Part 3 marks the last article of our Heart Month researcher spotlight series, and we hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the work being in the name of heart health.

In the third installment of our Heart Month researcher spotlight series, we are highlighting investigators working on how heart health relates to mental health, heart disease and pregnancy, and cardiovascular imaging.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out parts one and two!

Jeff Huffman, MD

Director, Cardiac Psychiatry Research Program

Jeff Huffman, MD, is the Director of the Cardiac Psychiatry Research Program in the Division of Psychiatry and Medicine. As the director of the program, he serves as principal investigator for over 10 studies spanning psychology, health behavior, and heart disease.

In his work at the intersection of psychiatry and cardiology, Dr. Huffman has given Grand Rounds at sites nationwide, presented research at national and international meetings, and published over 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

In addition to his roles as a resident and psychiatry medical student teacher, Dr. Huffman also has teaching roles in the Harvard Internal Medicine clerkship, the Mass General Social Work training program, and the Mass General Behavioral Medicine program. He has been awarded the MGH/McLean Plasky Teaching Award for outstanding teaching of junior residents; has twice been nominated for the Harvard Kettyle Award for outstanding medical student teaching; and received the Outstanding Research Mentor award in the Psychiatry Department in 2016.

Amy Sarma, MD

Amy Sarma, MD is a noninvasive cardiologist with a particular interest in women’s cardiovascular health, cardiovascular disease in pregnancy, and echocardiography. She is a clinical cardiologist and echocardiographer, and sees patients for both general cardiology as well as for the Women’s Heart Health program. Her research interests are in cardiovascular disease in pregnancy and sex differences in cardiovascular disease.

Recent publications:

• Pregnancy Among Survivors of Childhood Cancer: Cardiovascular Considerations
• The Association of Obesity and Cardiometabolic Traits With Incident HFpEF and HFrEF
• Assessing and Modifying Coronary Artery Disease Risk in Women
• The Role of Cardiac Biomarkers in Pregnancy

Robert Levine, MD

Senior physician, Cardiac Ultrasound Laboratroy

Robert Levine, MD, conducts research on heart imaging techniques to better understand heart disease to develop and test novel therapies.

One of his areas of focus is mitral valve prolapse, a condition where the mitral valve in the heart does not close properly causing blood to leak backward into the atrium from the ventricle.

Learn more about his work in this video:

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