Author: Elizabeth

From the earliest understanding of the body’s circulatory system to today’s groundbreaking treatments, the practice of heart and vascular medicine has continuously evolved in the search for new and better ways to protect and preserve the heart’s essential functions. Specialists at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center are at the vanguard of this evolution, discovering new treatments and advancing compassionate care.

Doxorubicin has been a mainstay in cancer treatment for more than 50 years. Sometimes called “red devil chemo,” it is potent and effective against many cancer types. But it comes with a major downside — increased risk of severe heart failure, even decades after successful cancer treatment.Now researchers led by WashU Medicine cardiologist Ali Javaheri, MD, PhD, have identified a type of immunotherapy that prevents and treats the heart muscle damage caused by doxorubicin, based on their findings in human heart tissue, cell lines and mouse models of heart failure. The study appears in the journal Circulation.

“These medications are saving lives,” said Anubha Agarwal, MD, assistant professor of medicine of cardiology and co-director of the program in global cardiovascular health at WashU Medicine in St. Louis. “There is not a financial incentive to produce them, which is an issue in high-income countries like the US and the UK.”

Mark Huffman, MD, MPH served on roadmap committee, co-authored report for World Heart Federation. This WHF Roadmap outlines the scientific and clinical evidence to support the scale up of SPCs globally, before exploring some of the barriers that exist to their advancement. Among the major challenges are – limited manufacturing; the high cost of SPCs to both governments and patients; inconsistent international and national guidelines; and prescriber caution.

Justin S. Sadhu, MD, MPHS, FACC, Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division, joined the Department of Medicine in 2015. Dr. Sadhu completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois in Chicago, where he graduated with Highest Distinction in Biochemistry; Mathematics and Computer Science minor. He attended medical school at Washington University School of Medicine as a Distinguished Student Scholar, graduating in 2007 as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Sadhu completed internal medicine residency, cardiology fellowship, and a Master degree in Population Health Sciences at WashU/BJH

The Cardiovascular Division recently participated in the US Department of Labor’s Clinical Research Professional Apprenticeship Program and graduated one of the program’s first apprentices, Kesha Hanks.  Kesha worked in the Cardiology Clinical Research Group as a Clinical Research Apprentice.  After completion of the program, Kesha has now been promoted to a Clinical Research Coordinator 1. This […]

Traditional models of cardiovascular care are facing mounting pressure from a range of macroeconomic, demographic and technological forces, according to Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH, co-director of the Center for Advancing Health Policy and Economics Research and associate professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The Cardiovascular Division is proud to announce that 34 of our faculty have been selected for the 2025 Castle Connolly Top Doctors® list. The Top Doctors® selection process is entirely merit-based. Doctors cannot pay to be listed. These doctors are best-in-class healthcare providers, embodying excellence in clinical care as well as interpersonal skills.

Dr. Walter Schiffer joined the Department of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division as an Assistant Professor in August 2025. He specializes in cardio-oncology and cardiac critical care, with a focus on improving cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cancer and those requiring intensive cardiac support. His clinical and research interests center on better identifying and managing cardiovascular complications in oncology patients, optimizing heart failure treatment strategies, and refining critical care protocols for patients in cardiogenic shock.

Cardiology and Heart & Vascular Surgery are ranked as High Performing in AAA Repair, Heart Attack, Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Bypass Surgery, Heart Failure, Heart Arrhythmia, and Pacemaker Implantation. Of the 18 High Performing areas for BJH, 7 were in Cardiology, and Heart and Vascular Surgery.

Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the WashU Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH has accepted two new roles with the American Heart Association as of July 1st. 

Nancy Sweitzer, MD, PhD, vice chair of clinical research for the department of medicine, director of clinical research for the division of cardiology and director of translational workforce development at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, will serve as treasurer from 2025-2027.

Cardiologist receives Harrington Discovery Institute award to support the development of breakthrough treatments for heart disease

Linda Peterson, MD, Professor of Medicine and Radiology and Medical Director of WashU’s cardiac rehab program, recently appeared on medical podcast “White Coats, Real Talk” to discuss the importance of cardiac rehab, and her experience in this field.

