Current Research and Scholarly Interests
My overarching interest is the detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease.<br/><br/>I have spent the majority of my research career with a focus on imaging cardiovascular disease for early detection and to guide therapy. I have been particularly interested in studying coronary and vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms. Projects include MRI for both noninvasive coronary angiography and cellular/structural characterization of atherosclerotic plaque and aortic aneurysms, as well as other molecular imaging techniques (bioluminescence, fluorescence, and PET) for the assessment of vascular inflammation in pre-clinical models and patients. Additional collaborative projects included coronary CTA and cardiac MRI of ischemic heart disease and stem cell therapy.<br/><br/>My prevention research has expanded beyond early detection to study innovative mobile health technologies in patients and populations. I led the effort of Stanford Cardiovascular Health to leverage mHealth to improve cardiovascular care, through patient studies to enhance heart-healthy activities, sensor development, remote monitoring/detection, and collaboration with the Stanford Biomedical Data Sciences Initiative, Center for Longevity, and Prevention Research Center. I led the development of the MyHeart Counts mHealth research study launched as part of Apple's ResearchKit.<br/><br/>I have continued to pursue novel technologies for the prevention and care of cardiovascular disease as Head of Cardiovascular Health Innovations at Verily Life Sciences, and now at Google Health, while continuing part-time clinical and teaching activities at Stanford.
