From our Center
Articles, News, Press Releases
Summer 2021
Andrew Sweatt, MD
Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP
Marlene Rabinovitch, MD
Congratulations Drs. Sweatt, Zamanian and Rabinovitch!
Congratulations to Wall Center Facuty Andrew Sweatt, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Roham Zamanian, MD, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program, and Marlene Rabinovitch, MD, Dwight and Vera Dunlevie Professor of Pediatrics, Cardiology, in their collaborative effort on the article Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Is Characterized by Increased Neutrophil Elastase and Relative Elafin Deficiency, recently published in Chest.
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COVID-19
Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP
Special Edition phaware® Podcast with Dr. Roham Zamanian
Our friends at phaware® shared a special edition podcast with Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program, discussing the coronavirus (COVID-19) and gives specific advice for the PH Community.
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD and Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP
Congratulations to Vinicio de Jesus Perez and Roham Zamanian for a High Impact COVID-19 Story
Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program and Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, along with other distinguished colleagues, published their fascinating case report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine detailing the outpatient management of a patient with concomitant idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH) and COVID-19 disease using inhaled nitric oxide (iNO).
Kristina Kudelko, MD
What our Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Patients Should Know About COVID-19
Kristina Kudelko, MD, Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine shares important information regarding pulmonary hypertension and COVID-19.
Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP
Care of patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program, along with leading pulmonary hypertension clinicians published an express manuscript about caring for PH patients with COVID-19.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic presents many unique challenges when caring for patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH).The COVID-19 pandemic has altered routine standard of care practice and the acute management particularly for those patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where PAH-specific treatments are used. It is important to balance the ongoing care andevaluation of PAH patients with “exposure risk” to COVID-19 for patients coming to clinic or the hospital. If there is a morbidity and mortality benefit from starting PAH therapies, for example in a patient with high-likelihood of PAH, then it remains important to complete the thorough evaluation. However, the COVID-19 outbreak may also represent a unique time when PH experts have to weigh the risks and benefits of the diagnostic work-up including potential exposure to COVID-19 versus initiatingtargeted PAH therapy in a select high-risk, highlikelihood World Symposium Pulmonary Hypertension (WSPH) Group 1 PAH patients.This document will highlight some of the issues facing providers, patients and the PAH community in real-time as the COVID-19 pandemic isevolving and is intended to share expected common clinical scenarios and best clinical practices to help the community at-large.
Read the full journal published March 30, 2020: Care of Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
Alison Marsden, PhD and Melody Dong, PhD
Helping children with cardiovascular defects
Dr. Alison Marsden, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Bioengineering and Vera Moulton Wall Center Faculty, and Stanford Bio-X Fellow Melody Dong, discuss how Bio-X has supported their research using fluid dynamics simulations to study blood flow in pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart defects. They hope that this work will lead to new treatments for children with pulmonary hypertension.
Rachel K. Hopper, MD
Dr. Rachel Hopper impacts the lives of children through CRIB Program
Wall Center faculty Rachel K. Hopper, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and co-director of CRIB (Cardiac and Respiratory Care for Infants with BPD) Program, was recently featured in two patient stories highlighting the benefits of sub-specialty collaborations and multidisciplinary team approaches, for infants born prematurely with Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH), or PH risk factors.
Read the articles:
Learn more about Cardiac and Respiratory Care for Infants with BPD (CRIB) Program
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
Congratulations Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez!
Congratulations to Wall Center Facuty Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine who has been named as the first Stanford Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Director of Faculty and Fellow Diversity and Inclusion. In this role, Dr. de Jesus Perez "will work with Department of Medicine leadership on initiatives that will continue to promote diversity and equality for fellows and faculty. We learned in 2020 that our ICUs, hospital wards, and clinics are a stage upon which societal ills meet medical care; our discipline is on the frontline of this challenging interface".
Ananya Chakraborty, PhD
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
Cournand & Comroe Early Career Investigator Award Finalist
Congratulations to Ananya Chakraborty, PhD, postdoctoral researcher, for being recognized as a finalist for the AHA Cournand & Comroe Early Career Investigator Award. Ananya is part of the de Jesus Perez Lab, led by Wall Center Facuty Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine.
Astrid Gillich, PhD
Ross J. Metzger, PhD
Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD
Congratulations to Wall Center researchers & faculty on their ground-breaking discovery
First author Astrid Gillich, PhD, a postdoc in the Krasnow Lab, and co-corresponding authors Ross Metzger, PhD, Instructor in Pediatrics-Cardiology, and Wall Center Executive Director Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD, along with co-authors Jeffrey Feinstein, MD, MPH, Professor in Pediatric Cardiology and Wall Center Director, Fan Zhang, Life Science Research Assistant in the Metzger Lab, and Kyle J. Travaglini, PhD Candidate in the Krasnow Lab, recently published a paper in Nature about the discovery of two new capillary cell types in the lung.
