Recent Editions
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to thank everyone who joined us for the American Heart Association Heart Walk last month. Your enthusiasm and support embody our shared commitment to advancing heart health in our community. The Walk remains one of the AHA’s most impactful fundraising events each year, helping to drive critical research and education initiatives that benefit patients everywhere.
Our Heart Center team registered 50 walkers and raised nearly $2,500 in this year’s event, an outstanding effort that reflects our mission beyond the walls of the clinic and laboratory. The AHA has long been a valued partner to both Baylor College of Medicine and The Texas Heart Institute, and we remain deeply committed to supporting their programs that advance cardiovascular science and awareness.
Looking ahead, the AHA Scientific Sessions will take place November 7–10 in New Orleans. Members of our Heart Center will be well represented, presenting 25 papers and invited talks highlighting our leadership in cardiovascular discovery and innovation.
We are also proud to celebrate Dr. Christie Ballantyne, recipient of the 2025 AHA Distinguished Scientist Award—one of the organization’s highest honors. Dr. Ballantyne, who joined the Division of Cardiology at Baylor in 1985, has made groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of atherosclerosis and lipoprotein biology. His work, supported by continuous NIH funding since 1988, spans from fundamental discoveries in vascular inflammation to landmark clinical trials in cardiovascular prevention. Recognized among Thomson Reuters’ “World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds,” Dr. Ballantyne’s impact on the field has been extraordinary.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Ballantyne on this well-deserved recognition and in thanking all who continue to advance our mission of improving cardiovascular health through discovery and compassion.
— Joseph G. Rogers, MD
Director, The Texas Heart Institute at Baylor College of Medicine Cardiovascular Center
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025
Congratulations to all the Baylor College of Medicine faculty and staff who presented, authored, or moderated at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans. This premier gathering of cardiovascular professionals highlights the latest advancements spanning basic science, translational research, and clinical innovation. Your leadership and contributions at this global forum reflect our shared commitment to advancing cardiovascular discovery and improving patient care.
Here are just some of the presentations that took place at the Scientific Sessions 2025:
| Presentation Title | Presenter/Authors | |
| Effect of Aficamten vs Metoprolol on Patient-Reported Health Status in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy | Andrew Wang and Ajith P Nair | |
| LBS.01 The Next Era in Cardiometabolic Treatment | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| CK.MDP.01 GP73 Associates Causally with Incident Heart Failure through Insulin Resistance in Community-Dwelling Adults: The ARIC Study/MP425 | Ron C Hoogeveen and Christie Ballantyne | |
| IM.MDP.11 Structural Cardiac Abnormalities Modify Atrial Fibrillation–Associated Heart Failure Risk and Identify a High-Risk Phenotype in Older Adults: The ARIC Study/MP304 | Idine Mousavi, Vijay Nambi, Christie M Ballantyne, Ron C Hoogeveen, and Xiaoming Jia | |
| PL.ME.02 Efficacy and Safety of Enlicitide, an Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor, for Lowering LDL Cholesterol in Adults with or At-Risk for ASCVD: The Phase 3 CORALreef Lipids Trial | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| Moderators | Glenn N Levine | |
| PL.ME.02 Shifting Paradigms in Lipid Management for ASCVD Risk | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| AI-Driven Identification and Outreach for Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Early Results from the FIND-FH Initiative at a Single Academic Center | Danny J. Eapen | |
| Clinical Responses to Aficamten Monotherapy Compared with Metoprolol Monotherapy for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Outcomes and Disease Burden: MAPLE-HCM Responder Analysis | Andrew Wang and Ajith P Nair | |
| HY.CVS.04 Lipid lowering therapy and memory loss | Vijay Nambi | |
| VM.MDP.04 c-Rel–Mediated Lipid Accumulation and Inflammatory Activation in Monocytes in Hypertriglyceridemia/MP920 | Ron Cornelis Hoogeveen, Christie M. Ballantyne, Huaizhu Wu, Feng Gao, Arsalan Hamid, Chao Cheng, Yanming Li, Ying H. Shen, Xinchun Pi and Jing Xiao | |
| CK.APB.03 Sa2047 Survodutide for the Treatment of Obesity: Baseline characteristics of the SYNCHRONIZE Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial | Biykem Bozkurt | |
