Cardiac MRI Service

The FALK Cardiovascular Research Building (Falk) houses one whole-body GE Cardiac MRI system (3.0T). The scanner and the facility are available to researchers throughout Stanford University as well as to non-Stanford researchers. Individual researcher will be trained in magnet safety and scanner operations by our manager and/or MR research technologists. Collaborations with the FALK Center for researchers are invited and encouraged.  We actively support collaborative, original research throughout the campus and the wider community. We have built upon a long-standing and very close working relationship with the faculty, research staff and students throughout the Schools of Engineering, Medicine, and Humanities/Sciences. In addition, faculty members from all groups are joint advisors to many students and have many federally funded and industry-funded collaborative research programs in place.

Cardiovascular imaging has become an indispensable tool for patient diagnosis and follow up. Probably the wide clinical applications of imaging are due to the possibility of a detailed and high quality description and quantification of cardiovascular system structure and function. Also phenomena that involve complex physiological mechanisms and biochemical pathways, such as inflammation and ischemia, can be visualized in a non-invasive way. The widespread use and evolution of imaging would not have been possible without animal studies. Animal models have allowed for instance, (i) the technical development of different imaging tools, (ii) to test hypothesis generated from human studies and finally, (iii) to evaluate the translational relevance assessment of in vitro and ex-vivo results. The Stanford Cardiovascular MRI Clinical Services and Falk Research Laboratory, directed by Phillip C. Yang, MD, and other members of team, including Rajesh Dash, MD, PhD, Ian Rogers, MD, Koen Nieman, MD, and Yuko Tada, MD, PhD, are advancing the cardiovascular health through accurate diagnosis of complex disease and pioneering research to advance the needs of the referring physicians and researchers.

Education and Training

Medical education in the Stanford Cardiovascular MRI Imaging program provides a diverse and inclusive program for students, residents, general cardiology fellows, and advanced cardiovascular imaging fellows.

The Stanford cardiovascular imaging section offers a one-year non-ACGME fellowship program in specialty training in advanced multi-modality cardiovascular imaging, including cardiac MRI, coronary CTA, and echocardiography.

This dedicated clinical imaging fellowship training is focused equally on advanced training in cardiac MRI, coronary CTA, and echocardiography. The curriculum fulfills the COCATS requirements for level III training in echo, including significant experience with transesophageal echo guidance of transcatheter structural interventions, TAVR, mitral valve repair, paravalvular regurgitation repair, left atrial appendage occlusion, and congenital interventions, such as atrial and ventricular septal defect closure. It is expected that advanced fellows will pursue Level III board certification in echocardiography.

The training also includes clinical training in cardiovascular MRI with opportunity for exposure to cardiovascular MRI assessment of adult congenital heart disease. Advanced cardiovascular MRI training consists of broad and clear didactic teach of MRI physics and performance of cine, inversion recovery, delayed-enhanced, and T1/T2 mapping sequences. Opportunities for further multimodality exposure to nuclear cardiology and cardiovascular CT are also available. Performance and understanding of coronary CTA principles are expected. Although this is a clinical fellowship program, development of and/or contribution to a research project focused on advanced imaging is highly encouraged.

Prerequisites for the clinical fellowship position include eligibility for California medical licensure, US citizen or permanent resident status, and completion of clinical fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease. Individuals with potential interest in the position may contact Ian S. Rogers, MD, Fellowship Director. Three letters of reference will be requested of candidates who apply for this position. Applications for July 2020 are no longer being accepted. Applications for July 2021 will be considered between July 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Applications can be submitted to Ian S. Rogers, MD, MPH.

In addition to the one-year non-ACGME clinical fellowship opportunity, opportunities for dedicated self-funded research and clinical fellowship training in cardiovascular MRI may be available under the mentorship of Phillip Yang, MD, Cardiovascular MRI Program Director, whose research interest focuses on the clinical translation of the fundamental molecular and cellular processes of myocardial restoration and regeneration. Individuals with potential interest in a self-funded opportunity in cardiovascular MRI may contact Dr. Yang. Opportunities for research projects in close collaboration with scientists in stem cell biology, electrical engineering, vascular biology, cardiac surgery, molecular imaging, and radiology may be available. Applications can be submitted to Phillip Yang, MD.

Patient Care

The mission of Stanford University School of Medicine is to provide excellent patient care, as well as world-leading research and education. We recognize the honor and responsibility of caring for our patients and their loved ones.

Our clinical care is offered through the Stanford University Healthcare System. Inpatient care is provided at the Stanford University Hospital, which consistently earn national recognition for top scores for hospital care, safety, and reputation.

Online resources for patients who want to know about more Cardiovascular Imaging care at Stanford can be found at the following: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-clinics/imaging-clinic.html#

Research Program

We combine the clinical expertise and academic leadership of a premier teaching hospital with a full-service research organization.

Stanford University provides an unparalleled scientific environment that will ensure success of this research project. The resources include 36 Shared Faculties/Service Centers that house specialized scientific instruments and services and are available to all investigators at Stanford. The Stanford School of Medicine’s emphasis on collaborative research, interdisciplinary sciences, and technological innovation provides an outstanding intellectual environment for this Collaborative Sciences Award submission. The Falk Cardiovascular Research Building is a 52,226 sq. ft. translational research facility, which contains small and large animal laboratories and operating suites, an angiography suite, core molecular and cellular facilities, multiple wet laboratories and the cardiovascular MRI (CVMRI) scanner. Specifically, the CVMRI Lab houses a GE 3T Signa Excite HD system equipped with high performance gradients (40 mT/m amplitude and 150 T/m/s slew rate) and the Excite electronic system, including 8-channel receiver and 17x software system, which is dedicated to clinical and pre-clinical research.

Faculty

Cardiology

Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)
Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) and of Radiology (CV Imaging)
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Cardiology
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Cardiology
This profile is not available

Radiology

Professor of Radiology (Cardiovascular Imaging)
Associate Professor of Radiology (Cardiovascular Imaging)