The first cell type, which the authors term the ‘aerocyte’, is specialized for gas exchange and immune cell trafficking, and is unique to the lung. The other cell type, termed gCap (‘general’ capillary), is specialized to regulate vasomotor tone, and functions as a stem cell in capillary homeostasis and repair. The two cell types develop from bipotent progenitors, mature gradually and are affected differently in disease and during ageing. Capillary cell-type specialization is conserved between mouse and human lungs but is not found in alligator or turtle lungs, suggesting it arose during the evolution of the mammalian lung. This discovery of cell type specialization in alveolar capillaries transforms our understanding of the structure, function, regulation and maintenance of the air–blood barrier and gas exchange in health, disease and evolution.
Roham Zamanian, MD
Dr. Zamanian discusses 'Why I Race' to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Race Against PH
Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program discusses Stanford's 20th Annual Virtual Race Against PH 5K taking place on Sunday, November 1, 2020 and why she races for #pulmonaryhypertension patients.
Paige & Lindsey Doolan
Why I Race Podcast #2
Princess Paige & the PHunky Bunch gathered a team of over 50 family and friends at the 2019 Race Against PH.
In this episode, Lindsey Doolan and her daughter, Paige, who is a pediatric pulmonary hypertension patient discuss Paige's PH diagnosis and the importance of the 20th Annual Virtual Race Against PH 5K/Fun Run, taking place at Stanford on November 1st, 2020 #raph20virtual
Register for the 20th Annual Race Against PH 5K: med.stanford.edu/raceagainstph
Enter this week's Time For Burpees! Contest (Oct 12-16)
Princess Paige & the PHunky Bunch at the 2019 Race Against PH.
Yon Sung, MD
Dr. Sung discusses 'Why I Race' to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Race Against PH
Yon Kyung Sung, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of Community Outreach at the Vera Moulton Wall Center discusses Stanford's 20th Annual Virtual Race Against PH 5K taking place on Sunday, November 1, 2020 and why she races for #pulmonaryhypertension patients.
Kristina Kudelko, MD
Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
Pulmonary Vascular Fellowship Training to Promote Excellence in PH Clinical Care: The Stanford Perspective
Wall Center faculty members Kristina Kudelko, MD, Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of Education, Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program, and Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine recently authored a recently published commentary on the importance of adult PH education at the fellowship level in the American College of Cardiology.
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Maya Kumar, PhD
Lea Steffes, PhD
Congratulations Kumar Lab
The Wall Center congratulates Maya Kumar, PhD, Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and her lab team on their recent publication in Circulation, 'A Notch3-Marked Subpopulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells is the Cell of Origin for Occlusive Pulmonary Vascular Lesions.' Lab member Lea Steffes, PhD, Instructor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine, served as first author and Wall Center faculty and staff, Ross Metzger, PhD, Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD, and Fan Zhang served as co-authors.
Wall Center contributes to Consortium Research
Congratulations to current (Mark A. Krasnow, MD, PhD, Christin S. Kuo, MD, Maya Kumar, PhD, Ross Metzger, PhD, F. Hernán Espinoza, PhD, Astrid Gillich, PhD, Kyle J. Travaglini, Fan Zhang) and past (Douglas Brownfield, PhD, Ahmad N. Nabhan, PhD) Wall Center faculty, staff, and affiliates that are part of the Tabula Muris Consortium on their recent publications in Nature 'A single-cell transcriptomic atlas characterizes ageing tissues in the mouse' and 'Ageing hallmarks exhibit organ-specific temporal signatures'.
François Haddad, MD
Congratulations Dr. François Haddad!
The Wall Center congratulates François Haddad, MD, on being appointed as Clinical Professor of Medicine in Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Haddad specializes in the field of cardio-vascular imaging, pulmonary hypertension, advanced heart failure and transplantation. Dr. Haddad has over 18 years of experience in the field of cardiology. He directs the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute Clinical Biomarker and Phenotype Core Laboratory (BPCL), dedicated to translational studies in cardiovascular medicine.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Haddad on this accomplishment!
Ryan Anderson, MD, Kristina Kudelko, MD, & Roberto J. Bernardo, MD, MS
Congratulations 2020 Clinical PH Fellows
The Wall Center congratulates Dr. Roberto J. Bernardo, MD, MS, 2019-2020 eBay Fellow in Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Ryan Anderson, MD, 2019-2020 Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellow on an unforgettable year of training.
The Vera Moulton Wall Center fellowship program is headed by, Kristina Kudelko, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of Education, Vera Moulton Wall Center.
Andrew Sweatt, MD
Congratulations to Dr. Sweatt, new recipient of an NIH K23 Award!
Andrew Sweatt, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine recently authored an already highly-cited Circulation Research study which effectively illustrates how machine-learning approaches can be used to organized complicated data sets (in this case, inflammatory biomarkers) to classify pulmonary hypertension phenotypes in an unprecedented manner. By using artificial intelligence methodologies, new discoveries are rapidly being made, and Stanford, a pioneering site for the development of this field.
For this training award, Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program will be serving as his mentor.
Myriam Amsallem, MD, PhD
Congratulations Dr. Amsallem!