| PL.APB.03 Estimated absolute coronary heart disease risk reduction with Lp(a) lowering among adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease/Sa2107 | Carlos Jose Rodriguez, Christie M Ballantyne, and Ron C Hoogeveen | |
| MP828 Spot-Urine Sodium Monitoring After IV Loop Diuretics: An Overlooked Predictor of Early Death? A Real-World Multi-Center Study of 11 Million Heart Failure Patients | Biykem Bozkurt | |
| PL.AOS.01 Intensive lifestyle intervention, MASLD, and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity: the Look Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) trial Liver Ancillary Study | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| Effect of Aficamten versus Metoprolol Monotherapy on Biomarkers in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: The MAPLE-HCM Trial | Andrew Wang and Ajith P Nair | |
| HF.MDP.39 Associations of baseline and longitudinal changes in MASLD with risk of heart failure events in type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity: the Look Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) Trial Liver Ancillary Study/MP1629 | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| CO.CVS.09 Targets, Tools, and Tailored Therapy: What’s New and What’s Next in Lipid Management for Coronary Atherosclerosis | Christie M. Ballantyne | |
| Poster moderator | Vijay Nambi | |
| MP1418 Beyond General HIV Risk: Insights on Antiretroviral Agents, Immune Status, and Cardiovascular Disease Progression in a Vulnerable Urban Cohort | Laiba Asif, Waleed T Kayani, Xiaoming Jia, Luay Boulahouache, Derrick Draeger, Sameer Sidiq, Zara Kanwal, John Suffredini, Vijay Nambi, Jing Liu, and Adel Hassan | |
| CT.APB.08 Efficacy of Icosapent Ethyl for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction by Aspirin Use in REDUCE-IT/Su2106 | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| PL.APB.06 Fragility Indices of Lipid-lowering Randomized Controlled Trials/Su2132 | Lakshmi Uppalapati, Glenn N Levine, Vijay Nambi, Christie M Ballantyne, Emily Xiao, Xiaoming Jia, Lakshmi Uppalapati, Lorraine Mascarenhas, Layla Abushamat, Abdul Mannan Khan M Minhas, and Arunima Misra | |
| Moderators | Biykem Bozkurt | |
| FS.07 Enlicitide, an oral PCSK9 inhibitor, in participants with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: a double-blind, Phase 3, randomized placebo-controlled trial | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| Novel Strategies to FIND People Living with Genetic Dyslipidemias: Results from The Family Heart Foundation Flag, Identify, Network, and Deliver™ Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FIND FH) Collaborative Learning Network | Danny J Eapen | |
| GE.MDP.05 Causal Proteomic Consequences of Clonal Hematopoiesis: Integrated Human Genetic and Murine Validation/MP2744 | Christie M Ballantyne | |
| CK.AOS.02 Association of natriuretic peptide concentration with lifetime risk of heart failure in adults with diabetes mellitus: a pooled cohort analysis | Matthew W Segar and Christie M Ballantyne | |
| VB.APB.07 Slow Coronary Flow is Associated with Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction and Left Atrial Dilation | Derrick Draeger and Jose G. Diez | |
| PL.MDP.12 Elevated Lipoprotein(a) and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Higher versus Lower Risk Individuals: Findings from the ARIC Study/MP2289 | Eric Boerwinkle and Salim Virani | |
| Poster moderators | Glenn N Levine | |
| Mind-Heart-Body Interventions and Vascular Disease: From Mechanisms to Clinical Trials | Glenn N Levine | |
| MP2236 Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Control in the Progression from Pre–Heart Failure to Clinical Heart Failure: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study | Vijay Nambi | |
| 3:15-3:35 Reframing Heart Failure: Preventing and Treating the Syndrome, Its Causes, and Comorbid Conditions | Biykem Bozkurt |
Congratulations Christie Ballantyne
Dr. Christie Ballantyne has been named a 2025 Distinguished Scientist by the American Heart Association (AHA). The Distinguished Scientist designation recognizes AHA professional members whose sustained, original scientific contributions have materially advanced cardiovascular and stroke research.
Read more here.
Houston Heart Walk 2025
Once again, the team from Baylor Collage of Medicine laced up for the AHA sponsored Houston Heart Walk 2025 at Helix Park to walk the 3-mile route in support of cardiovascular research and innovation. With nearly 50 walkers, the team pushed forward despite the rain.
View images .
Inside The Studio with Dr. Joseph G. Rogers
Inside the Studio feature interviews with special guests visiting The Texas Heart Institute at Baylor College of Medicine’s TV studio. From international leaders in cardiovascular medicine to pioneering scientists to community leaders near and far, the Inside the Studio interviews amplify current trends in research, education, and patient care.
Watch the first episode of the 2025-2026 new season as Dr. Rogers interviews Dr. Paul Klotman.
