The UA Sarver Heart Center’s Dr. Nancy Sweitzer (on left at right) and Dr. Frank I. Marcus at the Association of University Cardiologists induction program in January.
Nancy K. Sweitzer, MD, PhD, director of the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, chief of the UA Division of Cardiology and a UA professor of medicine, was one of eight new members inducted into the Association of University Cardiologists during the group’s 56th annual meeting Jan. 18-20 at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix.
Dr. Sweitzer is chief of cardiology and professor of medicine at the UA
College of Medicine – Tucson. She is a board-certified advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist and clinical researcher who specializes in heart failure, mechanical circulatory support and heart transplant patient care.
At the event, Dr. Sweitzer presented on her research related to “Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF),” a disease of aging that disproportionately affects women. HFpEF is a form of congestive heart failure in which the amount of blood pumped from the heart's left ventricle with each beat is reduced — around 50 percent. A normal LVEF ranges from 55-70 percent. Half of patients with heart failure suffer from this condition.
Dr. Sweitzer provided insight into the underlying mechanisms and heterogeneity of HFpEF by discussing her laboratory’s human physiological studies exploring arterial stiffening and occult systolic dysfunction as potential underlying pathologies and targets for therapy. She also discussed ongoing work in more precise phenotyping of HfpEF patients and HfpEF proteomics, underscoring the need to more precisely target therapy in the context of disease heterogeneity and precision medicine approaches.
The AUC is an educational organization that elects an active membership of 125 academic cardiologists considered leaders who shape the course of research and training in cardiovascular disease in the United States. Dr. Sweitzer was nominated by Joseph Hill, MD, PhD, from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and editor in chief of Circulation.
Emeritus AUC members from the UA Sarver Heart Center include Joseph Alpert, MD; James Dalen, MD; Gordon Ewy, MD; and Frank Marcus, MD, who also was president of the organization in 1990-91. Dr. Marcus was the initial cardiology section chief at the UA College of Medicine - Tucson, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Sarver Heart Center also is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016-17.
—Katie Maass and David Mogollón
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"UA Sarver Heart Center Presents `Keeping Your Heart in Sync: What You Need to Know About Atrial Fibrillation,’ Feb. 16" | Posted Feb. 2, 2017