Cardiac Electrophysiology faculty members Daniel Cooper, MD and Timothy Smith, DPhil, MD will be in new roles in the Division beginning July 1. Dr. Cooper will be taking over as EP Lab Director, with Dr. Smith stepping into the role of EP Fellowship Director.

Researchers at the WashU Medicine  Sah Lab in the Center for Cardiovascular Research and their collaborators have published findings that provide a proof of concept for a  novel drug class to treat myocardial infarction and stroke. Rajan Sah, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division, worked with multiple teams that collaborated to […]

Assistant Professor of Medicine Farhan Katchi, MD has been appointed Cardiology Co-Director of the Advanced Cardiac Imaging (CT/MR) Program, a joint effort between Cardiology and Radiology, reinvigorating the program that was started in 2006 by Benico Barzilai, MD and Pamela Woodard, MD. He will join Scott Bugenhagen, MD, PhD who will assume the Co-Director role on the Radiology side. As before, this jointly […]

Researchers at WashU Medicine’s Center for Cardiovascular Research have discovered that specialized immune cells from the spleen play a critical role in healing the heart after a heart attack. The study, led by Sumanth Prabhu, MD, Division Chief and director of the Prabhu Lab, identifies a unique population of macrophages—immune cells that clean up cellular […]

Alan Braverman, MD, Section Head of General Cardiology and Director of the WashU Medicine Marfan Syndrome and Aortopathy Center, and his collaborators have published new findings in JACC on the characteristics of extra-aortic arterial aneurysms in Loeys-Dietz syndrome.

2025 marks the 10-year anniversary of the 1st patient treated with StereoTactic Arrhythmia Radiotherapy (STAR) by team leads Clifford Robinson, MD and Phillip Cuculich, MD. In ten years, the team has given many talks, been featured in the media, formed a center, held international symposiums, helped 100+ centers begin STAR programs and now treated their 100th patient!

Alan Braverman, MD, Section Head of General Cardiology and Director of the WashU Medicine Marfan Syndrome and Aortopathy Center, recently appeared on a live Youtube Q&A hosted by Aortic Athletes and Aortic Hope TV.

Dr. Ugonna Nwankwo joined the Department of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division as an Associate Professor in June 2025. He was previously Director of adult congenital heart disease at Saint Louis University and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s hospital. He earned his medical degree at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and completed a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at UPMC, followed by a pediatric cardiology fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He then completed a 4th-year advanced fellowship in congenital interventional cardiology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University.

This nine-month program supports division chiefs and section heads in strengthening the medical school’s culture, advancing faculty success, enhancing learner experience, and improving departmental operational effectiveness.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the 24th best hospital for Cardiac Care in the US, according to a data-based ranking published by Newsweek.  The ranking is part of a new America’s Best Hospitals for Specialize Care 2025 report. Newsweek and Statista partnered on the list, naming their Top 200 Hospitals for Cardiac Care. While 45% of each facility’s overall score […]

More than 20 percent of people in the United States live in rural communities—but when it comes to heart health, where a person lives can make a life-changing difference. Professor of Medicine Kan Liu, MD, PhD, MBA co-authored a new paper published in JAMA Cardiology reporting that rural residents face a higher burden of cardiovascular […]

Nathan Stitziel, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine and of genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is among 10 physician-scientists nationwide named as recipients of the Harrington Discovery Institute 2025 Scholar-Innovator Award.

Professors of Medicine Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH and Thomas Maddox, MD, MSc published a Viewpoint in JAMA Cardiology expressing that to meet the opportunity of digital health approaches for cardiovascular care, medical reimbursement systems must be reformed. The article was written in collaboration with colleagues from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Angela L. Brown, MD, a professor of medicine in the Cardiovascular Division at WashU Medicine, was one of 55 faculty honored last month with Dean’s Impact Awards for community partnerships. Since 2013, Brown has encouraged better communication between WashU Medicine researchers and people in the community as the co-director of the Center for Community Health Partnership & Research, a part of the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and the Institute for Public Health.

