Cardiovascular Disease

Leader: Charles J. Lowenstein, M.D.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States, making it the greatest threat to the health of Americans and ultimately to the economic well being of our nation. The University of Rochester Medical Center recognizes the need to address this serious health crisis through a significant investment in its cardiovascular clinical and research initiatives, which have tremendous potential to improve patients’ lives regionally, nationally and across the globe.

The University of Rochester Medical Center has a long history of providing comprehensive expertise in all specialties of clinical cardiovascular medicine, with regional dominance in electrophysiology, heart failure, heart transplantation, vascular medicine, aortic surgery and pediatric heart surgery. The Medical Center also boasts nationally recognized research programs in vascular medicine, atrial fibrillation, ablation, hereditary arrhythmias and use of artificial hearts for heart failure patients. The research of cardiologist Arthur Moss, M.D., whose work with heart-rhythm disorders and implantable cardioverter defibrillators has changed the treatment of heart disease worldwide and saved the lives of countless patients, continues to serve as an archetype that is influencing current and future research endeavors.

In the area of basic research, the 15 cardiovascular research laboratories within the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute are engaged in more than 50 research projects with the goal of furthering the understanding of heart disease. In the last 10 years, CVRI researchers have won 60 research grants and filed 36 patent applications, both measures of tremendous strength.

To achieve the No. 1 status regionally, and to develop national and international recognition for research and education in cardiovascular sciences, the University has recently made significant new investments in infrastructure, with more coming soon. The development of an outpatient clinical cardiovascular program will bring a new level of cohesion to the outpatient service lines of cardiology, vascular surgery, cardiovascular imaging, anesthesiology and nursing. The Medical Center also recently made a significant investment to purchase and renovate a new facility to house more than 100 scientists, students and technicians, a space designed specifically to encourage basic researchers to contribute to new treatments, and clinicians to suggest new avenues for research. Plans call for the recruitment of additional cardiovascular researchers in the next five years, part of the group of more than 60 new faculty to be recruited to the Medical Center overall.