Strategically Focused Research Network Awardees
Award Activation: July 1, 2017
Children’s National Health System
Center Director: Craig Sable, MD, FAHA
Training Director: Craig Sable, MD, FAHA
Basic
Project PI: James Dale, MD
Human Immunity to Potential Group A Streptococcal Vaccine Antigens in Subjects at High Risk for Rheumatic Heart Disease
Clinical
Project PI: Andrea Beaton, MD
Working Towards a Better Understanding of Acute Rheumatic Fever
Population
Project PI: David Watkins, MD, MPH
Building a Case to Invest in Rheumatic Heart Disease Prevention and Control in Limited Resource Settings
University of Utah
Center Director: Martin Tristani-Firouzi, MD
Training Director: H. Joseph Yost, PhD
Basic
Project PI: Mark Yandell, PhD
An integrated data-science, transcriptomics, and genomics approach to understanding Complex CHD
Clinical
Project PI: Robert Silver, MD
Maternal-fetal environment, epigenetics and complex congenital heart disease
Population
Project PI: Angela Fagerlin, PhD, MA
Improving Patient and Family Health Using Family-Centered Outcomes and Shared Decision-Making
Northwestern University
Center Directors: Bradley Marino, MD, MPP, MSCE, FAHA and Donald M Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, FAHA
Training Director: Matthew Davis, MD
Basic
Project PI: Lifang Hou, MD, MSc
Characterizing Dynamic Epigenomic Markers of CVH in Early Life
Clinical
Project PI: Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, FAHA
Keeping Ideal Cardiovascular Health Family Intervention Trial: KIDFIT
Population
Project PI: Norrina Allen, PhD, MPH, FAHA
Cardiovascular Health Trajectories from Birth Through Adolescence
Duke University Medical School
Center Director: Jennifer Li, MD, MHSc
Training Director: Asheley Skinner, PhD
Basic
Project PI: Svati Shah, MD, MHS, FAHA
Microbiota Related Molecular Pathways in Pediatric Obesity
Clinical
Project PI: Sarah Armstrong, MD
A randomized trial of an integrated clinic-community intervention in children and adolescents with obesity
Population
Project PI: Asheley Skinner, PhD
Effectiveness and implementation of tertiary-care pediatric obesity treatment programs
Award Activation: April 1, 2018
Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Center Director: Marc Bonaca, MD, MPH and Mark Creager, MD, FAHA, FACC
Training Director: Marc Bonaca, MD, MPH and Philip Goodney, MD, MS
Basic
Project PI: Mark Feinberg, MD
Non-Coding RNAs in Diabetic Critical Limb Ischemia: Discovery, Pathobiology, and Therapeutic Intervention
Clinical
Project PI: Marc Bonaca, MD, MPH
Risk Prediction and Personalizing Therapy to Prevent Critical Limb Ischemia in Patients with PAD and Diabetes
Population
Project PIs: Philip Goodney, MD, MS and Mark Creager, MD, FAHA, FACC
Integrated Management Strategies to Reduce Amputation and Limit Disparities for Patients with Diabetes and CLI
Northwestern University
Center Director: Mary M. McDermott, MD, FAHA
Training Director: Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, FAHA
Basic
Project PI: Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, PhD
Calf Muscle Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Impaired Autophagy in Peripheral Artery Disease
Clinical
Project PI: Mary M. McDermott, MD, FAHA
NICotinamidE Riboside with and without Resveratrol to Improve Functioning in Peripheral Artery Disease: The NICE Trial
Population
Project PI: Philip Greenland, MD, FAHA Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Disability in Peripheral Artery Disease
University of Kentucky
Center Directors: Alan Daugherty, PhD, DSc
Training Director: Nancy Webb, PhD
Basic
Project PI: Alan Daugherty, PhD, DSC
Role of Sex Hormones on Elastin Stability in Formation of Thoracic Aortopathies
Basic Project PI: Lisa Cassis, PhD
Sexual Dimorphism of Aortopathies
Clinical
Project PI: Scott LeMaire, MD
Molecular Signature of Sex Chromosome Genes Associated with Sex-Dependent Susceptibility to Ascending Aortic Aneurysms
Vanderbilt University
Center Director: Joshua Beckman, MD, MS
Training Director: Joshua Beckman, MD, MS
Basic
Project PI: David Wasserman, PhD
The Link between Microcirculatory Dysfunction and Skeletal Muscle Insulin Resistance
Clinical
Project PI: Joshua Beckman, MD, MS
The Impact of Branched-Chain Amino Acids Metabolism on Limb Dysfunction in PAD
Population
Project PIs: Matthew Freiberg, MD and Quinn Wells, PharmD, MD
Clinical and Genetic Determinants of Peripheral Artery Disease, Microvascular Disease, and Major Adverse Limb Outcomes
Award Activation: July 1, 2018
Boston University (Mass.)
