Updates by Specialty Division
Cardiovascular Medicine
The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Department of Medicine at IU School of Medicine strives for excellence in patient care, research and teaching.
Led by Interim Director Richard J. Kovacs, MD, the division’s physicians, scientists, staff, and trainees work diligently to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease while helping individuals and families maintain good cardiovascular health. The division’s academic expertise offers Hoosiers the highest quality heart and vascular care and fosters relentless innovation that fuels better health for the people of Indiana and beyond.
The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine includes 53 cardiologists, eight PhD investigators, 12 post-doctoral fellows and 31 support staff. The division’s ACGME-accredited training programs include 21 cardiovascular disease fellows that span four sub-specialty areas including cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, clinical cardiac electrophysiology and advanced heart care.
The division offers ACGME-accredited and highly competitive fellowship programs in cardiovascular medicine including adult congenital heart disease, advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, clinical cardiac electrophysiology and interventional cardiology. These programs attract candidates of the highest quality. In fact, cardiovascular medicine fellows have received awards within the Department of Medicine and in competitions at national scientific meetings.
News from 2023-24
$1.5 million gift to support prostate cancer research and cardiology research and education
In a gesture that continues their family’s long history of extraordinary generosity to Indiana University, Carmel residents W. Gerald and Diane Throgmartin made gifts earlier this month totaling $1.5 million to support lung and prostate cancer research and cardiology research and education at Indiana University School of Medicine.
The Throgmartins’ generous gifts will support four separate funds:
- The Jackie O’Donnell Fellowship in Cardiac Transplantation honoring retired cardiologist Jackie O’Donnell, MD
- The Betty Jo Throgmartin Lung Cancer Research Fund named for Gerald’s late wife honoring oncologist Nasser Hanna, MD
- The Jeffrey Breall Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology honoring interventional cardiologist Jeffrey Breall, MD, PhD
- The W. Gerald Throgmartin Prostate Cancer Research Fund honoring oncologist Nabil Adra, MD
The gifts for cardiac transplantation and lung cancer were made to funds previously created by the Throgmartins. The gifts for the interventional cardiology fellowship and prostate research establish new areas of support.
Beta blocker used to treat heart problems and other medical concerns could be new treatment for sickle cell cardiomyopathy
A beta blocker typically used to treat heart problems, hemangioma, migraines and anxiety could be a new therapeutic for patients with sickle cell disease. Researchers led by Ankit A. Desai, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center (KCVRC) at Indiana University School of Medicine, have been awarded a $3 million grant by the U.S. Department of Defense to evaluate the efficacy of this drug.
Patients with sickle cell disease, a red blood cell disorder that can cause harm to multiple organs when red blood vessels are blocked or when the cells break down, are at risk of major complications when they also develop heart damage. The median age of death is 43 years old.
“Cardiomyopathy or heart damage can predispose patients to a fatal rhythm disturbance called ventricular tachycardia,” Desai said. “We believe that inflammation plays a key role in both, creating this injurious heart and exacerbating it. We are deeply interested in translating this potential therapeutic to patients, developing a clinical trial and trying to understand the impact R-propranolol, given that propranolol appears to be well tolerated in patients otherwise.” Read More.
First ever clinical classification of heart attacks based on tissue damage adopted by Canadian Cardiovascular Society
The Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) released the world’s first classification of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) — or heart attack — based on heart tissue damage research that was driven by two cardiovascular investigators within the Ischemic Heart Disease Program of Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center (KCVRC) at Indiana University School of Medicine and Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
The four-stage classification, CCS-AMI, was presented at the Vascular 2023 conference on Oct. 29 in Montréal, Canada, and published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. With more than two decades of experience in myocardial infarction research, KCVRC Executive Director Rohan Dharmakumar, PhD and immediate past Chief of Cardiology and physician scientist Andreas Kumar, MD, from Northern Ontario School of Medicine, conceptualized the classification.
Working in collaboration with the CCS-AMI Writing Group, which comprised of an expert panel of cardiovascular specialists primarily from Canada and KCVRC physician-scientist Keyur Vora, MD, FACC, the group developed the rationale and framework for the CCS-AMI Classification. The CCS-AMI Writing Group was endorsed by the CCS, chaired by Kumar and co-chaired by Dharmakumar and Michelle Graham, MD, president of CCS. Read More.
Noteworthy Awards and Recognitions
Shing Fai Chan, PhD
Core Pilot Grant, Indiana CTSI
Early Investigator Award, Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center (KCVRC)
Khadijah Breathett, MD
Manuscript selected for JAHA Go Red for Women Spotlight Issue, American Heart Association
Top 10% Most Published, Top 10% Most Cited, Top 10% Most Press Mentions, Doximity
William Schiller Memorial Lecture, Pennsylvania State University Health
Onyedika Ilonze, MD
Emerging Faculty Leadership Development Program attendee, American College of Cardiology
Rohan Dharmakumar, PhD
Krannert Prize in Translational Cardiovascular Research
Allison Norlander
Alain L. de Weck Travel Grant, Collegium Internationale Allergologicum
Thomas Everett, PhD
2024 IU School of Medicine Showalter Scholar, Ralph W. & Grace M. Showalter Trust
Keyur Vora, MD
Clinical Trials Research Program, American College of Cardiology