Cardiology

The Division of Cardiology provides excellent care for every aspect of cardiovascular disease, from early detection of heart disease to treatment of the most complex cardiac conditions. Clinical program areas include non‐invasive cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac arrhythmias (electrophysiology), acute chest pain management, heart failure, advanced heart failure, cardiac transplantation and cardiac devices.

The Division operates and provides its services through the Pauley Heart Center in conjunction with the Division of Cardiology, the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Division of Pediatric Cardiology. Seamless collaboration amongst these Cardiology divisions through the Pauley Heart Center allows the Division of Cardiology to offer quality, comprehensive, cost-effective, state-of-the-care care to its patients. This environment also allows for pioneering research for advancing scientific knowledge and an ideal training setting for students and professionals alike.

The Division of Cardiology is the second largest division of the VCU Department of Internal Medicine with more than 30 board‐certified cardiologists, seven of whom have joint appointments at the McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center. All Division of Cardiology physicians hold faculty positions in the VCU School of Medicine, and are involved in clinical and basic research as well as clinical care.

The Division of Cardiology includes faculty with interests in all areas of clinical cardiac care. Faculty members are located at VCU Medical Center and Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center.

• Antonio Abbate, MD, PhD
• Naser Abdelhadi, MD
• Archer L. Baskerville, MD
• Hem L. Bhardwaj, MD
• Wendy Bottinor, MD
• Carolyn Burns, MD
• Justin Canada, PhD
• Qun Chen, PhD
• David Chuquin, MD
• Richard Cooke, MD
• Anindita Das, PhD
• Bethany Denlinger, MD - VAMC
• Phillip B. Duncan, MD
• George Eapen, MD
• Kenneth Ellenbogen, MD
• Zachary M. Gertz, MD
• Jose F. Huizar, MD - VAMC
• Greg Hundley, MD - Director:  Pauley Heart Center & Division Chief
• Jennifer Jordan, PhD
• Mathew K. Joseph, MD
• Ion Jovin, MD, ScD -VAMC
• Gautham Kalahasty, MD
• Michael E. Kelly, MD
• Jayanthi N. Koneru, MD
• Michael C. Kontos, MD
• Jordana Kron, MD
• Rakesh C. Kukreja, PhD
• Barbara D. Lawson, MD
• Michael B. Lenhart, MD
• Edward J. Lesnefsky, MD - VAMC
• Alex Lucas, PhD
• Mohammed Makkiya, MD
• Pranav Mankad, MD
• Roshanak R. Markley, MD
• Anurag Mehta, MD
• Mohammad Mojadidi, MD
• Naveed A. Naz, MD
• Hamang M. Patel, MD
• Satish K. Pathak, MD
• Walter Paulsen, MD
• Mary A. Peberdy, MD
• Ajay Pillai, MD
• Jonah Pozen, MD - VAMC
• Andreas Prinz, MD - VAMC
• Krishnasree K. Rao, MD
• Fadi N. Salloum, PhD, FAHA, FAPS
• Arun Samidurai, PhD
• Keyur Shah, MD
• Sangeeta B. Shah, MD
• Richard K. Shepard, MD
• Melissa C. Smallfield, MD
• Beverly Spencer, MD
• Inna F. Tchoukina, MD
• Deepak P. Thomas, MD, MPhil
• Stefano Toldo, PhD
• Cory Trankle, MD
• Jeremy Turlington, MD
• Lei Xi, MD

Emeritus Faculty

• James Arrowood, MD
• Andrea Hastillo, MD
• George W. Vetrovec, MD

As part of the Pauley Heart Center, the Division of Cardiology plays an integral role in offering a full spectrum of clinical cardiac services, from consultation to diagnostic tests to treatment of the most complex cardiac conditions. There is close collaboration between adult cardiologists, pediatric cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons to provide all ages of patients, with every type of heart disease—from pediatric patients with congenital defects to patients requiring aortic surgery or transplants—with individualized, patient-centered care.

Clinical offerings are broken into two broad categories: Outpatient Services and Inpatient Services.