Research Focus: Advancing Atrial Fibrillation Precision Medicine
Center Director: Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM, FAHA
Training Director: Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM, FAHA
Basic
Patrick Ellinor, MD, PhD, FAHA
Genomics and Epigenetics of Atrial Fibrillation
Clinical
Steven Lubitz, MD, MPH, FAHA
Precision Medicine in Ischemic Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation (PreMISe-AF)
Population
Kathryn Lunetta, PhD, MS
Clinical and Genetic Prediction of Lifetime Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and its Complications
Cleveland Clinic (Ohio)
Research Focus: Translational Strategies for the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation Development and Progression
Center Director: Mina K. Chung, MD, FAHA, FACC, FHRS
Training Director: Christine Moravec, PhD
Basic
Jonathan Smith, PhD, FAHA
Gene-Aging-Metabolism Interaction in Atrial Fibrillation Pathogenesis
Clinical
Mina K. Chung, MD, FAHA, FACC, FHRS
Upstream Targeting for the Prevention of AF: Targeting Risk Interventions and Metformin for Atrial Fibrillation (TRIM-AF)
Population
David Van Wagoner, PhD, FAHA, FHRS
Multi-omic Analysis of Atrial Metabolism, Electrophysiology and Atrial Fibrillation Progression
Northwestern University (Ill.)
Research Focus: Atrial Myopathy in Atrial FibrillationCenter Director: Rod Passman, MD, MSCE
Training Director: Philip Greenland, MD, FAHA
Basic
Rishi Arora, MD
The Role of Oxidative Stress in Creating a Vulnerable Substrate for Atrial Fibrillation in the Intact Atrium
Clinical
Rod Passman, MD, MSCE
Atrial Myopathy: Structure and Function in AF Ablation
Population
Philip Greenland, MD, FAHA
Atrial Substrate in Atrial Fibrillation and AF-Associated Brain Disease
Vanderbilt University (Tenn.)
Research Focus: A Novel Molecular Target in Atrial FibrillationCenter Director: Dan Roden, MD, FAHA
Training Director: Bjorn Knollmann, MD, PhD, FAHA
Basic
Katherine Murray, MD, FAHA
Reactive Lipid Metabolites as Mediators of AF Susceptibility in Clinical and Genetic Risk Models
Clinical
Gregory Michaud, MD
A First-in-Atrial Fibrillation Trial of a Reactive Lipid Metabolite Scavenger
Population
Dan Roden, MD, FAHA
Identifying Atrial Fibrillation Subtypes Driven by Inflammation
The Joe and Linda Chlapaty DECIDE Center at Stanford University (Calif.)
Research Focus: Decision-Making Pathway for Atrial Fibrillation Stroke PreventionCenter Director: Paul Wang, MD, FAHA
Clinical
Randall Stafford, MD, PhD
Behavioral Science (Prevention/Intervention)
AHA-PCORI DECIDE Center at University of Utah
Research Focus: Studying Effectiveness in Patient-centered careCenter Director: Angie Fagerlin, PhD
Clinical
Victor Montori, MD, MSc
Scan & Optimization of Decision Aids for Atrial Fibrillation (SODA-AF)
Population
Elissa Ozanne, PhD
RED-AF: Randomized Evaluation of Decision Support Interventions for Atrial Fibrillation
Award Activation: July 1, 2019
University of Michigan
Center Director: Robert Neumar, MD, PhD, FAHA
Training Director: David Pinsky, MD
Basic
Project PI: Thomas Sanderson, PhD
Early Neuroprotective Therapies for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Clinical
Project PI: Robert Silbergleit, MD, FAHA
Bystander and First Responders Clinical Trials for Early Neuroprotective Therapies in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Population
Project PI: Brahmajee Nallamothu, MD, MPH, FAHA
Optimizing Bystander and First Responder Time to Treatment in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Northwestern University
Center Director: Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD
Training Director: Rishi Arora, MD, FAHA
Basic
Project PI: Alfred “Al” George, MD
Correlating SCD Risk with Cell Autonomous Susceptibility
Clinical
Project PI: Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD
Genomics of Arrhythmias and Sudden Death
Population
Project PI: Laura Rasmussen- Torvik, PhD, MPH, FAHA
Integration of Genomics into Clinical Care for SCD
Vanderbilt University
Center Director: Bjorn Knollman, MD, PhD
Training Director: Dan Roden, MD, FAHA
Basic
Project PI: Bjorn Knollman, MD, PhD
The Mechanistic Role of RyR2 Hyperactivity for Ventricular Arrhythmia in Animal Models of Structural Heart Disease
Basic
Project PI: Igor Efimov, PhD
Test the Mechanistic Role of RyR2 Hyperactivity for Ventricular Arrhythmia in the Ex Vivo Human Heart
Clinical
Project PI: William Stevenson, MD
Project Co-PIs: Scott Akers, PharmD, PhD and Benjamin Shoemaker, MD
