Cardiovascular Faculty

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Krista Ostrom
Email: kostrom@umn.edu
Mail: 420 Delaware Street SE
MMC 508 Mayo
8508A (Campus Delivery Code)
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
A graduate of the University of Minnesota's general- and interventional-cardiology fellowship programs, Dr. Ganesh Raveendran joined the faculty in 2005 after practicing at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In addition to interventional cardiology, Dr. Raveendran is board-certified in critical care medicine. Raveendran's clinical interests include diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization in critical-care and other high-risk patients, minimally-invasive closure of congenital heart defects in adults, prosthetic implantation for valvular heart disease, and balloon pulmonary angioplasty.Raveendran is currently Chief of Clinical Cardiology, Director of Interventional Cardiology and Director of the Interventional and Structural Heart Disease Fellowship programs.

Clinical Summary

Interventional cardiology; Invasive hemodynamics; Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect; Coronary physiology; Coronary artery disease; Vascular biology; Premature atherosclerosis

Clinical Summary

Advanced device therapy, Atrial fibrillation ablation, Cardiac sarcoidosis, Congenital heart disease arrhythmia, Ventricular tachycardia ablation

Bio

Administrator Info
Email: cvheart@umn.edu

Summary
Focus has been on advanced heart failure cardiology including mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation. Have published multiple papers and presented at numerous national and international conferences. Have mentored several trainees over the years. Chief Fellow of University of Minnesota Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship 2020-2021.

Research Summary

• Mechanical Circulatory Support
• Heart Transplant
• Cardiogenic Shock

Teaching Summary

Heart Failure; Mechanical Circulatory Support; Heart Transplant; Cardiogenic Shock

Clinical Summary

Heart Failure; Mechanical Circulatory Support; Heart Transplant

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Bill Clark
Email: wclark10@umphysicians.umn.edu
Mail: 420 Delaware Street SE
MMC 508 Mayo
8508A (Campus Delivery Code)
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
Dr. Chetan Shenoy is an NIH-funded physician investigator. His clinical and research efforts are focused on the clinical applications of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging for patients with inflammatory heart conditions such as cardiac sarcoidosis, inherited heart conditions such as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, cancer, and cardiovascular masses, including thrombi and tumors.Dr. Shenoy is the Director of the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship.

Clinical Summary

Cardiac MRI

Bio

Administrator Info
Email: cvheart@umn.edu
Mail: 420 Delaware Street SE
MMC 508 Mayo
8508A (Campus Delivery Code)
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
Dr. Thenappan received his medical training from the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medial University, India. He then completed his residency training in Internal Medicine in 2005 at St. Francis Hospital with University of Illinois, Evanston, IL. Following this, he worked as a research fellow in the Center for Pulmonary Hypertension at the University of Chicago. Subsequently, he completed his fellowship training in Cardiovascular Medicine in 2012 and fellowship training in Advanced Heart failure and Transplant Cardiology in 2013 at the University of Chicago. Dr. Thenappan is a clinical research scholar interested in translational research in pulmonary vascular disease. During his fellowship training, he worked on redefining the epidemiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension in the current era. His current research focus is on developing novel therapies for right ventricular failure secondary to pulmonary vascular disease. Outside work, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.Dr. Thenappan has published on pulmonary vascular disease and right ventricular function in high impact journals including Circulation, Circulation Research, Circulation Heart Failure, Journal of American College of Cardiology, Journal of American Medical Association, Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, European Respiratory Journal, and Chest. He is a member of the American Heart Association, American Thoracic Society, International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation, and Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute, and Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

Clinical Summary

• Cardiology
• Pulmonary Hypertension and Right Heart Failure
• Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation
• Mechanical Circulatory Support

Bio

Kamil Ugurbil currently holds the McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair Professorship and is the founding Director of the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) at the University of Minnesota. After completing his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in physics, and chemical physics, respectively, at Columbia University, New York, N.Y., Prof. Ugurbil  joined AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1977, and subsequently returned to Columbia as a faculty member in 1979. He was recruited to the University of Minnesota in 1982 where his research in magnetic resonance led to the evolution of his laboratory into an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary research center, the CMRR. His primary research focus has been the development and application of MR methods and instrumentation towards obtaining high spatiotemporal resolution and high accuracy functional and anatomical information in the human brain, and the development of ultrahigh magnetic fields for human imaging for biomedical research in general. This body of work has culminated in pioneering accomplishments, such as the co-introduction of functional brain imaging (fMRI), the introduction and development of ultrahigh magnetic fields (defined as ≥7 Tesla), functional mapping of columnar and layer specific functional responses in the human brain, highly accelerated functional brain imaging, and MR spectroscopy for studies of metabolism in vivo. He was one of the two PI’s of the Human Connectome Project and one of the fourteen members of the first BRAIN Initiative working group. He was recognized by several awards and honors including membership in the US National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Richard R. Ernst Gold Medal, ISMRM Gold Medal, ISMAR Prize, Koç Award, the IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology, and two honorary doctorates.

