Cardiovascular Research Institute

Discovering the Bigger Picture of Heart Health

The Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai approaches heart health as an interconnected challenge, recognizing that the cardiovascular system cannot be understood in isolation. Our multidisciplinary teams investigate how the immune, endocrine, metabolic, and hematopoietic systems influence cardiovascular health. By examining these complex relationships—from molecular mechanisms to lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, exercise, and stress—we are uncovering the fundamental processes that drive both disease and prevention. This systems-level approach allows us to translate discoveries into meaningful diagnostics, treatments, and therapies that address heart disease, the leading cause of mortality worldwide.

Collaboration drives everything we do. The Institute actively partners with researchers across Mount Sinai, throughout New York, and with national and international organizations to accelerate progress against cardiovascular disease. Our investigators work across three focus areas—Lifestyle and Disease Prevention, Systems Physiology and Bioengineering, and Genetic Medicine—exploring everything from atherosclerosis and heart failure to emerging fields like nanomedicine, modified RNA, and the cardiovascular effects of space exploration. By sharing knowledge and drawing inspiration from colleagues across disciplines, we are building a comprehensive understanding of the heart within the body's larger physiological context.

Integrated with the clinical excellence of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, the Institute bridges fundamental science and patient care. Our goal is to advance both discovery and translation, transforming insights from the lab into innovations that improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for patients facing cardiovascular disease.

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MEET THE DIRECTOR

Filip Swirski, PhD

PROFESSOR | Medicine, Cardiology

PROFESSOR | Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology

PROFESSOR | Immunology & Immunotherapy

Dr. Swirski’s research focuses on innate immunity and inflammation in cardiovascular disease and how lifestyle factors such as sleep, diet, and stress act as critical modulators of cardiovascular health and hematopoiesis.

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AT A GLANCE