Living Legends and Luminaries in the Field of Endovascular Medicine is hosted by Dr. Zvonimir Krajcer. The series is dedicated to exploring the groundbreaking contributions of key figures in endovascular medicine. Each episode features in-depth interviews with luminaries who have stood on the shoulders of giants and pioneered techniques, devices, and therapies that have transformed vascular surgery and interventional cardiology today.
Watch on Texas Heart TV
Dr. Mihail G. Chelu
Dr. Chelu delivered an invited talk on, “Ongoing CSP Trials in North America” at the 9th Annual International Physiology of Pacing Symposium 2025 in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 25, 2025.
Dr. Chelu also delivered an invited talk on, “Is there a place for Imaging tailored ablation? DECAAF II” on October 30th and on “Left vs Left in CRT: RCT Update and Clinical Implications” on October 31st at the 8th Scientific Sessions of the Latin American Heart Rhythm Society/14th Congreso Argentino de Arritmias in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Joseph G. Rogers Provides Grand Rounds at Mayo Clinic
Dr. Joseph G. Rogers was invited to present Grand Rounds at the Mayo Clinic on November 3rd. His presentation was titled, “Innovation in Advanced Heart Failure.”
A High FOM Current Reference Circuit Utilizes a Novel Temperature Stabilization Method
Yuan Yang, Yaxin Wang, Qiang Li, Wei Yang, Haohao Ma, Shenglei Zou, Xingfeng Du, Jiahui Lv, Yang Wen, Xi Wang & Kai Jing. A High FOM Current Reference Circuit Utilizes a Novel Temperature Stabilization Method. Circuits Syst Signal Process (2025)
Joshua E. Woods, Fatima Alrashdan, Ellie C. Chen, Wendy Tan, Mathews John, Lukas Jaworski, Drew Bernard, Allison Post, Angel Moctezuma-Ramirez, Abdelmotagaly Elgalad, Alexander G. Steele, Sean M. Barber, Philip J. Horner, Amir H. Faraji, Dimitry G. Sayenko, Mehdi Razavi & Jacob T. Robinson. Distributed battery-free bioelectronic implants with improved network power transfer efficiency via magnetoelectrics. Nat. Biomed. Eng (2025).
Christie M. Ballantyne, MD; Laura Gellis, MD, Jean-Claude Tardif, Puja Banka, Ann Marie Navar, MD, Emil Andreas Asprusten, MD, Russell Scott, Erik S. G. Stroes, MD, Samar Froman, BS, Geraldine Mendizabal, MD Fan Wang, PhD, Alberico L. Catapano, MDHc, PhD
ARTICLES
Aficamten or Metoprolol Monotherapy for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Pablo Garcia-Pavia,Martin S. Maron, Ahmad Masri, Bela Merkely, Michael E. Nassif, Maria Luisa Peña-Peña, Roberto Barriales-Villa, Ozlem Bilen, Melissa Burroughs, Brian Claggett, Juan Pablo Costabel, Edileide de Barros Correia, Anne M. Dybro, Perry Elliott, Sheila M. Hegde, Neal K. Lakdawala, Gregory D. Lewis, Amy Mann, Zi Michael Miao, Ajith Nair, Steen H. Poulsen, Patricia Reant, P. Christian Schulze, Scott D. Solomon, Andrew Wang, Regina Sohn, Indrias Berhane, Stephen B. Heitner, Daniel L. Jacoby, Stuart Kupfer, Fady I. Malik, Amy Wohltman, and Michael A. Fifer, for the MAPLE-HCM Investigators. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2504654
Nicholls SJ, Nelson AJ, Ditmarsch M, Kastelein JJP, Ballantyne CM, Ray KK, Navar AM, Nissen SE, Harada-Shiba M, Curcio DL, Neild A, Kling D, Hsieh A, Butters J, Ference BA, Laufs U, Banach M, Mehran R, Catapano AL, Huo Y, Szarek M, Balinskaite V, Davidson MH; BROADWAY Investigators. Safety and Efficacy of Obicetrapib in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk. N Engl J Med, 2025;393:51-61.
Segar MW, Badjatiya A, Gales J, Lambeth K, Razavi M, Saeed M.J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Jul;14(13):e042203. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.125.042203. Epub 2025 Jun 23.
Miles TJ, Guinn MT, Tan X, Qi H, Orozco-Sevilla V, Moon MR, Coselli JS, Rosengart TK, Li M, Chatterjee S, Ghanta RK.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 Jul 16:S0022-5223(25)00565-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2025.07.009. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40680825
Iatrogenic aortic dissection: Insights from the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection.