Research Summary

Kamil Ugurbil's central research interest is tackling biological problems, particularly in the brain, with new and transformative imaging technologies that involve instrumentation, image acquisition and reconstruction methods. His research is characterized by development of new technologies, and applications of these technologies, to obtain new and previously unavailable information about biological processes. This central interest was initially focused on developing, for the first time, new magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy methods to monitor intracellular chemistry in intact biological systems, using systems such as bacteria in suspension and perfused organs. This work pioneered the general field of using MR for the study of biological processes in vivo. In the past three decades, his focus has predominantly been the development of ultrahigh field MR methods for human neuroimaging, particularly for imaging brain activity (functional imaging (fMRI)) and connectivity and combining these methodological and instrumentation developments with neuroscience applications in the human and animal brain to advance our understanding of brain function in health and disease.

Dr. Ugurbil's research brings together physics and instrumentation with physiology, neuroscience and neurochemistry to assess cerebral function. fMRI was first achieved simultaneously by two independent teams; one was the team he lead at the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) at the University of Minnesota. This development has been followed by a large body of seminal work from his laboratory on the mechanisms of coupling between magnetic resonance detected signals and neuronal activity, and development of new instrumentation and techniques to exploit this information, leading to the most advanced neuroimaging studies we have today. 
The effort of his group to develop new technologies to advance neuroimaging pioneered the use of ultrahigh field (≥7 Tesla) imaging in humans, particularly (but not only) for pushing the boundaries of mapping brain function and connectivity. 7 Tesla and associated methods developed to overcome the significant challenges faced with imaging the human body at such high magnetic fields currently represent the most advanced platform used for human brain research and are now increasingly used world-wide. This effort also led to the development of instrumentation capable of human imaging above 10 Tesla for the first time (see the article The world’s strongest MRI machines are pushing human imaging to new limits).

Recently, these advances have been extended to mapping the macro-connectome of the human brain under the auspices of the Human Brain Connectome project launched by the NIH Neuroscience Blueprint initiative and continued through Human Connectome Project Lifespan project.

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Mayna Xiong
Email: xion2253@umn.edu
Mail: Lillehei Heart Institute
2231 6th Street SE
1st-floor Mailroom CCRB
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Summary
After obtaining his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, Dr. Jop van Berlo performed postdoctoral research with Dr.Jeffery Molkentin at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Upon joining the University of Minnesota he has built a research program focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac remodeling and regeneration. An active area of research is on the role of the immune system in orchestrating cardiac remodeling. Separately, the laboratory is interested in discovering regulators of cardiomyocyte proliferation.

Research Summary

My laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac remodeling and regeneration. The goal of this research is to develop innovative strategies to enhance the limited ability of the heart to regenerate and stimulate reverse remodeling. To identify these strategies, we study the underlying mechanisms of endogenous remodeling and regeneration in mice. We are currently interested in discovering novel regulators of cardiomyocyte proliferation. We have candidate regulators that we are verifying in cell culture and in genetic mouse models. Furthermore, we are interested in the role of the immune system in orchestrating remodeling and regeneration.

Bio

Administrator Info 
Name: Roberta Beach
Phone: 
Email: rmbeach@umphysicians.umn.edu
Fax: 
Mail: 420 Delaware ST SE
MMC 508
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
Jeremy Van't Hof is a Minnesota native who traveled to Michigan for undergraduate training in biochemistry (Calvin College) and then to California for medical school (Loma Linda University). Informing his lifelong interest in public health, he spent a key five month period in Honduras as a rural health clinic volunteer performing rural medicine outreach. He returned to Minnesota in 2012 in order to complete an Internal Medicine Residency and Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship at the University of Minnesota.Dr. Van't Hof's clinical interests include early detection of cardiovascular disease in order to prevent or delay the onset of cardiovascular events, familial hypercholesterolemia, resistant hypertension and complex polyvascular disease. He believes in an integrative treatment approach combining lifestyle alterations with evidence based medical therapy to maximize physical and mental health as well as quality of life. Dr. Van't Hof's research interest involves improving cardiovascular disease detection and early intervention. He believes that poor cardiovascular health is often a result of poor public health literacy, linked to inefficiencies created by the current "sickness-based" health care delivery system. The failure of cardiovascular prevention is a key factor that leads individuals to a less happy, less productive, and shorter life. Dr. Van't Hof is dedicated to all efforts that improve both individual cardiovascular health and population health through public health research and intervention.

Research Summary

• Early cardiovascular disease detection and intervention
• Appropriate screening for cardiovascular diseases
• Bridging the gap between public health and precision medicine

Clinical Summary

Cardiovascular disease prevention (primary, secondary), Early detection of cardiovascular disease, Epidemiology, Familial hypercholesterolemia, Lipid/cholesterol disorders, Premature atherosclerosis, Resistant hypertension, Wellness/Integrative Medicine

Bio

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.

Clinical Summary

Coronary artery disease and intervention, Coronary artery disease (stable and unstable angina, myocardial, infarction), Coronary physiology, Endothelial dysfunction (blood vessel disease), Interventional cardiology, Invasive hemodynamics, Transcatheter therapies

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Jane Hutchins-Peterson
Email: jhutchin@umn.edu
Mail: CCRB
2231 6th St SE
MMC 2812
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
Study the effect of mitochondrial calcium handling on heart failure arrhythmia.

Research Summary

The relationship between mitochondrial calcium handling and heart failure arrhythmia.

Clinical Summary

Arrhythmia

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Wendy Markuson
Phone: 612-625-4401
Email: marku002@umn.edu

Summary
Dr. Yamada graduated from National Nagoya University and started his MD career in Japan in 1991. His specialty is clinical cardiac electrophysiology and pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. He moved to University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as a postdoctoral fellow in 2006. He joined research faculty of UAB in 2008. He obtained Alabama state MD license in 2010 and joined clinical faculty of UAB as Assistant Professor in 2011. He was promoted to Associate Professor, and was awarded Tenure in 2014. He has joined University of Minnesota as Professor in 2020. His publications as a first author are > 150. He has two major research interests including catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardias. He has achieved various pioneering work in catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardias. Especially, he has revealed several new syndromes and concepts of idiopathic ventricular tachycardia.

Research Summary

• Electrophysiology and Mechanism of Clinical Supraventricular and Ventricular Arrhythmias
• Non-pharmacological Therapy of Supraventricular and Ventricular Arrhythmias
• Cardiac Pacing and Defibrillation

Clinical Summary

• Arrhythmia

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Kathy Vang
Email: vang3630@umn.edu
Mail: 420 Delaware Street SE
MMC 508 Mayo
8508A (Campus Delivery Code)
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
Born in London, UK, Dr. Yannopoulos received his M.D. from the University of Athens in Greece. He completed his medicine residency and general-cardiology fellowship at the University of Minnesota. Following an interventional-cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Yannopoulos joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 2008. In March 2010, he became the research director for interventional cardiology.Dr. Yannopoulos is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, and interventional cardiology. His clinical interests include emergent cardiac care, coronary-artery disease, and congenital and peripheral intervention.Dr. Yannopoulos's research involves cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hypothermia, and myocardial salvage during acute coronary syndromes. He is considered an authority in cardiorespiratory interactions and hypothermia during CPR. His work in the laboratories of Dr. Keith Lurie (at the University of Minnesota) and Dr. Henry Halperin (at Johns Hopkins University) has helped change current CPR practices.Dr. Yannopoulos is a member of the American Heart Association's CPR guidelines-writing committee, and of the basic life support and research working-group subcommittees. He also serves on the organization committee for the AHA's Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS), the largest international conference addressing CPR and emergent cardiac/trauma care.Dr. Yannopoulos is the recipient of two American Heart Association Young Investigator awards (2005 and 2008), and has received AHA and NIH grant support for his work in CPR devices designed to improve bloodflow and clinical outcomes.

Clinical Summary

• Coronary artery disease and intervention
• CPR
• Interventional cardiology
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Resuscitation
• Structural heart disease