Dr. Mengcheng Shen joined the Department of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division as an Assistant Professor in May 2025. He earned his PhD from the University of Alberta, where his research focused on extracellular matrix remodeling in aortic aneurysm and heart failure.

With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) and transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) procedures for tricuspid regurgitation treatment, heart specialists at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center in St. Louis, Mo., are pioneering advances that enhance the quality of life for patients who have historically suffered debilitating symptoms with limited therapeutic options.

Geri Lynn, 52, an avid marathon runner who has successfully completed 100 half-marathons—at least one in each state—has overcome tremendous obstacles. In October 2020, the University City attorney was hospitalized at Barnes-Jewish Hospital due to a hypertensive emergency, which means her blood pressure was dangerously high. This condition can cause serious damage to vital organs and can lead to encephalopathy, a disease that affects the function of the brain. For nearly a month, Geri Lynn was in and out of the hospital, struggling with short-term memory loss, diabetes, and physical disability.

With the help of Mustafa Husaini, MD, WashU Medicine sports cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Geri Lynn began a program to resume her goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states and then conquering a goal of 100 half-marathons.

Research developed through the collaborative efforts of WashU Medicine, the University of Abuja, and The George Institute for Global Health have supported the launch of Nigeria’s Sodium Reduction Guidelines. William Bowen Endowed Professor of Medicine and Global Health Center Co-Director Mark Huffman, MD, MPH headed the WashU team for this NIH-funded project.

Associate Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division Dr. Joel Schilling along with his band South of Sanity played a show at a recent St. Louis Blues hockey game pep rally at the Enterprise Center. Joining the band on drums was heart transplant recipient Rodney Cochran.

Nathan and Lynda Olsen loved to explore the southwestern Missouri countryside near their home in Carthage, so when they discovered a cozy coffeeshop situated on a picturesque bluff, they pulled in to savor the view and the java. But their relaxing afternoon quickly came to a jolting halt.

Since 2016, Dr. Linda Peterson has spearheaded Project Heartstrong- a school outreach program to bring heart health education to the Normandy School District in North St. Louis County. Every February since, she and a growing team of division faculty and staff have visited classrooms with kid-approved interactive lessons.

WashU Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital awards 18 investigators as part of the 18th annual Clinical and Translational Research Funding Program (CTRFP). Among the awardees are Cardiovascular Division faculty Joshua Mitchell, MD, MSCI and Joel Schilling, MD, PhD.

Professor of Medicine in the WashU Cardiovascular Division and Vice President of the BJC Innovation Lab, Dr. Thomas Maddox is co-author of an editorial in the December 2024 Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. The article, “Toward an artificial intelligence code of conduct for health and healthcare: implications for the biomedical informatics community”, outlines […]

Chief of the WashU Cardiovascular Division and Lewin Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Diseases, Dr. Sumanth Prabhu, was quoted in a recent article in the magazine Men’s Health titled “What Does ‘Chronic Illness’ Actually Mean?”. Dr. Prabhu defines chronic illness as “a medical condition that lasts for six months or longer, usually requires ongoing care and […]

Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Cardio-Obstetrics Dr. Amanda Verma appeared on Fox 2 news segment STL Moms to raise awareness about cardiovascular issues effecting pregnancy as part of Heart Month coverage. Dr. Verma provided information on some of the conditions that can occur during or after pregnancy, noting that the most common is […]

Nathan O. Stitziel, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine and of genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected to the Association of University Cardiologists. Members are elected by their peers, with active membership limited to 135 academic cardiologists across the U.S.Stitziel — who also serves as the director of Translational […]

The Healthcare Innovation Lab is happy to welcome Dr. Kyle Yoo as our 2025 Innovation Fellow. Dr. Yoo is a fellow in cardiovascular disease, cardio-oncology, and amyloidosis at Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago and earned his medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine […]