Feb. 11, 2015

Experts from Pauley Heart Center at VCU Medical Center available for National Heart Month stories

Experts can address issues related to the No. 1 cause of death in both men and women

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By Carissa Etters

Experts from Pauley Heart Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center are available to speak with media about a variety of topics related to the leading cause of death for both men and women — heart disease.

·     Phoebe Ashley, M.D., is a women’s heart health expert. She can speak about the risk factors and symptoms of heart disease in women, as well as the diagnostic and treatments available. Additionally, Ashley can speak to the important preventive measures women can take to reduce their chances of heart disease.

·     Melissa Smallfield, M.D., specializes in pulmonary hypertension and advanced heart failure. Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure and can be a serious risk factor for heart disease. While heart failure sounds like it means the heart stops working, it actually means the heart isn’t pumping blood like it should. Smallfield can speak about both of her specialties, including who is at risk and what people can do to reduce their risk of either condition. She also can discuss available treatments.

·     Keyur Shah, M.D., and Daniel Tang, M.D.,both specialize in mechanical circulatory support (VADs) device implantation and heart transplantation. The VAD procedure is a new option for many patients with end-stage heart failure.

·     Zachary Gertz, M.D., specializes in structural heart disease, which often refers to valvular heart problems or disease of the heart chambers.

·     Gabor Bagameri, M.D., is an expert on disease of the aorta.

·     Antonio Abbate, M.D., is the lead investigator in several preclinical research studies in the VCU Pauley Heart Center and the Victoria Johnson Research Laboratories, examining the role of inflammation in heart disease.

·     Jayanthi Koneru, M.D., is an atrial fibrillation expert. Atrial fibrillation is a common type of abnormal heartbeat.

As a major academic research institution, VCU also can provide interviews with numerous other cardiology researchers. You can read bios of all of the available cardiology experts here.