A Clinical Trial of RyR2 Inhibition to Prevent Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients with Structural Heart Disease
University of Washington
Center Director: Nona Sotoodehnia, MD, MPHD
Training Director: Francis Kim, MD and Michael Sayre, MD, FAHA
Clinical
Project PI: Ilan Goldenberg, MD
Project Co-PI: Wojciech Zareba, MD, PhD
Sex-Specific Risk for QTc Prolongation and Arrhythmic Events in Congenital Long QT Syndrome and Drug-Induced LQTS
Clinical
Project PI: Thomas Rea, MD, MPH
Project Co-PI: Peter Kudenchuk, MD
Precision Medicine Resuscitation: Novel Strategy for Real-Time Rhythm Assessment during CPR in Men and Women
Population
Project PI: Dan Arking, PhD
Project Co-PI: Nona Sotoodehnia, MD, MPH
Genomics of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Risk among Men and Women
Award Activation: January 1, 2020
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Center Directors: Mark Feinberg, MD, FAHA and Marc Sabatine, MD, MPH, FAHA
Training Directors: Vanita Aroda, MD and Jessica Fetterman, PhD
Basic
Project PI: Mark Feinberg, MD, FAHA
Non-coding RNAs in Ischemic Myocardial Disease and Diabetes: Discovery, Pathobiology, and Therapeutic
Clinical
Project PI: Marc Sabatine, MD, MPH, FAHA
Risk Prediction and Personalizing Therapy to Reduce Major Vascular, Heart Failure, and Renal Events in Diabetes
Clinical
Project PI: Naomi Hamburg, MD, FAHA
Restoring Vascular and Endothelial Health in Patients with Diabetes
University of Iowa
Center Director: Evan Abel, MD, PhD, FAHA
Training Director: Kamal Rahmouni, PhD, FAHA
Basic
Project PI: Ethan Anderson, PhD
A Heart-Liver-Adipose Axis: The Role of Inter-organ Crosstalk in Cardiometabolic Risk
Clinical
Project PI: Saumya Das MD, PhD
Adipose-derived Regulators of Inter-organ Communication in Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiometabolic Disease
Population
Project PI: Ravi Shah, MD, FAHA
Molecular Signatures of Dysfunctional Adiposity and Cardiometabolic Disease in Young Adulthood: the CARDIA Study
New York University
Center & Training Director: Ira Goldberg, MD, FAHA
Basic
Project PI: Edward Fisher, MD, MPH, PhD, FAHA
Mechanisms that Retard Atherosclerosis Regression in Insulin Resistant and Obese Mice
Clinical
Project PI: Jeffrey Berger, MD, FAHA
Diabetes and the Platelet Phenotype: Influence of Sex, Cholesterol Lowering and Cardiovascular Events
Population
Project PI: Chiara Giannarelli, MD, PhD
Determinants of Pathological Changes in Atherosclerosis in Women and Men with Diabetes
Johns Hopkins University
Center Directors: Chiadi Ndumele, MD, PhD, FAHA and Rexford Ahima, MD, PhD
Training Director: Erin Michos, MD, MHS, FAHA
Basic
Project PI: Rexford Ahima, MD, PhD
Divergent Adipokine Mouse Models and Diabetic Cardiomyopathy
Population
Project Co-PI: Chiadi Ndumele, MD, PhD, FAHA
Project Co-PI: Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, FAHA
Serum Adipokines, Metabolic Risk Progression, and Heart Failure
Award Activation: April 1, 2020
Boston University
Integrated Digital Technology Platform for Optimization of Precision Brain Health
Center Director: Rhoda Au, PhD
Training Director: Vijaya Kolachalama, PhD
Clinical
Project PI: Rhoda Au, PhD
Digital Phenotyping of Brain Health
Clinical
Project PI: Honghuang Lin, PhD
Futurizing Brain Health Monitoring Platform
Clinical
Project PI: Vijaya Kolachalama, PhD
Discovery and Validation of Digital Biomarkers
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Active Detection and Decentralized Dynamic Registry to Improve Uptake of Rheumatic Heart Disease Secondary Prevention
Center Director: Andrea Beaton, MD
Training Director: Elaine Urbina, MD, FAHA
Clinical
Project PI: Andrea Beaton, MD
Active Detection and Decentralized Dynamic Registry to Improve Uptake of Rheumatic Heart Disease Secondary Prevention
Johns Hopkins University
Center for Mobile Technologies to Reduce Disparities in Cardiovascular Health
Co-Center Directors: Seth Martin, MD, MHS and David Newman-Toker, MD, PhD
Co-Training Directors: Erin Michos, MD, MHS, FAHA and Najila Nassery, MD
Clinical
Project PI: Seth Martin, MD, MHS
Advancing Mobile Technologies to Reduce Disparities in Cardiovascular Health
Stanford University
Center for Heart Health Technology (H2T): Innovation to Implementation
Center & Training Director: Mintu Turakhia, MD
Clinical
Project PI: Paul Wang, MD
Technology-Enabled Management of Hypertension in Underrepresented Communities and in the Gig Economy
University of Michigan
Center Director: Brahmajee Nallamothu, MD, MPH
Training Director: Bhramar Mukherjee, PhD
Population
Project PI: Lesli Skolarus, MD, MSc