Myriam Amsallem, MD, PhD, Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and member of the Vera Moulton Wall Center, recently published “Quantifying the Influence of Wedge Pressure, Age, and Heart Rate on the Systolic Thresholds for Detection of Pulmonary Hypertension” in the Journal of the American Heart Association. This invasive study supports lower systolic pulmonary arterial pressure thresholds for pulmonary hypertension diagnosis in patients with higher pulmonary artery wedge pressure (such as patients with left-sided heart failure), which has a direct implication for imrpoving the detection of pulmonary hypertension.
Jonah, Paige, and Oliver presenting the Splash Bag for Paige's PH pump at the Science and Engineering Expo at Oliver and Jonah's elementary school.
Elementary School Students Change the World, One PH pump at a Time
Recently, we received the following inquiry to borrow a CADD MS3 pump, the device used to administer continuous subcutaneous infusion of prostacyclin medication:
Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD
Congratulations Dr. Edda Spiekerkoetter and the HHT Team
The Wall Center congratulates Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Co-chair of the Research Subcommittee at the Vera Moulton Wall Center and Director of the recently designated Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) Center of Excellence at Stanford Health Care. HHT, is a little-known disorder causing malformed blood vessels that can affect the skin and other organs.
Yon Sung, MD
Congratulations Dr. Yon Sung!
The Wall Center congratulates Yon Sung, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and Director of Community Outreach for the Vera Moulton Wall Center Education Subcommittee, winner of the 2020 Teaching Award for the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine.
Kristina Kudelko, MD
Congratulations Dr. Kristina Kudelko!
The Wall Center congratulates Kristina Kudelko, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine on being appointed as the Director of Clinical Educator Career Development and Clinician Educator (CE) Track Fellows Curriculum, effective immediately. In this role, Dr. Kudelko will devote her efforts to strengthen the CE faculty and fellows career pathways in an academic environment. She will work with the clinically focused faculty to ensure their successes within Stanford, as well as preparing clinically aspiring fellows for careers in any academic institutions.
Dr. Kudelko has been a stalwart of clinical teaching to trainees both in pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary consultative service. She is also a key leader responsible for educational curriculum of the PH fellowship.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Kudelko, and we look forward to the successes of this important initiative.
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD & Serena Zhang
Congratulations Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez and Serena Zhang!
The Wall Center congratulates Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, for being elected to membership in the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), as well as the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society.
We also congratulate Serana Zhang, a student in the de Jesus Perez Lab, who has been chosen as a semifinalist in the 2019 Regeneron National Science Competition, for her project focused on the genetic characterization of pericytes in PAH.
Katie Malca, 2019 Adult PH Courage Award Recipient
Sponsored by Stanford Federal Credit Union, on behalf of the Wall Center at Stanford University, School of Medicine
Katie Malca is not an ordinary superhero, she is a superstar PH Superhero.
With the help of her incredible family (mother, father, two sisters) and trusted canine friends (Lucky and Bryn), she has beat the odds and survived more than 15 years with her PH diagnosis.
Katie's beloved pups: Lucky & Bryn
At age 13, while on a family holiday in Thailand, Katie’s mother noticed something was considerably wrong. Katie’s lips had turned blue as they trekked up a mountain. She immediately had her daughter sit down and Katie’s PH journey began.
Upon returning home to the Philippines, Katie’s aunt recommended a well-known cardiologist, who made the PH diagnosis immediately, which was officially corroborated at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital. Even today Katie is amazed at how quickly it happened, since there are physicians in the world today who struggle with pulmonary hypertension detection and diagnoses. More
Pushing on as an international school student, Katie started treatments and continued to battle her illness, following closely the advice of her family, “You can choose to be happy with what you have, or be angry.” She still incorporates that motto in her advice to other PH survivors.
“Don’t let it get you down. You can cry about it for a while, but then you need to choose to have a happy life, accepting your diagnoses. If you focus only on the bad stuff, you won’t have much of a life.
As a young PH patient, Katie recalls the trouble she created for herself when she ignored her PH treatments. “You can really get yourself into serious problems, by not taking your meds.” She internalized that lesson and made a personal decision to do her best. That same ‘can-do attitude’ permeates every core of her being today, making her a role model for other PH patients.
Throughout Katie’s schooling, she has met the demands of her illness with grace and courage. She thanks her parents and sisters emphatically for the support they have provided. Katie remembers being pulled out of school for months at a time, including the 4-months her family spent in Melbourne, Australia. That was time away from school for her sisters as well, and yet they rallied to her side.
In her high school years, Katie’s family heard of Stanford’s PH program and moved to the Bay Area to access the best care they could find for her. Since that time, Katie has lived in Israel, excelled in her favorite subjects (English Literature and Art), and taken on art commissions (mainly show dogs and horses), all while being a PH patient at Stanford.
Katie Malca embodies the Courage Award’s spirit of ‘determination, honesty and resolve in battling this disease.’
