AHA Research Alumnus Jonathan Baskin, MD, FASC, presented his AHA-funded work to the Cleveland Board of Directors. He and his team at the Cleveland VA Medical System are studying the connection between sleep apnea and hypertension and engineering a 'smart' implanted device to treat uncontrolled hypertension.

Baskin is an Otolaryngologist [ENT]-Head & Neck Surgeon with additional board certification in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Sleep Medicine. In 2004 he joined UHCMC and the Cleveland VA medical system where he was section chief of ENT-Head & Neck Surgery from 2008-2020. His academic appointments are with the Case Western Reserve University Schools of Medicine and Engineering. 

Dr. Baskin's research area of interest is in the development of ‘smart’ implanted platforms in the domain of peripheral neuromodulation (stimulating nerves) and sensing to treat chronic disease. He co-led the team in Cleveland that developed Upper Airway Stimulation therapy for sleep apnea (known as Inspire) having completed FDA trials both at the VAMC and UHCMC leading to FDA approval in 2014. He is currently developing surgically implanted technology to treat patients suffering from uncontrolled high blood pressure. In connection to this work, he regularly trains surgeons around the world in implantation of neuro-interfacing technology. In addition, he is actively involved in supporting the Northeast Ohio biomedical-translation community serving as the associate director for the Advanced Platform Technology Center, and as an oversight board member for the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership.

Dr. Courtney Glavis-Bloom, a neuroscientist at the Salk Institute, presented a TEDx talk about her groundbreaking research on the neurobiological changes that occur with aging, and their link to cognitive decline and resilience. Her work is largely supported by the AHA-Allen Initiative in Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment.

Director, Yale Center for Brain & Mind Health
Vice Chair for Clinical & Translational Research
Departments of Neurology & Neurosurgery
Yale School of Medicine

“AHA awards often funded our highest risk and most innovative projects, several of which have now moved to real world application – supporting new technologies, addressing health disparities, improving the quality of care – all in the interest of improved brain and heart health.”

Assistant Professor at the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Thanks to the support of the American Heart Association-Second Century Implementation Science Award, Dr. Vijayasree V. Giridharan's laboratory has been established as a hub for understanding the role of vascular complications in infection-induced long-term cognitive and neuropsychiatric effects.