Wearables In Reducing risk and Enhancing Daily Life-style (WIRED-L) Project
Award Activation: July 1, 2021
Augusta University
Research Focus: Obesity-related disparities in the bidirectional risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer
Center Director: Neal Weintraub, MD, FAHA
Training Director David Stepp, PhD
Basic
Neal Weintraub, MD, FAHA
DARC and Chemokine Control in Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer
Clinical
Ryan Harris, PhD
Health Disparities and Vascular Aging Over Time in New Onset Cancer
Population
Avirup Guha, MBBS
Role of Obesity, Ancestry and Social Determinants of Health for Cancer development in African American Individuals with Cardiovascular Disease
Boston University School of Medicine
Research Focus: Cancer-Associated Thromboembolism as Affected by Health Disparities (CAT-HD)
Co-Center Directors: Katya Ravid, DSc and Vipul Chitalia, MD, PhD
Co-Training Directors: Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM, FAHA and George Murphy, PhD
Basic
Vipul Chitalia, MD
Targeted mechanisms of compromised diet-associated vasculo-thrombosis in experimental cancer models
Population
Nathanael Fillmore, PhD
“Development and molecular validation of a health-disparities-informed thromboembolism risk model in cancer patients”
Medical College of Wisconsin
Research Focus: Understanding and Addressing Disparities in Cancer Therapy Induced Inflammation and Associated Endothelial Dysfunction
Center Director: Melinda Stolley, PhD
Training Director David Gutterman, MD, FAHA
Basic
Alison Kriegel, PhD, FAHA
Impact of CTx and Exercise on Immune and Endothelial Cells- Comparative study of B/AA vs. white BC patients
Clinical
Andreas Beyer, PhD, FAHA
Defining Differences in Endothelial Function and Response to CTx among a Diverse Population of Women with BC
Population
Kirsten Beyer, PhD
Taking Charge During Treatment: exercise to improve fitness and quality of life among diverse breast cancer survivors
University of Pennsylvania
Research Focus: Understanding and Reducing Racial Disparities in High Risk Cardio-Oncology Communities
Center Director: Bonnie Ky, MD
Training Director: Clyde Yancy, MD, FAHA
Basic
Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, FAHA
The Role of Genomic Ancestry in Mediating Breast and Prostate Cancer Therapy Cardiotoxicity
Clinical
Bonnie Ky, MD
Phenotyping the Social Determinants of Cardiovascular Health in Cancer Patients and Survivors
Population
Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD
Saro Armenian, DO, MPH
Increasing Physical Activity to Improve CV Health in Racially Diverse Cancer Survivor Communities
Award Activation: April 1, 2022
View the RFA and award details: SFRN on the Science of Diversity in Clinical Trials
AWARDEES
Diversity & Inclusion in cardioVascular trials through Enrollment and education Resulting in Sustainable Equity: DIVERSE – Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California and the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, will collaborate to conduct two large research studies to identify the best strategies for including people of diverse populations in clinical trials. The first study is comparing six different strategies in 112 different clinical trials randomizing at the site level across the country to determine which works best for different people. The second study works with doctors in communities to find what they and their patients need most to participate in clinical research trials. Researchers will train community doctors to identify and remove barriers to health care access and to enroll people in research trials which can help their patients have access to the latest therapies. The instructions and resource developed for community doctors and hospitals will be made widely available to health care professionals outside the study area. Additionally, the team will form a network of leading pharmaceutical companies, technology companies and minority health care institutions to work together to make clinical trials more inclusive. This collaborative team is led by Eldrin Lewis, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, the Simon H. Stertzer, M.D. Professor of Medicine and chief of the division of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Integrated Community Engaged, mHealth, and Data Science to Enhance Clinical Trial Diversity and Cardiometabolic Health (iDIVERSE) – Researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Hawaii (UH) in Honolulu and Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman will collaborate on projects