MEET OUR TEAM
The National Heart Institute is made up of professionals from diverse backgrounds with a common drive and passion to discover new and improved treatments of cardiovascular and metabolic disease that will make a difference in people’s lives.
CLINICAL RESEARCH COORDINATORS
OUR CLINICAL RESEARCH COORDINATORS ARE CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE NATIONAL HEART INSTITUTE. Our clinical research coordinators are critical to the success of the National Heart Institute. Each research coordinator receives special training on good clinical practice and the details of the protocols they are assigned. Under the guidance and support of the physician investigators, they are responsible for the operational aspects of the research program. This ranges from scheduling visits to interviewing patients and ensuring that study protocols are followed. They input all relevant subject-related communications into research databases and ensure the safety of patients throughout the trial. NHI’s clinical research team is made up of professionals from diverse backgrounds with a common drive and passion for discovering new and improved treatments for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases that will make a difference in people’s lives.
Maria Flores
Director, Clinical Trial Operations
Nayeli Aguillon
Senior Clinical Research Coordinator
Zissy Flores
Medical Assistant, Dr. Norman E. Lepor
Ali Maher, MD
Senior Clinical Research Coordinator
Julie Roberts
Administrative Assistant, Dr. Norman E. Lepor
CLINICAL TRIAL PHYSICIAN INVESTIGATORS
OUR CLINICAL TRIAL INVESTIGATORS ARE PHYSICIANS WHO HAVE DEDICATED THEIR CAREERS TO THE CARE OF PATIENTS. As medical doctors, they are keenly aware of the limitations of current treatments for their patients and the need for new, safer treatments to improve their outcomes. All our clinical trial investigators are in active clinical practice and board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Their primary responsibilities include selecting the research projects to be undertaken by the National Heart Institute, identifying patients who may benefit from participating in a particular clinical trial, and supervising the work of the clinical research coordinators. Each clinical trial has a dedicated primary investigator who is responsible for the conduct of the trial and sub-investigators who assist that effort.
 | Norman E. Lepor, MD FACC FACC Founder and Director, National Heart Institute Clinical Professor of Medicine-Geffen/UCLA School of Medicine Attending Cardiologist, Smidt/Cedars-Sinai Heart institute |
The National Heart Institute’s Director, Dr. Norman Lepor, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, an Attending Cardiologist at the Smidt Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, and Co-director at Cardiovascular Imaging-Westside Medical Imaging. Dr. Lepor graduated from the prestigious Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed his advanced training in cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He has been listed by US News & World Report as one of the nation’s top cardiologists. As one of the pioneers in cardiology, he’s been invited to lecture at major medical meetings in the United States and worldwide. He has been a primary investigator in over sixty clinical trials over the past twenty-five years. Dr. Lepor has co-authored dozens of research papers published in the most prestigious medical journals. Dr. Lepor was also an early advocate of providing greater focus on issues relating to women’s cardiovascular health care and outreach to under-served populations.
 | Nancy Mamann Director, Global Communications |
Nancy Mamann brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the Health & Wellness, Fashion, Lifestyle, Footwear, CPG, Interactive, Entertainment, and Institutional industries, Her approach is to align and support specific brand and company needs by creating influential, strategic. and commercially successful communication strategies. Previously, Nancy held positions as global head of marketing for UGG, BioTE, Amen Clinics and Brain MD Nutraceuticals, to name a few.
 | George Grifka, MD Senior Physician Clinical Research Investigator |
Dr. Grifka received his medical degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and completed his internship in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a cardiology fellowship at UCLA’s VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Currently, he is the principal at the prestigious Metropolitan Heart Associates Medical Group in Santa Monica, California. Dr. Grifka has been a pioneer in interventional cardiology for more than forty-five years, introducing new technologies like coronary stent implantation to patients in West Los Angeles. He has been a sub-investigator in several pivotal clinical trials.
 | Adam Karns, M.D. Senior Physician Clinical Research Investigator |
Dr. Adam Karns is an internal medicine physician in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in history from the University of California Los Angeles before attending Chicago Medical School for his Doctorate of Medicine. Dr. Karns completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Los Angeles and is board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Karns is aware of the limitations of current treatments, he devotes considerable time and energy to clinical research to help develop safer and better treatments. He has been a primary and sub-investigator in several pivotal clinical trials.
 | Sam Setareh, MD Senior Physician Clinical Research Investigator |
Sam Setareh, MD, MS, is an attending cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with subspecialties in sports cardiology, preventive cardiology, and cardiovascular imaging. Dr. Setareh’ serves as an active member of multiple committees on the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. He has served as the Executive Member of the Medical Board of Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West Hospitals for two terms. He also serves as a founding member of the editorial board of The Journal of Scientific Innovation in Medicine.
 | Rico Simonini, MD FACC Senior Physician Clinical Research Investigator |
Dr. Simonini received his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors at New York University and his medical degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He completed a critical care fellowship and research fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco and a clinical cardiology fellowship at the University of Michigan Medical Center. He is double board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine. His efforts as both a clinician and researcher led to his selection as a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. His research focus has been in the field of heart failure, where he is considered an international authority and has authored many papers in peer-reviewed journals and lectured around the world.
 | David Filsoof, MD Senior Physician Clinical Research Investigator |
Dr. David Filsoof has been practicing medicine since 2007. Dr. Filsoof received his medical degree at New York Medical College and completed a medical internship at Harbor – UCLA Medical Center. He then proceeded to the Texas Medical Center in Houston to complete a dual residency in Internal medicine and Pediatrics. He went on to complete a fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Filsoof returned to Los Angeles to complete an advanced fellowship in Cardiac Imaging at the Cedars Sinai Heart Institute and joined the staff at Cedars-Sinai medical staff in 2016. Dr. Filsoof has numerous peer-reviewed publications, editorials, and book chapters in respected journals and wrote his first textbook, “Cardiology Clinical Questions,” published under McGraw Hill. He is board certified in cardiovascular diseases, internal medicine, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and pediatrics.