New Appointments to Interventional and Structural Cardiology Section

The scope of interventional and structural cardiology has expanded rapidly over the past few years, with broad implications for patient care, training, and clinical research. To reflect these changes and be better equipped to meet dynamic present and future needs, the Cardiology Division is restructuring the section of Interventional and Structural Cardiology; this entails several new roles for division faculty.

Study on Cardiovascular Risk Factors by Dr. Joynt Maddox Published in JAMA (Links to an external site)

In this serial cross-sectional study of 12 924 adults aged 20 to 44 years, there were increases in the prevalence of diabetes (from 3.0% to 4.1%) and obesity (from 32.7% to 40.9%), no improvement in the prevalence of hypertension (from 9.3% to 11.5%), and a decrease in the prevalence of hyperlipidemia (from 40.5% to 36.1%) from 2009-2010 to 2017-2020. Black young adults had the highest rates of hypertension over the study period, and increases in hypertension were observed among Mexican American and other Hispanic adults, while Mexican American adults experienced a significant rise in diabetes. Blood pressure control did not significantly change among young adults treated for hypertension, while glycemic control remained suboptimal throughout the study period.

VAD Program Celebrates 25 Years (Links to an external site)

The Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital Heart and Vascular Center celebrates its VAD program’s 25th anniversary, maintaining the same goal — offering advanced heart failure patients a chance at a longer, better life.

Across its 25 years, the program has implanted more than 1,100 VADs in patients, placing it among the top 10 programs in volume in the U.S.

Dr. Angela Brown Promotes Women’s Heart Health on KPLR News

Last week, cardiology division faculty member and Director of the Hypertension Clinic Dr. Angela Brown appeared on the Pulse of St. Louis segment of KPLR news. She was part of a panel to discuss high blood pressure and women’s heart health for Heart Month. Dr. Brown spoke about the importance of blood pressure screening and […]

Scientist in the Spotlight: Lindsay Underhill’s career path in global health (Links to an external site)

Lindsay Underhill, PhD, MPH

The Washington University in St. Louis community encompasses many talented researchers of diverse academic interests and disciplines. As a member of the Global Health Student Advisory Committee, I recently spoke with Lindsay Underhill, PhD, MPH, a global environmental health researcher and instructor of medicine. Her research focuses on the implementation and effectiveness of built environment, […]

Science of St. Louis Blues with Dr. Mustafa Husaini

Mustafa Husaini, MD

The St. Louis Blues NHL team and Washington University Physicians have collaborated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital to create a series of videos on the Science of Blues Hockey. Hosted by Karlie Kloss, the latest video features Dr. Mustafa Husaini, Cardiovascular Division faculty member and director of our sports cardiology program.

Cardiovascular Division Faculty Present at AHA Conference; Dr. Prabhu Honored

Many Washington University School of Medicine Faculty were present and presenting at the 2022 American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions, held in Chicago. Cardiovascular Division Chief Sumanth Prabhu, MD was honored as the George E. Brown Memorial Lecturer. Mark Huffman, MD, MPH presented late-breaking clinical trial findings from a US based QUARTET study on drug […]

Dr. Mustafa Husaini Elected to ACC Cardiovascular Management Leadership Council

Dr. Husaini Mustafa of the cardiovascular division was elected this week to the American College of Cardiology’s Cardiovascular Management Leadership Council. With this 3-year appointment, the ACC recognizes Dr. Mustafa’s outstanding contributions to cardiovascular medicine and his leadership in advancing the ACC’s goals of innovation and knowledge to optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes.

Washington University School of Medicine Among Sites of new HFpEF Study

The National Institute of Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, recently awarded Wake Forest University School of Medicine a five-year grant expected to total $30 million to support research to test a novel rehabilitation program designed for older patients hospitalized for acute heart failure. Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes-Jewish Hospital will serve as one of the 20 sites for this important study.

Cardiovascular Division Faculty Among Recipients of McDonnell Academy Seed Grants

Global Incubator Seed Grants banner

Drs. Victor Davila-Roman and Mark Huffman were announced among the recipients of The McDonnel Academy Seed Grants. Their abstract ENHANCING INTERGENERATIONAL HEALTH IN NIGERIA: PERIPARTUM AS CRITICAL LIFE STAGE FOR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH (ENHANCE-CVH), was funded as part of the Public Health category.

Dr. Zainab Mahmoud Co-Authors Paper on Disparities in Cardiovascular Health in Black Women

Cardiovascular Division Instructor in Medicine Zainab Mahmoud, MD, MSc, co-authored a paper entitled “Eliminating Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease for Black Women”, published in the latest edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Some of the findings of the paper were: The paper was named as JACC Review Topic of the Week for […]

Dr. Mark Huffman Will Serve as Faculty Lead for Trust and Public Health Transdisciplinary Team

Huffman

The Washington University Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures announced Mark Huffman, MD, MPH as a faculty lead of the Trust and Public Health cluster this week. According to the ITF website, the mission of the organization “is to nurture innovative academic configurations that may endure—and even become research and educational models to follow—thus transforming not only […]

Dr. Linda Peterson Inducted as President of Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism

Cardiovascular Division faculty member Linda Peterson, MD, was inducted as president of the Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism last month at their 19th annual Scientific Sessions, hosted in Seoul, South Korea.

The Society was founded in 2000, with the intent of providing a forum for the free exchange of ideas by a group of investigators with a special interest in the multiple roles of intermediary metabolism in the cardiovascular system. An important aim of the Society is to foster interactions between young investigators and senior scientists in an informal setting.

ACC, AHA Issue Aortic Disease Guideline, Recommend Genetic Screening

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHH) on Wednesday published updated guidelines on the diagnosis and management of aortic disease, focusing on surgical intervention considerations, consistent imaging practices, genetic and familial screenings, and the importance of a multidisciplinary aortic team.
Dr. Alan Braverman of the Washington University School of Medicine’s cardiovascular division served on the writing committee for the updated guidelines.

Department of Medicine names diversity, equity leaders

Jesus Jimenez

Jesus Jimenez, MD, PhD, has been appointed as the Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Fellows and Postdoctoral trainees in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Jimenez grew up in southern California and completed his undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology at the University of California, San Diego. He joined the Medical Scientist Training Program and received […]

Tenth Annual Cardiovascular Research Day October 13, 2022

The cardiovascular division is hosting the tenth annual Cardiovascular Research Day this Thursday, October 13th! Join us for posters, presentations, and lectures celebrating basic, clinical and translational cardiovascular research at Washington University.

Valve Team Performs First Transseptal Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement

As part of the Apollo clinical trial, a team of Wash U physicians successfully completed a transseptal transcatheter mitral valve replacement at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Washington University is the only participating Missouri location for the trial. The surgical team included the Cardiovascular Division’s Dr. Alan Zajarias, Dr. Marc Sintek, Dr. Majesh Makan, and Dr. Sam Lindner […]

RSVP for the Cardiovascular Division 75th Anniversary Celebration

On November 11, 2022 the Washington University School of Medicine Cardiovascular Division will be celebrating our 75th Anniversary! You won’t want to miss this event, which will include guest speakers, panels with current and former faculty and fellows, and more. The celebration will take place at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical […]

Leadership Announcement – DOM Vice Chair of Clinical Research (Links to an external site)

It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Nancy K. Sweitzer, Professor of Medicine, has joined Washington University School of Medicine as the Vice Chair of Clinical Research for the Department of Medicine and Director of Clinical Research for the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Sweitzer joins us from the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she had been the Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, Director of the Sarver Heart Center and Co-Director of the Clinical Translational Sciences Graduate Program for the University of Arizona Health Sciences.