She is a ‘patient who validates the journeys of hundreds of others by being truthful in her own journey: acknowledging the hardships, cherishing the poignant moments of hope, looking forward to the promise of therapies on the horizon.
A patient who surfaces as a natural leader and mentor and inspires all of us to press on fighting, press on teaching, press on researching, press on healing.
A patient who serves as a powerful beacon of optimism for fellow patients, families, clinicians and scientists alike.’
Katie is a true PH hero.
In Katie’s own words:
“Having been in Packard as a kid and then at Stanford Hospital as an adult, it's been incredible seeing some of the same friendly faces year after year, and meeting all new ones. Chronic illnesses aren't exactly fun, but the amazing people at Stanford have made hospital visits a pleasure. Coming in to smiling faces at all hours of the day has made such a difference, as has the attention and consideration of people who work here. I took this for granted until I moved to a facility with a horrible doctor who had no time for his patients or his job. Patients would be waiting six hours for a five minute meeting and getting yelled at by the secretary. Contrarily, Stanford's doctors, nurses, patient transporters, and everyone else I've encountered have been a delight. Doctors are actively working to improve your quality of life, and they care about their patients, which apparently is not something that's standard issue in the health profession. Stanford and everyone inside it has been invaluable to me and my family, and I owe everyone a huge thank you to everyone for all that they've done over the years!”
Yon Sung, MD
I'm Aware That I'm Rare: Dr. Yon Sung
Yon Sung, MD is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Stanford Medicine and specializes in the care of pulmonary hypertension patients. She also serves as the Director of Community Outreach for the Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease at Stanford and in this position, has the goal of increasing awareness of PH and providing clinical support and education to clinicians and patients alike. In this episode, she discusses the 19th Annual Race Against PH 5K, taking place at Stanford on November 3rd, 2019.
Mark Nicolls, MD
New study funded by the Vera Moulton Wall Center and NIH, shows the relationship between inflammation and genetic mutations in pulmonary hypertension.
In a new study by Wall Center research scientists, it was discovered ‘that inflammation in the lungs of rats, triggered by something as simple as the flu, may wake up a silent genetic defect that causes sudden onset cases of pulmonary hypertension, a deadly form of high blood pressure in the lungs’ (Stanford News Center, August 2019). Co-authors of the study include:
Faculty Members: Mark Nicolls, MD, Marlene Rabinovitch, MD, Yon Sung, MD, FCCP, Roham Zamanian, MD, FCCP
Research Scientists: Aiqin Cao, PhD, Lingli Wang, MD
Research Assistant: Yesl Kim
Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD
Congratulations Dr. Edda Spiekerkoetter and Team!
The Wall Center congratulates Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, for the official accreditation of The Stanford Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) Program as a Center of Excellence by the Cure HHT Foundation! Dr. Spiekerkoetter will serve as the center's director, and David Stevenson, MD from LPCH Medical Genetics will be the associate director. A huge thanks also goes out to Aileen Lin, NP, nurse practitioner for the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program and PH/HHT nurse coordinator Sheetal Vaghela.
Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD
Wall Center Executive Director Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Mark Krasnow, our Executive Director. He has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). This is a prestigious honor and he joins a highly select group of scientists from around the world (2,347 active members).
Eric Austin, MD, MSCI
Back row: Jeffrey Feinstein, MD, MPH, Eric Austin, MD, MSCI
Front Row: Rachel Hopper MD, Marlene Rabinovitch, MD
11th Dunlevie Lecture – April 5, 2019
Sex and PAH: Exploring Susceptibility to Develop Novel Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Approaches
Thank you to Dr. Eric Austin, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatrics Pulmonary at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, who served as the guest lecturer for the 11th Dunlevie Lecture presented by the Vera Moulton Wall Center in Association with Pediatric Grand Rounds. More
Dr. Austin received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his MD from Emory University School of Medicine where he graduated cum laude. He completed his general pediatrics training at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and then pursued a fellowship in pediatric pulmonary medicine at Vanderbilt University where he also obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI). Here, he began his work in pulmonary vascular diseases in the Vanderbilt University Pulmonary Vascular Research Program. His work has focused on evaluating the manner in which genetic, biochemical, environmental, and other factors promote the phenotypic expression of pulmonary hypertension. In particular, he has studied the interaction between estrogen metabolites in the development of heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) as well as how mutations in Caveolin-1 and Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptor II (BMPR2) are associated with penetrance and severity of PAH. Additionally, his lab is using next generation sequencing techniques for the discovery and assessment of genetic and genomic variation in PAH.
He is currently the Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program and the Director of the MSCI at Vanderbilt. He is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Robert B. Mellins, MD Outstanding Achievement Endowed Award from the American Thoracic Society for achievement in scholarship in pediatric pulmonary medicine.
Dr. Austin is a prolific clinical researcher, a dedicated educator, and an internationally recognized leader in the field of pediatric pulmonary vascular disease.
Wall Center staff enjoying a scoop of gelato for World PH Day, May 3, 2019.