Harris KM, Parikh NB, Nienaber CA, Woznicki EM, Evangelista A, Schermerhorn M, Ouzounian M, Coselli JS, Pai CW, Ehrlich MP, Kaiser CA, Di Eusanio M, Gleason TG, Sultan I, Eagle KA, Patel HJ.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 May 23:S0022-5223(25)00396-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2025.05.011. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40414525
Therapeutic left-to-right shunting in heart failure.
Fioretti F, Nair AP, Anker SD, Borlaug BA, Kereiakes DJ, Lindenfeld J, Stone GW, Butler J.Eur Heart J. 2025 May 14;46(19):1787-1802. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf120.PMID: 39943738
Garcia-Pavia P, Bilen O, Burroughs M, Costabel JP, de Barros Correia E, Dybro AM, Elliott P, Lakdawala NK, Mann A, Nair A, Nassif ME, Poulsen SH, Reant P, Schulze PC, Wang A, Berhane I, Heitner SB, Jacoby DL, Kupfer S, Malik FI, Meng L, Sohn R, Wohltman A, Fifer MA; MAPLE-HCM Study Investigators.JACC Heart Fail. 2025 Feb;13(2):346-357. doi: 10.1016/j.jchf.2024.11.011.PMID: 39909646
A Novel Clinical Risk Score to Predict Vasoplegia After Adult Cardiac Surgery.
Miles TJ, Guinn MT, Suero OR, Rosengart TK, Moon MR, Coselli JS, Ghanta RK, Chatterjee S.Ann Thorac Surg. 2025 Mar 20:S0003-4975(25)00211-5. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2025.02.022. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40120788
Nichols A, Blackburn KW, Glover VA, Nguyen LH, Etheridge GM, Green SY, Barron LK, Xue AH, Chatterjee S, Orozco-Sevilla V, Moon MR, Coselli JS.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 Mar 18:S0022-5223(25)00207-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2025.03.009. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40112948
Sweet MP, Azizzadeh A, Oderich GS, Brinkman W, Matsumura JS, Ohki T, Zettervall S, Miyamoto S, Patel HJ, Dake MD.J Vasc Surg. 2025 Jul 30:S0741-5214(25)01555-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2025.07.040. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40749959
Sörelius K, Verhoek R, Berard X, Lyons OTA, Puges M, Wyss TR; International Expert Panel on Vascular Graft and Endograft Infections; European Society for Vascular Surgery Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Vascular Graft and Endograft Infections Writing Committee.Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2025 Jul 29:S1078-5884(25)00707-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2025.07.044. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40744353
Elias A, Tung R, Gerstenfeld EP, Hue TF, Lin F, Cheng J, Weiss JP, Tzou WS, Hsia H, Ehdaie A, Cooper DH, Bunch TJ, Arkles J, Nazer B, Lee A, Hadjis A, Nguyen DT, Chelu MG, Moss JD, Hsu JC, Valderrábano M, Bhave PD, Montenegro G, Kim AS, Dillon WP, Marcus GM.Heart Rhythm. 2025 Jul 7:S1547-5271(25)02614-1. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2025.06.035. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40633895
Morcos R, Vijayaraman P, Cano Ó, Zanon F, Ponnusamy SS, Herweg B, Sharma PS, Jastrzebski M, Molina-Lerma M, Whinnett ZI, Vernooy K, Zou J, Nair GM, Pathak RK, Tung R, Upadhyay GA, Curila K, Chelu MG, Ellenbogen KA.Heart Rhythm. 2025 Aug;22(8):2028-2037. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2025.04.005. Epub 2025 Apr 25.PMID: 40288475
Nonstructural Roles of Junctophilin-2 in the Heart.
Hutchison DF, Lahiri SK, Prins KW, Wehrens XHT.JACC Basic Transl Sci. 2025 Jun 4:101272. doi: 10.1016/j.jacbts.2025.03.004. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40742358
Atrial cardiomyocyte-restricted cleavage of gasdermin D promotes atrial arrhythmogenesis
Yue Yuan, Pascal Martsch, Xiaohui Chen, Enrique Martinez, Luge Li, Jia Song, Theresa Poppenborg, Florian Bruns, Jong Hwan Kim, Markus Kamler, James F Martin, Issam Abu-Taha, Dobromir Dobrev, Na Li, European Heart Journal
Evolving concepts of low-density lipoprotein: From structure to function
Chu-Huang Chen, Tatsuya Sawamura, Alexander Akhmedov, Ming-Hsien Tsai, Omer Akyol, Akemi Kakino, Huan-Hsing Chiang, Simon Kraler, Thomas F. Lüscher; European Journal of Clinical Investigation
Epidemiology and longitudinal course of chylomicronemia: Insights from NHANES and a large health care system
Seyedmohammad Saadatagah MD, Mohammadreza Naderian MDMPHc, Miriam Larouche MScd, Daniel Gaudet MDPhDd, Iftikhar J. Kullo MDc, Christie M. Ballantyne MD; Journal of Clinical Lipidology
Latest Texas Heart Institute Journal:
NOTICE: No Grand Rounds on November 7, 2025 due to AHA Scientific Sessions.
