A conversation with cardiologist Zainab Mahmoud (Links to an external site)
Born and raised in Nigeria, Mahmoud has built a career spanning the United States and her home country, combining clinical care with research to improve cardiovascular health during and after pregnancy worldwide. Pregnancy places significant strain on the cardiovascular system. It can trigger or worsen conditions such as heart failure and high blood pressure, sometimes leading to preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication characterized by sudden high blood pressure and organ damage. These complications can threaten the health of both mother and baby, and what happens during pregnancy can also shape a woman’s cardiovascular health long after she gives birth.
Rajan Sah, MD, PhD – Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Endowed Professor of Cardiology (Links to an external site)
Dr. Sah completed his MD and PhD in physiology and biophysics at the University of Toronto. He underwent residency training in internal medicine through the Medical Research Track at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell/Memorial Sloan Kettering, followed by a cardiovascular medicine fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He then completed advanced postdoctoral research training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute laboratory of Dr. David Clapham at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sah joined WashU in 2018 and is currently a tenured Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, as well as Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology.
Study Identifies Gaps and Opportunities in Cardiac Amyloidosis Care for Veterans
A study co-authored by WashU Cardiovascular Division faculty members Joshua D. Mitchell, MD, MSCI, Ali Javaheri, MD, PhD, and Jonathan D. Moreno, MD, PhD, evaluated the availability and delivery of cardiac amyloidosis care across the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system. The study also included Amen B. Zelleke, MPH, a clinical research coordinator in the Javaheri lab at the WashU Center for Cardiovascular Research, and lead author Sang Gune K. Yoo, MD, a former WashU cardiology fellow. The findings were published in JACC: Advances.
Huffman, Mahmoud and Vijay Publish Circulation Perspective on CKM Syndrome Guideline
WashU Cardiovascular Division faculty members Mark Huffman, MD, MPH and Zainab Mahmoud, MD, MSc, along with cardiology fellow Aishwarya Vijay, MD, have published a perspective in Circulation addressing implementation of the newly released 2026 AHA/ACC/ADA/ASN Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) Syndrome.
From Nurse to Patient: How a Rare Heart Condition Changed Abigail Ellis’ Life (Links to an external site)
When Abigail Ellis began working as a cardiothoracic surgery nurse at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, she was beginning the career she had trained for—helping patients recover from complex heart procedures.
She never expected to become one of them.
In early 2025, Abigail began experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue. At the time, she was finishing nursing school and assumed stress and anxiety were to blame.
Fellow Vijay selected for inaugural ACC Fuster Prevention Forum
Aishwarya Vijay, MD, a research fellow with the WashU Cardiovascular Division, has been selected for the American College of Cardiology’s inaugural cohort for the Fuster Prevention Forum. Participants will become experts in primordial prevention and gain skills to lead a culture of prevention in their local communities.
Agarwal contributes to updated global definition of heart failure
Anubha Agarwal, MD, MSc, of the WashU Cardiovascular Division, contributed to an international expert consensus document updating the global definition of heart failure and providing a unified framework for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.