In the second installment of our Heart Month researcher spotlight series, we are highlighting investigators studying the genetics and prevention of heart disease, maintaining heart health during pregnancy, heart attacks, and precision medicine.
If you missed Part 1, check it out here!
Pradeep Natarajan, MD
Director, Preventive Cardiology
Dr. Natarajan researches the genetic drivers of human atherosclerosis, the build up of plaque in the arteries, using genetic epidemiology, large-scale sequencing studies, digital health, and genotype-driven human investigation.
In addition to his research efforts, Natarajan is a clinical cardiologist focusing on heart attack prevention, cardiovascular risk reduction, premature heart attack, lipid disorders, and cardiovascular genetics based at the Mass General Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Center.
Recent publications:
Nandita Scott, MD
Co-Director Corrigan Women’s Heart Health Program
Co-Director Mass General Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Service
Nandita Scott, MD, has long been devoted to women’s heart health. She worked with the American Heart Association to help found the first Go Red For Women Luncheon in Cape Cod and was awarded the American Heart Association Physician of the Year Award in 2005 as a result.
Scott joined the Cardiology Division at MGH in 2007 and is currently the Co-Director for the Corrigan Womans Heart Health Program.
Dr. Scott also helped establish the Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Service at MGH and sees women who develop heart disease during pregnancy or pregnant women with pre-existing cardiac conditions.
Watch this short clip about how Scott and other specialists helped Courtney have a baby despite her cardiac risks:
Recent publications:
- Pregnancy-Associated Myocardial Infarction
- Valvular Heart Disease and Pregnancy
- Assessing and Modifying Coronary Artery Disease Risk in Women
James L. Januzzi, MD
Director, Dennis and Marilyn Barry Fellowship in Cardiology Research
Since joining Mass General, Dr. Januzzi has been an active clinician, with a focus on heart attacks, chronic coronary artery disease, acute heart failure, chronic heart failure, and aortic disease.
His research has contributed greatly to the understanding of cardiac biomarker testing, where his studies have set international standards for use in diagnosis, prognosis, and management of patients suffering from chronic heart failure as well as those with acute coronary conditions.
Recent publications:
- Type 2 Myocardial Infarction—Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment
- Type 2 Myocardial Infarction and the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program
Hanna Kim Gaggin, MD, MPH
Dr. Gaggin is a clinical investigator, educator and cardiologist who focuses on how best to customize treatments to optimize clinical benefit and minimize adverse effects.
This involves designing and performing clinical trials to evaluate heart failure and heart attacks, as well as responses to specific therapy using machine learning techniques, biomarkers and longitudinal data.
She is also interested in improving the efficiency of clinical trials and participates in registries, diagnostic studies and drug trials.
Recent publications:
- Moving the Needle Toward a More Personalized Means of Patient Care
- Lifestyle Modifications for Preventing and Treating Heart Failure
- Depression and Anxiety in Heart Failure: A Review
About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
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