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According to the听听(CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with nearly half of Americans having at least one of three key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, or smoking.

Since 1963, the United States government has annually recognized February as American Heart Month, a time to raise awareness for heart disease and educate Americans about lifestyle improvements that could reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Physicians and experts from the听College of Osteopathic Medicine听(NYITCOM) also do their part, including sharing potentially life-saving information with the campus community and patients. For example, experts emphasize that the signs of a heart attack can differ between men and women, with women likely to experience other symptoms, in addition to chest pain, that are not traditionally associated with a heart attack.

鈥淲omen鈥檚 heart attack symptoms can be very different from men and may be very atypical. They may not just be chest pain, or chest pressure, but could be vomiting, epigastric or abdominal pain,鈥� says NYITCOM鈥檚 Chief of Cardiology and Director of Medical Device Innovation听Todd Cohen, M.D., a triple-boarded, practicing cardiologist.

Of course, NYITCOM鈥檚 dedication to advancing cardiovascular health goes well beyond American Heart Month. Here are notable select highlights of research, awards, and public education efforts taken by NYITCOM faculty and students in the fight against heart disease.

Innovative Research

NYITCOM and St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center庐鈥檚 DeMatteis Center for Cardiac Research and Education recently launched a听collaboration听in which NYITCOM students now have the prestigious opportunity to join St. Francis Hospital鈥檚 world-renowned, innovative cardiovascular research. The program鈥檚 first NYITCOM research scholar,听Karen Chau, is currently assisting in a cardiac imaging study that visualizes calcium salt buildup (plaque) in the arteries that deliver blood to the heart.

Last April, NYITCOM students听Victor Chen听补苍诲听Nibras Choudhury听and Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences听Youhua Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., shared听research听at the 2022 meeting of the American Physiological Society, which found that older individuals may be more vulnerable to irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia) caused by high caffeine consumption.

In 2020, NYITCOM researchers, including Professor and Chair of听Biomedical Sciences听Anthony (Martin) Gerdes, Ph.D., and faculty members听Kaie Ojamaa, Ph.D., Zhang, and听Bardia Askari, Ph.D., collaborated with FuWai Heart Hospital (Beijing, China) to听propose听a new use for a common blood test, which could provide potentially life-saving treatments for heart failure. Two years prior, in an effort to offer new treatments for recovering heart attack patients with beta blocker intolerance, Gerdes and other researchers also听discovered听that thyroid hormone therapy鈥攕pecifically triiodothyronine (T3)鈥攎ay serve as an effective alternative treatment.

NYITCOM-Arkansas Associate Professor and cardiovascular medicine researcher , has also conducted extensive research on the impact of thyroid hormone on heart function. In a 2018 , Rajagopalan, who is also a Fellow of the Cardiovascular Section of the American Physiology Society, and his co-authors explore whether a persistent decrease in thyroid hormone levels may compromise heart function.

A 2017 study听by NYITCOM Associate Professor听Brian Beatty, Ph.D., former NYITCOM faculty听Bennett Futterman, M.D., and then medical student听Christopher Hoehmann (D.O. 鈥�18)听proposed that arteries in peripheral areas of the body, like the wrist, may help clinicians to diagnose reduced blood flow to the heart.

The same year, Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences听Maria Alicia Carrillo Sepulveda, Ph.D., and then medical student听Benjamin Kramer (D.O. 鈥�19)听conducted research听funded by the American Heart Association (AHA). Their findings showed that the Western diet, which is categorized by excessively high levels of fat and refined sugars, caused metabolic syndrome (prediabetes) in male rats.

Prestigious NIH Grants

Last year, an NYITCOM research team, led by Biomedical Sciences Instructor听Satoru Kobayashi, Ph.D., secured a three-year $428,400听grant听from the听听(NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to support research that may deliver life-saving treatments for diabetic heart failure.

In 2021, a research team led by听Olga V. Savinova, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences at NYITCOM, secured a five-year听grant听estimated at $1.8 million from the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for research that aims to improve the understanding of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and deliver a new treatment for heart disease. In 2018, she also received a $391,041听grant听from the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for research that examines vascular calcification that could help to prevent heart disease in chronic kidney disease patients.

Qiangrong Liang, Ph.D., professor of biomedical sciences, was awarded a three-year $431,700 grant from the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 2014 to听study the effects听of reducing caloric intake on the heart.

Illustrious Awards

Last year, NYITCOM student听Nikki Maddie听secured听a prestigious AHA Scholarship in Cardiovascular Disease to study the link between obesity and hypertension under Sepulveda鈥檚 mentorship. Two years prior, Maddie also听received听a 2020 AHA Hypertension New Investigator Award for research regarding the connection between obesity and the fat around the aorta, known as PVAT (perivascular adipose tissue).

In 2021, NYITCOM student听Risa Kiernan听secured听the AHA鈥檚 Scholarship in Cardiovascular Disease. Under Sepulveda鈥檚 mentorship, Kiernan is studying how obesity leads to hypertension in females.

In 2017, Gerdes received the Hans Peter Krayenbuehl Memorial Award from the International Academy of Cardiology for his contributions to the field of cardiac function.

Public Service and Education

Two years ago, in an effort to connect NYITCOM medical students with children and adolescents from underserved communities, NYITCOM students听Melody Young听补苍诲听Jacob Salner听shared their book听Rory鈥檚 Adventure Through the Cardiovascular System听with third-graders from the Glen Cove City School District. The educational tale chronicles main character Rory鈥檚 journey through the heart, blood, veins, and arteries.

In 2019, NYITCOM-Arkansas debuted its Delta Care-a-van, a mobile medical unit used to improve the quality of health services and education in rural, underserved communities in the Mississippi Delta Region via free-of-cost preventative health services. Among the Care-a-van鈥檚 offerings are blood pressure and blood glucose screenings, which may indicate hypertension and diabetes, respectively.