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When Marcy Lagarde, 42, of Raymore, Missouri, felt sudden excruciating pain in her left arm and had trouble lying down she Headshot of 42-year-old Marcy Lagarde wearing sunglasses and white sleeveless top. BJC patient, Marcy Lagarde, 42 knew something wasn’t right. Marcy has Marfan syndrome, a genetic condition that weakens the body’s connective tissue. Because she has been under the care of Alan Braverman, MD, a WashU Medicine cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and world-leading expert in Marfan syndrome, she knew that the condition put her at an increased risk for cardiovascular issues—but she never expected to face one so suddenly.

As we begin the new year, I am filled with gratitude for the enormous contributions our faculty, staff and trainees have made, providing outstanding care for patients, performing groundbreaking research and delivering exceptional educational programs. This has not been an easy year. We have dealt with many challenges including a tornado that impacted many in our community, policy changes negatively impacting research funding and healthcare, budget restrictions and threats to our cherished values of diversity, equity and inclusive excellence.

At 82 years old, Lois Miles was one of the first patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital to receive a transcatheter tricuspid valve implant, a groundbreaking procedure performed in 2024. It’s one more way the hospital and its academic physician partner, WashU Medicine, are helping patients with valve disease. For years, Lois’ leaky tricuspid valve caused blood to flow backward in her heart. She also had atrial fibrillation, a condition that caused her heart to beat too fast, adding even more complexity to her case. She often felt short of breath, became full quickly when eating, and just didn’t feel right.

Third-Year Cardiovascular Fellow Aishwarya Vijay, MD, was chosen to participate in the 2025 World Heart Federation Salim Yusuf Emerging Leaders Cohort. Applicants to this program represented 25 countries across 5 continents. The program was held in November in Florence, Italy.

TCTMD spoke with Thomas Maddox, MD (Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO), who serves on the US Food and Drug Administration’s digital health advisory committee, to get his thoughts on the biggest AI-related news from the past year and what the field can expect moving forward.

“The tower represents the newest chapter in the covenant between our institutions and the people we serve,” said David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and the George and Carol Bauer Dean of WashU Medicine. “For years, Barnes-Jewish Hospital has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading hospitals and a vital safety net provider.