For the full 2025-2026 schedule and CME information, please visit here.
Previous Years Cardiology Ground Rounds
Upcoming Symposia
MONDAY 5/12
12:00 pm —1:00 pm
TBD
Daniella Concha, MD
Cath Lab Admin
(O609C)
TUESDAY 5/13
12:00 pm —1:00 pm
Business in Cardiology
Wilson Lam, MD
Cath Lab Admin
(O601C)
WEDNESDAY 5/14
12:00 pm —1:00 pm
HF Conference
HFpEF and
Clinical Trials
Ajith P. Nair, MD
Cath Lab Admin
(O609C)
THURSDAY 5/15
12:00 pm —1:00 pm
STEMI Conference
Saad Rehman, MD
Cath Lab Admin
(O609C)
FRIDAY 5/16
7:30 am —8:30 am
EP Weekly Conference
SICD
Hamid Afshar, MD
Cath Lab Admin
(O609C)
Calendar subject to change.
For the latest schedule, see the
Cardiology Education calendar.
Renita Horton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Laboratory (CTEL) Director
Biomedical Engineering Department
University of Houston
Seminar Location: McMillian Auditorium
Steven Marx, M.D.
Professor
Director, Cardiology Fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center/NY-Presbyterian Hospital
Director, Cardiology Component of a NIH Training Grant for Cardiology Fellows and Surgery Residents
Seminar Location: McMillian Auditorium
Holger Eltzschig, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Departments of Anesthesiology & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
McGovern Medical School
Seminar Location: McMillian Auditorium
Dick Cheney’s heart kept failing. But medicine kept advancing
Dr. Todd Rosengart is quoted in a recent Houston Chronicle story regarding the passing of former VP Dick Cheney.
Men Need Twice as Much Exercise as Women to Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Dr. Joseph Rogers was quoted in a recent Everyday Health publication regarding a study out from Nature that suggests men and women should have different exercise goals.
Researcher Achieves FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for Injectable Defibrillation Technology
A new medical device initiated at The Texas Heart Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation. The Injectable Electrode System, a first-of-its-kind technology from Rhythio Medical, was designed to deliver painless, imperceptible defibrillation and cardiac pacing.
As a reminder, Baylor’s policy requires you attest that you have been vaccinated, or apply for an applicable exemption before the November 30th deadline. Exemptions will be made based on medical, religious, or personal reasons.
Where to get your flu shot:
Please submit your Flu vaccine survey using the following link BCM Flu Attestation.
For any questions regarding the attestation process, please email vaccinecompliance@bcm.edu.
Dear Texas Health Network Providers,
This email is to inform you of a policy change regarding Board Certification. In January 2025, the grandfather clause, which allowed physicians to practice without board certification, was repealed as part of a chapter-wide reorganization. Please note that the Texas Medical Board (TMB) no longer issues grandfather lifetime clauses.
As a result of this change, all physicians are now required to be board-certified. The Texas Clinically Integrated Network approved on June 15, 2025, that all providers who are not currently board-certified will have until December 31, 2027, to obtain board certification. Failure to obtain board certification by this date will result in termination from the Texas Clinically Integrated Network.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Regards,
Megan Harkey, MHA
Texas Markets Vice President
After careful consideration and discussion, The Texas Heart Institute Journal has ceased publication. This decision was not made lightly and reflects The Texas Heart Institute’s broader commitment to strategic realignment with Baylor College of Medicine to strengthen our academic and research efforts.
We deeply appreciate the dedication and contributions of so many that have been instrumental in The Journal’s success for more than 50 years. We also express our deepest gratitude for the decades of service from our editorial teams, authors, peer reviewers, and staff. Their dedication helped uphold the Journal’s scientific integrity and mentoring mission, particularly supporting early-career authors through their first publications.
The Journal staff will ensure a smooth transition, including archiving all published content for long-term access. If you have any questions about the closure process, please feel free to reach out.
Clinical Trials
Learn more at THI Trials page or BCM Trials page.
Baylor College of Medicine offers a collection of live activities (several of which are eligible for CME credit) as part of its commitment to furthering the education of physicians and other medical professionals on cardiovascular health and patient care.
Visit our website for more information.
