Robert Wilson, MD

Administrator Info
Fax: 420 Delaware Street SE
MMC 508 Mayo
8508A (Campus Delivery Code)
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
Dr. Wilson has dedicated his professional life to developing new methods for diagnosing and treating heart disease, and to training new physicians.A graduate of the University of Iowa College of Medicine, Dr. Wilson completed his residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and his cardiology fellowship at the University of Iowa. He joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 1986, when he and Dr. Carl White established a training program that has graduated over 60 interventional cardiologists. From 1988-2004, Dr. Wilson served as the director of the University of Minnesota Medical Center cardiac catheterization laboratory. From 2008 to 2013 he served as the chief of Clinical Cardiology.Dr. Wilson's investigative career initially focused on coronary physiology in humans. He developed the first catheter for the selective measure of coronary blood flow in humans, and described the effects of atherosclerosis and transplantation on coronary blood flow. He also first identified reinnervation of the transplanted human heart and its effects on cardiac function. Later, Dr. Wilson developed semi-computerized injection systems for coronary angiography that now used annually for millions of patients worldwide.Dr. Wilson's present research focus is the development of a prosthetic heart valve that can be inserted through a small catheter, eliminating the need for open-heart valve surgery. This device is now in human clinical trials. He also developed a platform for shielding hospital personnel from harmful scatter radiation during cardiac procedures. That system is in use across the nation.Dr. Wilson holds numerous patents for cardiovascular treatment devices and has published over 100 scientific papers. The National Institute of Health, the American Heart Association, and private individuals have supported his work.