Cardiovascular Institute Research

Fellows of all years have dedicated research time that is tailored to each fellow’s goals. Our fellows have opportunities to work with world-renowned researchers in all of our cardiology subspecialities across the spectrum of research including basic sciences, translational and clinical research as highlighted below.

The Cardiovascular Research Institute at Mount Sinai

The Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is a hub for fundamental and translational cardiovascular science. The Institute, which is located predominantly at the Leon and Norma Hess Research Building on Madison Avenue consists of over 12 laboratories performing research aimed at better understanding cardiovascular health and disease. Labs at the Institute use cardiology, vascular biology, molecular biology, immunology, hematology, and neuroscience approaches to elucidate fundamental mechanisms of atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, and heart failure. The Institute offers a broad range of topics from understanding how lifestyle factors such as sleep, stress, or diet modulate the circulatory system to harnessing nanotechnology and genetic medicine for therapy.

Fellows at the CVRI will partner with a mentor and a senior fellow in a given lab (please see below for a list of the laboratories and their research focus). Over a period of 2 years, the fellow will work on a specific scientific project and will gain a deep understanding of the leading scientific concepts, the supporting literature, and key state-of-the-art technologies and approaches required to perform cutting edge and innovative science. The fellow will present their work at lab meetings and seminars, evaluate landmark papers at journal clubs, and meet leading scientists at Sinai and beyond. At the conclusion of the program, the fellow will be expected to make a significant contribution to scientific knowledge with a manuscript submitted to a leading scientific journal. The fellowship is designed to provide the fellow with the skills to become a successful NIH-funded physician-scientist at a leading research institution. 

For more information about the CVRI please visit The Cardiovascular Research Institute at Mount Sinai.

If you are interested in the physician-scientist program within the fellowship, please fill out the following application:
https://forms.office.com/r/PNsb690JFX

Research Laboratories and Research Focus
image of Kevin Costa

Costa Laboratory

Cardiovascular Cell and Tissue Engineering

image of Dr. Goedeke

Goedeke Laboratory

Metabolic flux and cell signaling in cardiometabolic disease

image of Dr. Goukassian

Goukassian Laboratory

Cardiovascular Space and Terrestrial Radiobiology

image of Dr. Hadri

Hadri Laboratory

Cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

image of Dr. Ishikawa

Ishikawa Laboratory

Preclinical studies using large animals, gene/cell therapy, cardiovascular diseases

image of Dr. Kontorovich

Kontorovich Laboratory

Investigating genetic factors underlying viral-induced myocarditis

image of Jason Kovacic

Kovacic Laboratory

Making game-changing discoveries related to cardiovascular blockage

image of Dr. McAlpine

McAlpine Laboratory

Immune cells: linking sleep, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease

image of Susmita Sahoo

Sahoo Laboratory

Cardiovascular Exosomes and Epitranscriptome

image of Dr Swirski

Swirski Laboratory

Immune, Metabolic, and Nervous Systems in Cardiovascular Health and Disease

image of Dr. Teunissen

Teunissen Laboratory

Nanotherapeutic synthesis, development, and radiolabeling

image of Dr. Trivieri

Trivieri Laboratory

Molecular mechanism of heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, tissue engineering

image of Dr. Urnbull

Turnbull Laboratory

Tissue Engineering, stem cell biology, inherited and acquired cardiomyopathies

image of Dr. Van Leent

van Leent Laboratory

Nanobiologics in atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease

image of Dr. Lior-Zangi

Zangi Laboratory

Novel therapeutic targets to induce cardiac regeneration post-myocardial infarction

Department of Population Health Science and Policy

The Department is a leader in educating and training the next generation of translational, clinical, and population health scientists at Mount Sinai and nationally by means of new courses of instruction and research mentorship to trainees and junior faculty. Multidisciplinary areas of instruction include clinical research methods, biostatistics, data management, economic analysis, clinical epidemiology, measurement of quality of life and functional status, health policy, information technology, social networking, and health equity research, among others. Through the Department, Cardiology fellows have the opportunity to obtain additional training (e.g., masters/doctoral programs in clinical research) and/or funding (e.g., TL1 grant program) as a part of their broader academic career development. Additionally, the Department is the data coordinating center for the Cardiothoracic Surgery Trials Network (CTSN), which receives over $50M in annual NIH/NHLBI funding and offers cardiology fellows unique opportunities to participate in clinical trials. More information can be found on these pages:

The Center for Interventional Cardiovascular Research and Clinical Trials

Directing the Center is the unique global presence and thought leadership of Dr. Roxana Mehran. Since 2010, she has assembled an agile team of experts to carry out high impact clinical research trials and real-world data studies. The Center is a leading national and international resource in the generation of health data related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease that provides fellows with unique mentorship opportunities under Drs. Roxana Mehran, George Dangas, Annapoorna Kini and Samin Sharma as well as one-on-one biostatistical support from Dr. Samantha Sartori, PhD and her team of statisticians and programmers. More information can be found here.

The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute

Founded by Dr. Elizabeth Howell, the Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute now has more than 50 faculty members aiming to address disparities in women’s health across the life course as well as to train future leaders in women’s health care across interdisciplinary fields in science and medicine. The Institute recently recruited Dr. Leslee Shaw, PhD, to lead the next chapter for the Institute. Cardiology fellows, in particular, will have the opportunity to participate in funded cardiovascular imaging research projects mentored by Dr. Shaw and her team and/or projects related to women’s cardiovascular health. More information can be found here.

The Helmsley Center for Electrophysiology

Under the direction of Dr. Vivek Reddy, the Helmsley Center continues its pioneering leadership legacy in the field of electrophysiology and arrhythmia care by leading several multinational clinical trials exploring new arrhythmia procedures and devices. More information can be found here.

Cardiometabolic and Lipid Disorders

Dr. Robert Rosenson leads an internationally recognized group that is investigating the effects of novel lipid-lowering therapy, hypoglycemic therapy, and antihypertensive agents in inflammation, thrombogenesis and rheology. More information can be found here.

Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health

Fellows interested in research related to artificial intelligence and machine learning have access to the first ever department of its kind within a U.S. medical school here at Mount Sinai through the Icahn School of Medicine. The Department, with its new state-of-the-art facility set to open in Fall 2022, will leverage the Mount Sinai Health System’s 8 hospitals and more than 400 ambulatory clinics to develop novel diagnostics and treatments for diseases. More information can be found here.

Arnhold Institute for Global Health

Opportunities for global health research specifically within global health systems and implementation research as well as global academic partnerships exist for fellows through the Icahn School of Medicine. More information can be found here.

Journal Club & Research Curriculum

Our weekly Journal Club and Research Curriculum provide fellows with the unique opportunity to critique the latest publications in cardiology while learning statistical methodology through direct engagement with leading figures in cardiovascular research including Drs. Valentin Fuster, Gregg Stone, Stuart Pocock, Leslee Shaw, Roxana Mehran and Vivek Reddy among others.

Research Track

 

Culture of Scholarship

Personalized Mentorship

Academic Productivity

Year 1

Throughout fellowship

  • Dedicated time for research
  • Dedicated biostatistician and IRB counselor
  • Dedicated time/funding for fellows to attend ACC/AHA
  • Quarterly newsletter on research and opportunities
  • Lectures on trial design, epidemiology, biostatistics
  • Conferences: CCU, cath, multimodality, journal club
  • Presenters say how fellows
  • Regular feedback on how to improve research experience
  • Recruitment of new fellows and junior faculty with research prowess
  • Boot camp showcases ongoing projects at MSH
  • Hands-on matchmaking for fellows and projects/mentors
  • Design project proposal, acquire funding. IRB approval
  • Controversies in Cardiology
  • CCU, Cath Conferences
  • Hurst's The Heart

Year 2

  • Guidance with submission of abstract to AHA/ACC
  • Review drafts for publication
  • Assistance applying for grant funding (eg. GRE T32.K 12)
  • Present proposed project at research dinners, Cath Conference, Journal Club, and Guidelines Conference
  • Hurst's The Heart

Year 3

  • Review drafts for publication
  • Assistance with job applications: pathway to faculty positions
  • Formal presentation of research project
  • Peer-reviewed publication
  • Present at AHA/ACC
  • Hurst's The Heart