The Division of Cardiology and the Pauley Heart Center are dedicated to the performance of cutting edge research in the cardiovascular field. The cardiology division physicians and investigators have received significant NIH funding for more than three decades, and faculty members are awarded more than $2 million annually from public and private entities in support of basic and clinical research.

Our mission is to:

• Facilitate cutting edge research in the cardiovascular field.
• Enhance collaboration among cardiovascular researchers at VCU.
• Provide resources for performing cardiovascular research.
• Provide multidisciplinary training in cardiovascular science to residents, cardiology fellows, clinical investigators, graduate and undergraduate students.

The Pauley Heart Center Research Facility is a newly renovated, state of the art facility located in Sanger Hall on the VCU Medical Center Campus. The labs are equipped with cardiac catheterization for animals, echocardiography, modern surgical facilities, a Nikon confocal microscope and cell and tissue culture facilities.

Our basic research lab deals primarily with cardiovascular research on ischemia and reperfusion injury. This includes investigations on different approaches and therapeutic tools that have the potential to minimize the damage to the heart that occurs following a heart attack.

Clinical research is ongoing in each of our subspecialty areas, with a common goal of optimizing outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease utilizing the latest imaging and pharmacologic technologies and devices.

The physicians in our electrophysiology clinic are involved in research on new investigational devices for bradycardia pacing, anti-tachycardia pacing and defibrillation, as well as new investigational anti-arrhythmic drugs. The faculty is working with several companies to develop new tools and techniques to cure atrial fibrillation through a variety of ablation systems, including both radiofrequency and cryoablation.

Our cardiac catheterization laboratory physicians are focused on improving efficiency and safety of guidewire passage by the use of a magnetic guidance system for steering wires; using cath lab-based CT to enhance assessment of blockages and cardiac function; and evaluating new drugs used as an adjunct treatment to coronary intervention.

The cardiologists and support staff of the noninvasive cardiology laboratories are involved in new and continuing research focused on equipment development, devices and drug interventions. The lab faculty members collaborate on a variety of research projects with their colleagues in other areas of cardiology, including interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, acute cardiac care and heart failure.

The division sustains research funding of approximately $7 million a year. Projects in basic research include investigations of the mechanism of cardiovascular injury and endothelium-dependent responses.

• Interventional cardiology with new robotic techniques
• New drug therapies for arrhythmias and heart failure
• Clinical evaluation of the rotablator atherectomy device
• Intracoronary stent for vein graft stenosis
• Laser angioplasty in coronary stenosis
• New devices for heart failure
• New techniques for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation
• New mapping technologies for catheter ablation and atrial fibrillation

Division of Cardiology
West Hospital 6th Floor, North Wing
Box 980036
Richmond, VA 23298
Phone: (804) 828-9357

Division Contacts

Medicine

Greg Hundley, MD
Director - Pauley Heart Center
Division Chief
Box 980335
Richmond, Virginia 23298
Phone: (804) 628-6611
Email: greg.hundley@vcuhealth.org

Administration

Nicole Holt, MHA
Division Administrator
Box 980510
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0036 
Phone: (804) 628-0181
Email: nicole.palat@vcuhealth.org

Research

Amy Ladd, PhD
Associate Director, Pauley Heart Center
BOX 980335
Richmond, VA 23298
Phone: (804) 828-2692
Email:  amy.ladd@vcuhealth.org

Fadi Salloum, PhD, FAHA, FAPS
Associate Director of Research Mentoring & Preclinical Science, Pauley Heart Center
Natalie N. and John R. Congdon Sr. Endowed Chair in Cardiology
BOX 908204
Richmond, VA 23298
Phone: (804) 827-2340
Email: fadi.salloum@vcuhealth.org

Jill Grizzard, MS
Assistant Director, Research Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
Phone: (804) 628-6234
Email:  pamela.grizzard@vcuhealth.org

Melissa Sears, MS, RN, CCRP
Clinical Research Manager
Phone: (804) 828-1601
Email:  melissa.sears@vcuhealth.org