addressing disparities in clinical research in multiple diverse populations. The center at UH focuses on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander participants; the WSU is working with Native American participants; and the center at UCLA is concentrating on African/Black, Asian/Filipino, and Latin American participants. Each center is conducting a clinical trial to treat heart disease, diabetes or obesity, using smartphones to stay in touch with participants throughout the project. The three complementary projects aim to mitigate cardiometabolic disparities and they will be thematically connected through mHealth approaches to improve recruitment, enrollment and participation of diverse individuals in clinical trials. The AHA iDIVERSE team will further provide diversity training and, where appropriate, machine learning approaches to advance health equity in clinical trials. This collaborative team is led by Tzung Hsiai, M.D., Ph.D., the Maud Cady Guthman Endowed Term Chair in Cardiology and a professor of medicine (cardiology) and bioengineering at UCLA, and co-directed by Keith C. Norris, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice chair for the Department of Medicine for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and a professor of medicine at UCLA and Keawe Kaholokula, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Behavioral Economics to Transform Trial Enrollment Representativeness (BETTER) – Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Emory University in Atlanta, Grady Health Systems in Atlanta and MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., are collaborating to use behavioral health science to improve clinical trial participation among diverse groups. They will bring together experts in behavioral economics, research ethics, health equity and clinical trials to identify methods that make trial enrollment and retention easier for everyone. The BETTER Center team will study previous trials to learn from past successes and failures, engage people with heart disease from underserved racial groups to identify barriers to clinical trial enrollment, and then develop and test methods to improve the pace and diversity of trial enrollment. This collaborative team is led by Scott Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.E., the John M. Eisenberg, M.D. Professor in Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn.
Alzheimer's Trial Recruitment Innovation Lab (ATRIL) Reducing Bottlenecks and Achieving Diversity – Researchers from the University of Southern California’s (USC) Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI) and USC’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics in Los Angeles, and Howard University in Washington, D.C., are studying innovative ways to increase clinical trial participation among diverse and underrepresented populations, specifically for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. With this funding, the team will conduct two research projects and establish a fellowship training program. The first project will test remote and in-person evidence-based recruitment models for clinical trial participation among diverse populations using community-based partnerships. The second project will evaluate the feasibility of unsupervised, web-based cognitive assessment tools to accelerate clinical trial engagement. Finally, the multidisciplinary fellowship program will train and develop future AD and AD-related dementia clinical trialists. This collaborative team is led by Rema Raman, Ph.D., a professor of neurology at USC’s Keck School of Medicine and director of biostatistics and recruitment at USC’s ATRI.
Training Researchers to Advance Inclusion Networks (TRAIN) – A team at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Ca., and the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, is establishing the full network’s coordinated training center to develop science curriculum and career development training opportunities among the participating scientists, with the goal of enhancing diversity of clinical research participants. The program will specifically teach scientists how to do studies in full partnership with patients and communities through classes, community meetings and peer-to-peer learning. This training team is led by Hannah Valantine, M.B.B.S., M.D., a professor of medicine at Stanford. and Priscilla Pemu, M.B.B.S, M.S.C.R., a professor of medicine, the associate dean of clinical research and the director of the Clinical Research Center at Morehouse.