Wall Center Celebrates World Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Day
The Wall Center celebrated World PH Day early with some gelato on the beautiful Stanford campus. Today, we are honoring our wonderful patients as well as clinicians and researchers who are working tirelessly to care for and one day find the cure for PH.
World Pulmonary Hypertension Day is an annual global event to raise awareness of pulmonary hypertension (PH), a severe condition affecting the lungs and heart.
Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD and Ross Metzger, PhD
Congratulations to Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD, Ross Metzger, PhD and Astrid Gillich, PhD
Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, is the recipient of a new Department of Defense (DOD) grant addressing hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), a condition associated with significant pulmonary vascular disease. This is a joint study with Dr. Spiekerkoetter serving as the principal investigator and Ross Metzger, PhD Instructor in Pediatric Cardiology), Astrid Gillich, PhD (Biochemistry) and David Stevenson, MD (Medical Genetics), as co-investigators. Edda and colleagues are establishing a HHT Center of Excellence at Stanford, and this grant will be instrumental in supporting the basic research as well as clinical translational approaches for the new Center.
Mark Nicolls, MD
Congratulations Mark Nicolls, MD
Congratulations to Dr. Mark Nicolls, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and a steering committee member for the Wall Center, and Amy Tian for being awarded a new $2.3M NIH R01 grant evaluating the role of inflammation in lymphedema. Together with Dr. Stan Rockson, the Nicolls' group recently published a study in the journal JCI Insight (October 2018) showing the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory therapy (ketoprofen) for this disease. Lymphedema is a chronic condition affecting hundreds of millions around the world (and is thematically linked to PAH research). It is particularly troublesome to patients who have had lymph node resection for breast cancer and is caused by lymphatic obstruction which leads to disfigured and swollen extremities. Targeted anti-inflammatory therapy is a promising new approach for this disorder.
Andrew Sweatt, MD
Congratulations Andrew Sweatt, MD
The Vera Moulton Wall Center congratulates Dr. Andrew Sweatt, Instructor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford, on first-author high-impact publication: "Discovery of Distinct Immune Phenotypes Using Machine Learning in PAH".
Maya Kumar, PhD
Congratulations to Maya Kumar, PhD, Recipient of Child Health Research Institute Grant for 2019
The grant was titled "Defining molecular mechanisms driving neointima growth in a mouse model of pulmonary hypertension” and is focused, not surprisingly, on identifying the molecules and interactions that promote the growth of neointima cells.
Though PH is complex disease with many different causes, in all forms of PH pulmonary artery pressure is thought to rise in large part due to vessel remodeling, including the formation of so called ‘neointimal lesions’ in which abnormal cells accumulate between the lining of the blood vessels and the normal artery More wall. Those neointima cells then rapidly expand to narrow and stiffen the arteries, leading to elevated pulmonary arterial pressures and increased stress on the heart. Available PH therapies consist largely of vasodilators, which have little effect on artery remodeling. A major opportunity to develop more effective PH therapies is to identify the mechanisms that drive neointimal expansion. The aim of this grant is to uncover the signals that drive neointimal expansion in PH, with the long-term goal of identifying ways to halt or reverse artery remodeling in the pediatric PH population.
(L-R) Elya Shamskhou, Leah Verghese, Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
Congratulations to Leah Varghese, who was selected as a Society for Science Regeneron Science Talent Scholar!
Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez, Co-Director of the Stanford Translational Investigator Program (TIP) and Staff Physician of the Stanford Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic of the Vera Moulton Wall Center, proudly served as Leah's mentor in a project looking at risk of PAH with HIV and methamphetamine abuse. Also, the Wall Center congratulates Elya Shamskhou, BA, Life Science Research Assistant in the de Jesus Perez Research Group at Stanford, who supervised her in the lab.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), a program of Society for Science & the Public (the Society) is the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors.
Dr. Zamanian gives talk on ‘Autoimmunity and Inflammation in PAH (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension)’ at 10th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium
Dr. Roham Zamanian, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Vera Moulton Wall Center Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Stanford, spoke on ‘Autoimmunity and Inflammation in PAH: Contemporary Concepts and Future Implications’ at the 10th Annual North Carolina Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (Duke University and University of North Carolina). This was done in partnership with PHA and the Building Medical Education in PH Program. The symposium took place on November 2, 2018.
Helpful Tips for Pulmonary Patients Exposed to Poor Air Quality
Dr. Kristina Kudelko, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Education, Vera Moulton Wall Center at Stanford, gives helpful tips to help pulmonary patients exposed to poor air quality. Bay Area air quality is currently rated worst in the world due to the wildfires burning in both northern and southern California. More
Facts and Recommendations
- Poor air quality can trigger cough, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Patients with pulmonary hypertension may not tolerate these stressors well.
- Air pollutants can lead to flares of lung diseases which are associated with pulmonary hypertension like interstitial lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These flares may require extra medications like steroids, inhalers and antibiotics and at their worst, hospitalization.
- Avoid time outdoors! If you can, order in low-sodium food and groceries, work from home at your computer, call into meetings. Take this time to catch up on a good book or watch a favorite movie. Ask a family member or friend to walk the dog or take out the garbage.
- Keep your windows and doors closed.
- If you have one, this is the time to use your home air purifying system.
- If you must go outside, wear a mask. Any mask which covers your nose and mouth is better than none, but N95 masks are considered best for blocking particulate matter in poor-quality air. Check online or at your local drugstores for availability
- Check your medication supply and order ahead to avoid running out. Be sure to take all your medications on schedule.
- As always, avoid salt! Request a low-sodium plate at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
- Pay attention to local news reports and heed advice about evacuation notices. Do not ignore your own safety!
- Do not hesitate to call your medical provider with any questions or concerns. Don't delay getting help when you need it!
Poor Air Quality on November 15, 2018 - Stanford's Main Quad. Photo by Roham Zamanian, MD
Lena Bolivar
Q&A with Transplant Patient Lena Bolivar
Diagnosed six-years ago at Stanford, Lena talks candidly about her journey from ‘exercise-induced asthma’ to diagnosed Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). She shares her story of pain, resilience and personal strength, to overcome the odds. She credits her great team of doctors, her family, and the clinical trial which added 5-years to her life (prior to transplant).
Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD
New Video Blog Available
Dr. Edda Spiekerkoetter, Assistant Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, talks Bench to Bedside Research in this latest video.
Now Available! 4th International PH Symposium Videos
If you missed the 4th International PH Symposium on May 18, 2018, the 15, 30, & 45 minute talks are now available. Catch up on the latest in cutting edge rresearch from Stanford faculty, as well as guest speakers from around the world.
Sponsorship Opportunities for the 18th Annual Race Against PH Available!
If you are a business, company, or individual that would like to sponsor the 2018 Race Against PH, please contact Deborah Aarhus, Race Director at (650) 725-4586. Whether you are a large corporation or a small community startup we can work with you to find a level of support that is beneficial for all. Both financial support and in-kind contributors are welcome. We look forward to partnering with you!
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
I’m Aware That I’m Rare: Vinicio A. de Jesus Perez, MD
Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez discusses the 4th International Symposium: From Precision Biology to Precision Medicine in Pulmonary Hypertension taking place Friday, May 18, 2018.
James Spudich, PhD
Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD
Stanford researchers, including Vera Moulton Wall Center Executive Director, Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD, map intricacies of lung cancer in one of their own
When James Spudich was diagnosed with lung cancer, researchers had a rare, and unexpected, opportunity to study healthy and diseased human tissue at an unprecedented level of detail.
It was around 3 p.m. on a Thursday last October when James Spudich and Suzanne Pfeffer poked their heads into the office of Mark Krasnow, on the fourth floor of the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, interrupting a meeting he was having with a colleague.
“Can we talk to you for a minute?” Pfeffer said.
Kristina Kudelko, MD
Dr. Kristina Kudelko featured on 'Stars of Stanford Medicine'
Kristina Kudelko, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine, expected to return to New York after a fellowship in pulmonary hypertension, but she unexpectedly fell in love with Stanford and has called it home since 2008.
Why did you go into medicine?
I thought that I was going to do something in the humanities. I liked music but I wasn’t talented enough to have a career in it. I thought about journalism too. But I got swept up into intro to bio classes that I took just to fill requirements at Yale. I became really interested in biology, and thought maybe I would do marine biology.
In the end, a huge component was my brother. He’s a role model for me and a neurologist. It seemed like a good fit. I did a year of research at the National Institutes of Health, but realized I really liked the clinical side.
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
and Roham Zamanian, MD
Congratulations to Dr. Roham Zamanian, Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez, and dedicated Wall Center clinicians, researchers and staff, for publishing in the Blue Journal (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, March 2018), as well as the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology (February, 2018).
Dr. Zamanian and Dr. de Jesus Perez, et al, recently published “Drug Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Primer for Clinicians and Scientists”, in the February issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. However, the largest PH community impact is felt by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine paper, titled “Features and Outcomes of Methamphetamine-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”. More Along with significant contributions from our Wall Center clinical and research team (contributing authors include : Hedlin, Greuenwald, Wilson, Segal, Jorden, Kudelko, Liu, His, Rupp, Sweatt, Tuder, Berry, Rabinovitch, Doyle, and Kawut), this new research has changed the established worldwide guidelines for PH, and was recently highlighted at the 6th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension in Nice, France.
Additionally, Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Staff Physician for the Stanford Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, was honored with a visiting professorship at Brown Alpert Medical School (March, 2018), where he presented Grand Rounds and led a round table discussion on “Drug Induced Pulmonary Hypertension: A Primer for Clinicians and Scientists”.
