polypills investigated included at least one statin — a cholesterol-lowering drug — and at least one blood pressure-lowering drug.

21st Annual Scientific Sessions: Interorgan Crosstalk in Heart and Vascular Metabolism (Links to an external site)

We are pleased to invite you to the 21st Annual Meeting of the Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism (SHVM), to be held in Saint Louis, Missouri, from Sunday, September 8th to Wednesday the 11th, 2024. In keeping with the 20-year tradition of SHVM meetings, this event will gather investigators from around the globe to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, to promote scientific interactions between young researchers and senior scientists in formal and informal settings, and to provide an atmosphere that fosters new collaborations.

Maddox Quoted in Article on AI in Medicine

Professor of Medicine Dr. Thomas Maddox was quoted in the article “‘Nicety’ vs. ‘necessity’: 37 impressions of AI in healthcare” in Becker’s Hospital Review.

Lasala Receives 2024 Miami Valves Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. John Lasala, Professor of Medicine and Director, Structural Heart Disease in the Cardiovascular Division, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Miami Valves annual international structural cardiology conference hosted by the International Medicine Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Husaini Featured During Men’s Health Segment on KSDK News

Dr. Mustafa Husaini, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Sports Cardiology in the Cardiovascular Division, was recently featured in a segment on KSDK news for Heart Month.

Today in St. Louis’ Rene Knott, Paul Cook and Anthony Slaughter spoke with Dr. Husaini about the importance of exercise in heart health, and specifically in men.

Using Polypills to Transform Heart Failure Care In South Asia (Links to an external site)

Dr. Anubha Agarwal began her research in India as a Fogarty Global Health Fellow during 2017–2018, co-mentored by Dr. Doriaraj Prabhakaran, executive director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) in India, and Dr. Mark Huffman, professor of medicine and co-director of the Global Health Center at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), Missouri.

Jimenez Among 2024-2025 CTRFP Awardees

Jesus Jimenez, MD, PhD of the Washington University School of Medicine Cardiovascular Division has been awarded for “Advances in the Diagnosis of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis”.

Dr. Mike Rich Receives BJH Neville Grant Award

Professor of Medicine, Associate Program Director for Cardiovascular Research and
Director of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Cardiac Rapid Evaluation Unit Dr. Mike Rich has been selected for The Neville Grant Award, the highest clinical honor bestowed by BJH.

Mahmoud Appointed to ACC Reproductive Health & Cardio-Obstetrics Section Leadership Council

Dr. Zainab Mahmoud was recently appointed to a 3-year term on the leadership council of the Reproductive Health & Cardio-Obstetrics Section of the American Academy of Cardiology. Her term begins in April, 2024. From the ACC website: The creation of this Section addresses the needs and gaps in care in all domains including clinical care, […]

Obituary: Alan Neal Weiss, MD, FACC (Links to an external site)

Universally loved and respected by his patients and their families, Dr. Weiss was a beacon of compassion and expertise in the field of cardiology. His impact extended far beyond St. Louis, as he became a trusted source for referrals across the Midwest region and beyond. Dr. Weiss’s commitment to patient care led him to perform outreach at multiple sites in southern Illinois and Missouri throughout his career and to establish one of the largest clinical practices in academic cardiology.