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In This Issue:
From left, Javid Moslehi, Karen and Chris Watkins, Jessica Mega and Usha Tedrow. Photo courtesy of J.D. Levine Photography.
After finishing his clinical cardiology fellowship in 2007, Javid Moslehi, MD, started a post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of William Kaelin, MD, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Moslehi noticed an explosion of novel chemotherapies for cancer treatment, some of which caused cardiac side effects. In 2009, he and a colleague started a cardio-oncology clinic at BWH and DFCI, one of a select few of its kind in the country.
“The Cardio-oncology clinic provides care for cancer patients with a history of cardiovascular disease or those who develop cardiac complications,” said Moslehi. “As novel and emerging cancer therapies are improving outcomes and survival rates, these therapies may have cardiovascular sequalae that both impede continued treatment of the cancer and cause short- and long-term morbidity or mortality. The clinic receives referrals from all over New England and is an important addition to the Watkins clinic.”
Moslehi is one of five recipients of the Watkins Discovery Award, which provides seed grants to young physicians and scientists whose research could impact the care and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Moslehi and two of his fellow award recipients presented on their work to colleagues and supporters at BWH June 4.
“We thank Karen and Chris Watkins for their generous support that has made these awards possible,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD. “Our promising cardiovascular trainees are pursuing exciting new concepts in science, and these awards will help them push the envelope of what is possible in medicine, leading to better care for our patients.”
Patrick O’Gara, MD, executive medical director of the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, congratulated the recipients during a ceremony earlier this month. “We look forward to following your careers and seeing promising research translate into tomorrow’s breakthroughs,” he said.
Award recipients Robert Gallegos, MD, PhD, and J. Danny Muehlschlegel, MD, MMSc, will present on their projects in the fall. In addition to Moslehi, the following physicians and scientists presented June 4.
Jessica Mega, MD, MPH, is interested in developing additional tools to better understand and treat women with cardiovascular disease. Her Watkins Discovery Award proposal outlined a plan to first assess whether there are differences in biomarker concentrations among women and men presenting with ischemic heart disease and then to evaluate how these biomarkers can be used to predict the risk of future events.
Usha Tedrow, MD, MSc, is investigating the mechanism by which obesity increases risk of arrhythmias in women. She hopes that this research not only improves the understanding of mechanisms that underlie the influence of obesity on cardiac arrhythmias, but also could lead directly to preventive treatment strategies to reduce the burden of disease in the general population.