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
Jair Tenorio, PhD
Stanford-Spain form Consortium for discovery of novel genes associated with risk of PAH
The main aim of this consortium is to perform WES analysis in PAH patients seen at Hospital La Paz in Madrid and Stanford hospital to identify novel gene variants potentially involved in PAH. Work by the consortium so far has led to the discovery of CRIPAK, a key protein responsible for regulation of pulmonary vascular repair. High risk variants have been found in a high significant percentage of PAH patients independently evaluated in each institution in compare to controls. Validation of CRIPAK at the de Jesus Perez Lab in Stanford has revealed that CRIPAK could contribute to PAH by reducing endothelial viability, promoting small vessel loss and accelerating vascular remodeling. Ongoing analysis of genetic data will likely continue to identify and validate gene modifiers that could serve as potential targets for development of novel therapies for PAH.
Kristina Kudelko, MD, Michelle Fox and Lori Barth
The Wall Center Participates at the Wellness Fair
The Wall Center participated in the 14th annual Wellness Fair on March 22, 2018 at the Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation. With over 3500 people in attendance, the Wellness Fair is a celebration of wellness and healthy lifestyle choices. Both Wall Center faculty and staff were on-hand to answer questions about the center, pulmonary hypertension and to promote the 18th Race Against PH.
Andrew Sweatt, MD
Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Sweatt, recently awarded a 2017 American Thoracic Society Foundation/Pulmonary Hypertension Association Research Fellowship grant.
Dr. Andrew Sweatt, an Instructor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford, was selected to receive an $80,000 American Thoracic Society (ATS) Foundation research grant. The ATS Foundation released the list of 2017 grant award recipients in January, after its scientific advisory committee selected the top proposals submitted from around the country. Dr. Sweatt’s project, which is titled “Deep Immune Phenotyping of Pulmonary Hypertension by Unsupervised Machine Learning”, will involve the use of computational tools to discover novel subsets of PH patients that have distinct peripheral blood gene and protein signatures
Mark Nicolls, MD
Dr. Mark Nicolls returns to the Vera Moulton Wall Center, following a visiting professorship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.
Stanford University Professor of Pulmonary Care and Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Mark Nicolls, completes a visiting professorship at Johns Hopkins University. While teaching within the School of Medicine, Dr. Nicholls spoke on Leukotriene B4, regulatory T cells and the evolution of the LIBERTY Trial.
Dr. Mark Nicolls is Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, within the Wall Center at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Kristina Kudelko, MD
The Wall Center congratulates Dr. Kristina Kudelko on her promotion to Clinical Associate Professor (June 2017) and participation in Health4TheWorld Lecture Series.
Clinical Associate Professor and Wall Center physician, Dr. Kristina Kudelko, was honored to be an international lecturer for the Health4TheWorld website, sponsored by Stanford University. Dr. Kudelko provided expertise in a series lecture entitled, “An Introduction to Pulmonary Hypertension” on December 8, 2017.
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD
Awarded two NIH Research Project Grants (R01s), Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez paves the way for new pulmonary research and long-term studies into cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez, Co-Director of the Stanford Translational Investigator Program (TIP) and Staff Physician of the Stanford Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic of the Vera Moulton Wall Center, will take on the role of Principal Investigator (PI) in both NIH Research Project Grants.
In the first 5-year grant (9/2017-8/2022), his team will examine the role of Wnt7a in orchestrating cardiopulmonary angiogenesis in health and disease. In the second 5-year Research Project Grant (12/2017-11/2022), Dr. Perez’ research will focus on master regulator Wnt5a, and its effect on endothelial-pericyte interactions in pulmonary circulation.
Assistant Professor Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez, also serves as the Chair Elect of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Pulmonary Circulatory Assembly, and the 2018 Chair of the Pulmonary Heart Association (PHA) Scientific Sessions.
Rachel Hopper, MD
Dr. Rachel Hopper joins as new faculty. Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Marlene Rabinovitch, MD
Vera Moulton Wall Center Faculty Member Marlene Rabinovitch, MD has been named the AHA Distinguished Scientist Lecturer for the 2017 Annual AHA Meeting to be held this November in Anaheim.
This award reflects the high regard in which Dr. Rabinovitch and her outstanding body of work is held by academic physicians and physician-scientists in the US and abroad.
Dr. Rabinovitch will be recognized at the Annual AHA Scientific Sessions - Opening Session on November 12, 2017.
The Wall Center congratulates Dr. Rabinovitch on the well deserved honor.
Roham Zamanian, MD
Dr. Zamanian discusses breakthrough interventions in clinical trials and the process of enrolling in a 2-part podcast
Dr. Zamanian is the Director of the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Program at Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Zamanian discusses breakthrough interventions in clinical trials and the process of enrolling in a 2-part podcast. He currently directs the Vera Moulton Wall Center clinical database and biobank and focuses his research on clinical characterization and impact of novel risk factors such as methamphetamine use, and biomarkers, such as insulin resistance, in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Beyond industry clinical trials and registries, Dr. Zamanian has re-focused the research mission of the Stanford PH program by collaborating with basic science faculty and implementing several proof-of-concept and phase II clinical trials of novel therapeutics developed at Stanford University. Dr. Zamanian also serves on phaware’s Medical Advisory Board.
Part 1: Audio | Transcript
Part 2: Audio | Transcript
Lorinda Chung, MD, Cyrus Kholdani, MD and Kristina Kudelko, MD
Wall Center Faculty participated in Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s Preceptorship Program for Bay Area clinicians
Wall Center faculty Lorinda Chung (Immunology and Rheumatology), Kristina Kudelko (Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine), and Cyrus Kholdani (Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine) served as co-moderators and faculty for the PHA Preceptorship Program: A Collaborative Approach for Clinicians on the Front Line.
Presented by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, the program provided the latest information on PAH diagnosis and management and how to help build links among community PAH specialists, non-specialists, and staff, by creating new avenues for communication and supporting comprehensive, state-of-the-art care for our patients with PAH.
This free CME program took place on Friday, July 21 at the Garden Court Hotel, in Palo Alto.
Beyond PH: Slow breathing induces tranquility
Try it, breathe slowly....appreciate the sense of calm. Why is that? Until now, no one knew why. A recently published study in Science describes how Dr. Krasnow (Wall Center Executive Director) and colleagues have identified a handful of nerve cells in the brainstem that connect breathing to states of mind.
Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez receives RO1 grant
Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD, Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine has received an NIH-National Heart , Lung, and Blood Institute RO1 grant for his project entitled The WNT7A/ROR2 Axis in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. We congratulate Dr. de Jesus Perez on his achievement.
From Bench to Bedside for Pulmonary Hypertension
By collaborating with Stanford's SPARK program as well as those outside the university, Vera Moulton Wall Center faculty member, Dr. Mark Nicolls, has moved a PH drug into clinical trials.
Stanford physicians and patient participate in phaware podcastseries: I'm Aware That I'm Rare
Listen to Stanford physicians and patients discuss PH as part of the exceptional podcast series I'm Aware That I'm Rare produced by phaware.
More Podcast Ep 30: Mark Nicolls, MD, Professor and Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine discusses the importance of clinical trials.
Podcast Ep 34: Roham Zamanian, MD, Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Director of the Stanford Adult PH service discusses the development of novel therapeutics initiated at Stanford.
Podcast Ep 42: Heart/Lung Transplant recipient and blogger Kathleen Sheffer discusses her life changing surgery.
Tacrolimus(FK506) moves forward as potential PAH therapy
Companies VIVUS and Selten Pharma have announced an agreement for the development and commercialization of tacrolimus (FK506) and ascomycin for the treatment pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Tacrolimus received orphan drug designation for the treatment of PAH in 2015.
Breaking Bad at Stanford: Treating a Growing Population of Patients Who Admit to Methamphetamine Abuse
Methamphetamine abuse is known to be bad for many reasons; one of the least known is its association with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Roham Zamanian, MD (associate professor, pulmonary & critical care medicine), has followed the geographic spread of the meth epidemic, including both production and use, from its US origin in the California Central Valley across isolated areas of the American West to current hotbeds in Appalachia and the Ohio Valley. It turns out that many of his patients with PAH admit to a history of meth abuse.
Dr. Mark Krasnow elected to National Academy of Medicine
Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Vera Moulton Wall Center and Professor of Biochemistry, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. The National Academy of Medicine, originally established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine by the National Academy of Sciences, honors professional achievement in the health sciences and a commitment to service. The Wall Center congratulates Dr. Krasnow on this well deserved honor.
16th Annual Race Against PH
More than 1,800 participants, spectators, and volunteers turned out for the 16th Annual Race Against PH held November 6, 2016 on the Stanford campus. The event was started by the Ewing Family in an effort to promote PH awareness and raise funds for the fight against PH. Photos and race times can be found at Race Against PH. Thank you for our support!
Marlene Rabinovitch, MD named 2016 J. Burns Amberson Lecturer
Vera Moulton Wall Center faculty member Marlene Rabinovitch, MD, Dwight and Vera Dunlevie Professor of Pediatric Cardiology was selected to present the 2016 J. Burns Amberson Lecture at the American Thoracic Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco on May 15.
The lecture honors the late Dr. Amberson, an international authority on chest disease and tuberculosis, and recognizes “a career of major lifetime contributions to clinical or basic pulmonary research and/or clinical practice.”
Adult PH team welcomes two new faculty members - Dr. Cyrus Kholdani and Dr. Andrew Sweatt
Drs. Kholdani(left) and Sweatt(right) have joined the Adult Pulmonary Hypertension service. Dr. Kholdani is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. He was the 2015-16 eBay Fellow in Pulmonary Vascular Disease and in his new role will work to develop the Stanford adult PH satellite clinics.
Dr. Sweatt was a fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford. He is currently an Instructor in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and will divide his time between patient care and research having received a training grant from the NIH/NHLBI Funded Stanford Career Development Program in ‘Omics’ of Lung Diseases (K12).
We are excited to add these two outstanding faculty members to the Wall Center team.
Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez receives Prestegious Award from ASCI
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) has named Vinicio de Jesus Perez, MD, Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as one of their Young Physician-Scientist Award Recipients for 2016.