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Why Choose Us

A Letter from the Chief

Sanjay Rajagopalan, MD

The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine is the driving force of the University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a transformative integrated institute that has changed cardiovascular care in Ohio in a mere 10 years since its creation through innovation in patient care, research and education. Viewed from the larger lens of the evolution of University Hospitals, which celebrated its sesquicentennial year of creation in 2016, this blistering trajectory of exceptional growth and innovation underscores one simple reality - that the ultimate differentiator for any organization is not competition, compensation, markets or technology, but the right combination of people that have come together to provide exceptional care.

The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine is the largest division in the Department of Medicine and is the academic hub of UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. The institute includes physicians and staff engaged in groundbreaking patient care, spanning every aspect of clinical cardiovascular medicine, including:

  • Advanced heart failure
  • Advanced imaging
  • Electrophysiology
  • Interventional cardiology
  • Prevention and Cardiometabolic Disease
  • Structural heart disease
  • Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support

These activities are based at the academic flagship, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and extends to 14 community medical centers and eight ambulatory health centers in a new hub and spoke model. The latter, although superficially similar to the traditional structure of primary and tertiary care settings is helping transform cardiovascular care through novel integrated care delivery models to help deliver the best care for the patient in the best possible setting.

High Volume of Cardiovascular Procedures

Over 13,000 cardiac catheterizations/interventions, 5,000 electrophysiology and 25,000 non-invasive cardiovascular imaging procedures are performed annually at UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute.

Long History of Groundbreaking Cardiovascular Discovery

University Hospitals has a unique reputation for groundbreaking discovery that dates back to over a century involving:

  • Novel surgical treatments for coronary artery disease
  • Cutting edge structural heart disease therapies
  • World class imaging including groundbreaking discoveries in MR and CT
  • Cardiometabolic care
  • Pericardial disease
  • Vascular Innovation

We have led the way in developing unique interdisciplinary programs in onco-cardiology, multimodality imaging and cardiometabolic disease (CINEMA) that has transformed integrated care delivery for the patient.

New Interdisciplinary Centers

The Center for Advanced Heart & Vascular Care (CAHVC): Is one of the first visionary integrated cardiovascular centers in the world to co-locate an MRI, CT and robotically operated cardiac catheterization laboratory with surgical capabilities (hybrid OR) in the same suite. This allows for unprecedented collaboration from doctors specializing in interventional cardiology, medical cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular medicine, vascular surgery, anesthesia and advanced cardiovascular imaging. UH partnered with Medtronic and Siemens Healthineers, leaders in medical technology to provide the MRI (MAGNETOM Aera 1.5T), CT (SOMATOM Definition Flash) and hybrid OR (ARTIS pheno).

Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular-Metabolic Disease (CINEMA) brings together multiple University Hospitals disciplines in a unique platform to advance the understanding and treatment of cardiac and vascular complications of metabolic disease. UH CINEMA leverages existing system partnerships, resources and investments, and builds on years of collaborative experience among UH principal investigators and clinical care providers. UH CINEMA’s focus is at the intersection of vascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Referred diabetic patients have a single comprehensive appointment to help manage their condition by a panel of experts to help lower potential risk for diabetes-related heart and kidney complications.

Exceptional Fellowship and Research Programs

Our exceptional fellowship program within the Department of Medicine, trains some of the world's best physicians and physician-scientists who have gone on to lead successful programs around the globe. Our clinical and research and educational programs are closely aligned with the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, which serves as a regional center for cardiovascular services within the VA healthcare system and is a major site teaching affiliate for our residents and fellows.

Our research programs are arguably the most comprehensive, entrepreneurial and easily qualify as one of the nation's most ambitious projects to develop next-generation discoveries in cardiovascular medicine and a new breed of physician-scientists. The scope and scale of the Case Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) within UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, has soared in the last 10 years of its creation. The CVRI occupies over 13,000 square feet of laboratory space in the Wolstein Research Building and is home to over 70 faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, students and technicians.

The strengths of the CVRI include:

  • Vascular Biology
  • Transcriptional control of endothelial cell and macrophage behavior
  • Imaging
  • Environmental determinants of cardiovascular health
  • Innovations in cardiovascular drug development
  • Signal transduction
  • Theranostics

The CVRI has garnered over 35 R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), over 15 career development awards (K-level awards from NIH and SDG from the American Heart Association), a T32 training grant and numerous industrial and foundation awards. Total current grant support from the NIH now exceeds $32 million. We are particularly proud of our global research activities in Uganda, China and India in recognition of the burgeoning challenge of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in these countries.

Under the leadership of Jonathan Stamler, MD, President of the Harrington Discovery Institute (HDI) at University Hospitals, and Mukesh Jain, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of Harrington Discover Institute and University Hospitals, the approach to fundamental research has pivoted in a paradigm-shifting manner through creation of innovative academic private partnerships. The Harrington Discovery Institute is a unique example of such a partnership, designed to address the gaps in research opportunities that have arisen owing to the profound changes in research funding, regulatory challenges, and a culture that demands new approaches and treatments for a better cardiovascular tomorrow.

Research Partnerships

The Center for Research & Innovation (CRI): The CRI created within UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute provides a unique forum for progressing new therapies and shepherding these down the regulatory road to eventual clinical application. The center is home to leading-edge translational and clinical research activities with strengths in cardiovascular imaging, electrophysiology and interventional cardiology drug and device trials. We have over 100 active clinical trials following greater than 2,500 patients and multiple grants and contracts from industry, National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies.

Translational Science Unit (TSU): A newly created TSU allows NIH investigators and other investigator-initiated studies (IIS) leading clinical studies that need direct supervision, to innovate and excel. The establishment of this elite unit allow mechanistic, implementation science grants and Phase I/II trials, the academic freedom and regulatory environment to flourish. The TSU comprises 6 new investigators all of whom are independently funded to interact with nurse coordinators, data science personnel and statisticians.

The Cardiovascular Imaging Core Laboratory is an independent academic research organization that turnkey services for imaging-based surrogates used to propel the development of novel medical and device therapies at all phases of development. We are a global leader in optical coherence tomography, cardiac computed tomography and advanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging methodologies, and are the national core laboratory for multiple trials involving these approaches.

A partnership with the Case Center for Imaging Research (CCIR), leverages the strengths in radiology, imaging tools, physics, electronics and computer science to provide state of the art imaging tools to further drug development and diagnostics.

While there are current challenges in the healthcare environment, what separates us are the talent we hire and work we do to prepare ourselves to face and solve the most important challenges in medicine. I am confident that the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute are well poised to continue our commitment to pursuing cardiovascular innovation, delivering exceptional clinical care and training the next generation of talented trainees for a better world.

Sanjay Rajagopalan, MD, FACC, FAHA
Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Director, UH Case Cardiovascular Research Institute
Herman Hellerstein Chair in Cardiovascular Research
Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine