Welcome to the National Heart Institute, where we bring you tomorrow's treatments for heart, vascular, and metabolic disorders today. My passion for leading efforts to improve the care of patients stems from the mentoring I received at the internationally renowned Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. They instilled in me to lead and not just follow, and that I did.
Over the last thirty years, my efforts have made significant contributions to research leading to new and improved treatments for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and to many publications in the most important journals in the world, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the American College of Cardiology among many others. My leadership efforts have led to me being the founder of the National Heart Institute, bringing together other leading physician-scientists and a staff of excellent clinical trial coordinators under one roof. Clinical trial participation is not only free, we provide payment for participation and support for transportation. We want to remove as many obstacles as possible to make trial participation available and accessible for those in underserved communities who may benefit the most from having medical experts participating in their care while collaborating with your current healthcare team. Our only ask is that you be compliant with the treatments and study visits.
With heart and vascular disease, or what are called cardiovascular diseases, being the #1 killer of Americans, we need to do a better job of developing safer and more effective treatments to prevent and treat patients to prevent death, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and amputations. We want to be your home to access new and hopefully improved treatments at the National Heart Institute and be your entry point so that you can have access to treatments that are not available through your current healthcare team or overseas. Our record speaks for itself as our research team, over the last twenty-five years, has helped bring new treatments approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to you, and are now available at your pharmacy. Some of these newer drugs have names you may recognize, including Farxiga, Wygovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Brilinta, Repatha, Praluent, Leqvio, Kerendia, Entresto, and Plavix, among others.
My commitment is to improve the healthcare of my patients. As the Founder and Director of the National Heart Institute, our focus is on playing an important role as a Center of Excellence for Clinical Research in developing new treatments that may benefit patients with coronary artery disease, vascular disease, heart failure, obesity, diabetes, cholesterol disorders, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease.
If you have been diagnosed or been treated for any of the following conditions below, you may be eligible for our Clinical Trial Program:
- Coronary Vascular Disease:
a. Do you have a history of heart attack, stroke, or have blockages in arteries to your heart, brain, or legs, or an aortic aneurysm? - Heart Failure:
a. Has your physician told you that you suffer from heart failure?
b. Do you have symptoms of heart failure, including shortness of breath or fatigue with activity, or swelling in your ankles and legs (edema)? - Cholesterol Disorders:
a. Is your cholesterol over 150 mg/dl?
b. Do you have bad cholesterol (LDL) and coronary vascular disease > 70 mg/dl?
c. Do you have fasting triglycerides > 150 mg/dl?
d. Do you have an elevated horrible cholesterol (lipoprotein a) > 150 nmol/l or > 70 mg/dl? - Hypertension: (*not controlled or associated with kidney disease)
a. Is your blood pressure at home or at the doctor’s office > 140/90 despite the medication?
b. Check with your doctor and see if the measure of kidney function we use called eGFR less than 60. Most patients are not even aware they suffer from chronic kidney disease as it is something one does not feel but is a warning that one is at higher risk of needing dialysis at some point. Ask your physician, “What is my GFR?” - Obesity: (especially if associated with Diabetes, Heart Failure, or Coronary Vascular Disease
a. Do you have any history of cardiovascular diseases such as previous heart attack, stroke, or blockages in arteries to your heart, brain, or legs?
b. Do you have any history of heart failure or symptoms of heart failure, including shortness of breath or fatigue with exercise, or swelling in your ankles and legs (edema)? - Type II Diabetes:
a. Diabetics are four times suffer from coronary and vascular disease and heart failure than non-diabetics, and many do not realize that they are at high or very high risk of developing complications of diabetes, including heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death. Diabetics are also less likely to have warning symptoms before a heart attack, stroke, or death.
b. Do you have symptoms of coronary-vascular disease such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath with activity, or calf pain when walking?
c. Do you have symptoms of heart failure, including shortness of breath or fatigue with the activity of swelling of your ankles and legs?
d. Do you have uncontrolled blood pressure > 140/90 either at home or at a doctor’s office?
e. Do you have chronic kidney disease and have an eGFR < 60 and are not even aware?
Please visit our website to learn more about NHI, our Clinical Trial Program, and to see if you, members of your family, friends, or the patients that you treat qualify for participation: https://nationalheartinstitute.org
Or contact us at: info@nationalheartinstitute.org
We’re here to help!