2020 UAB Cardiovascular Institute Annual Report CVI Annual Report 2019-2020 6 | Page 38

WOMEN’S HEART HEALTH CLINIC
Also, as women get older and past menopause, their rates of heart disease are
the same as those of men. Moreover, while the classic signs of heart attack in
males – chest pain radiating into the jaw and arm – are well known, a woman’s
symptoms may differ dramatically.
These realities led UAB Medicine cardiologist Salpy Pamboukian, MD, to establish
the UAB Women’s Heart Health Clinic in 2016. We understand that women have
unique risk factors and symptoms and may benefit from cardiac care designed
to address their specific needs. The clinic fosters an integrated approach, with
multiple cardiac providers who specialize in advanced heart failure, interventional
cardiology, and hypertensive disease. Our patients have full access to diagnostic
and therapeutic services once the initial consultation is complete.
Dr. Pamboukian’s commitment to empowering female patients also led UAB Medicine to partner with WomenHeart:
The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, an organization dedicated to heart disease education and
patient support. Dr. Pamboukian nominated UAB Medicine patients Sherron Simmons and Joy O’Neal to become
UAB WomenHeart Champions and secured coalition funding to send the two women to the Mayo Clinic to receive
training in heart health advocacy. As UAB WomenHeart Champions, Simmons and O’Neal help educate women in the
Birmingham area about heart health.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Provides an entry point for women with new or established diagnoses of heart disease
• Promotes patient advocacy with community outreach
HYPERTENSION
UAB has a long history of leading-edge hypertension management and treatment. Our board-certified faculty
physicians have decades of experience in evaluating and treating complicated hypertension cases. They are
nationally recognized experts who specialize in resistant and refractory hypertension, evaluation and treatment
of secondary hypertension, and management of patients with comorbidities such as heart failure, chronic kidney
disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea. The physicians have extensive experience with a variety of cardiovascular
clinical research, including studies of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, diabetes, heart failure, and
lifestyle modifications. We offer cutting-edge hypertension therapies for specific patient populations, as well as
implementation of new medical treatments.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
• Sinkey RG, Oparil S. Lower blood pressure thresholds raise the bar in pregnancy. Circ Res 125(2):195- 197, 2019.
(Editorial on CIRCRES/2019/314682)
• Madsen TE, Howard G, Kleindorfer D, Furie KL, Liu S, Oparil S, Howard V. Sex differences in the hypertension and
stroke risk in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study: A longitudinal cohort
study. Hypertension. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.12729 [Epub Ahead of Print 13 Aug 2019]
• Siddiqui M, Judd EK, Dudenbostel T, Zhang B, Gupta P, Tomaszewski M, Patel P, Oparil S, Calhoun DA. Masked
Uncontrolled Hypertension Is Not Attributable to Medication Nonadherence. Hypertension. 2019 Sep;74(3):652-659.
doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA. 119.13258. Epub 2019 Jul 22.
36
UAB Cardiovascular Institute Annual Report
JAMES AND JOHN KIRKLIN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN
SURGICAL OUTCOMES
The James and John Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes (KIRSO) was established to build a
comprehensive multidisciplinary institute focusing on surgical outcomes research, in order to analyze and improve
outcomes of surgical therapies and their impact on patients, society (at the local, national, and global levels), and
the overall health care system. The outcomes research movement is transforming surgical care and the surgical
community. Outcomes researchers help identify the best evidence to guide patient care. They determine the care
processes that result in optimal outcomes by critically appraising the results of a procedure and its global impact
on patient health and well-being, satisfaction, functional status, lifespan, and the health care system. Outcomes
researchers “translate” this research into practice and policy by working with surgeons, payers, and purchasers of
health care.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is
responsible for one in four deaths among both men and women. And the highest
concentration of heart disease deaths for women is in the South – especially in
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
UAB COMPREHENSIVE CARDIOVASCULAR CENTER
The UAB Comprehensive Cardiovascular Center (CCVC) is a university-wide Interdisciplinary Research Center and
is directed by Sumanth Prabhu, MD. Since its inception in 2012, the CCVC has funded or helped fund 15 intramural
research grants that promote interdisciplinary CV science. The CCVC provides an important institutional mechanism
for promoting basic, translational, and outcomes research, and for drug and biomarker development in partnership
with small business and industry. The newest innovations in research and investigative therapies in heart disease
remain critical to attracting patients to UAB Hospital and its clinics, and they help distinguish UAB Medicine from its
competitors. Areas of research focus include:
• Cardiac reparative and regenerative medicine
• Cardiovascular risk factors and prevention
• Heart failure and transplant
• Heart rhythm management
• Valvular and congenital heart disease
• Vascular and ischemic heart disease (including stroke)
RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRIALS
Cardiovascular disease-related research is facilitated by physicians and research scientists involved in all types of
research-related activities within Cardiovascular Institute clinical programs. From basic science and translational
research to outcomes research and clinical trials, these activities keep us on the forefront of science and discovery
in the treatment of cardiovascular disease and provide our patients with access to ongoing clinical research studies
at UAB.
CARDIOVASCULAR
CLINICAL TRIAL UNIT
CLINICAL TRIALS
The Cardiovascular Clinical Trial Unit (CCTU)
administers clinical cardiovascular research
in a standardized fashion, thereby ensuring
institutional and regulatory compliance,
budgeting accuracy, reliable coordinator support,
and expedited study startup. Housed in the
Division of Cardiovascular Disease, the CCTU
currently supports 39 UAB faculty members from
6 departments and manages 12 FTEs, including 7
research nurse coordinators. The CCTU currently
oversees more than 140 active cardiology clinical
trials and research studies.
uabmedicine.org
37