Pitt No. 1 in AHA Funding

Last year, for the first time, the University of Pittsburgh ranked first among U.S. academic medical centers and hospitals for heart disease and stroke research funding from the American Heart Association (AHA). Pitt’s AHA funding for 2006 totaled $8,949,945.

“The University of Pittsburgh prides itself on recruiting prolific researchers, scientists, and clinicians who are dedicated to elucidating the fundamental causes of heart disease. I am most proud of Dr. Barry London, chief of cardiology and director of the UPMC Cardiovascular Institute (CVI), and his team of cardiologists and scientists who advance our mission at both the laboratory bench and patient’s bedside, ultimately helping patients lead better, healthier lives,” said Arthur S. Levine, Pitt senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the University’s School of Medicine.

CVI has a strong foundation of both clinical and basic science research. For example, at any one time, the institute’s faculty trains 30 general cardiology fellows (10 per year for three years), as well as subspecialty clinical fellows in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, congestive heart failure, transplantation, and heart imaging.

Additionally, a variety of specialized research fellowships concentrating in molecular genetics, molecular imaging techniques, and clinical epidemiology are performed by trainees committed to academic and investigative careers.

CVI researchers are principal investigators on more than 20 grants from the AHA and the National Institutes of Health, in addition to dozens of other clinical and translational trials funded by other foundations and industry.

For a complete list of AHA awards to Pitt, visit the AHA Web site at www.americanheart.org and click on the science and professional link and again on the research link. The AHA’s list of awardees is mentioned in alphabetical order by institution. The complete list of Pitt awardees begins on page 91 and ends on page 97.

“The American Heart Association’s generous funding is a testament to their commitment to understanding the mechanisms that contribute to heart disease,” said London, who is also the Harry S. Tack Professor of Medicine at Pitt. “These funds will help our junior investigators, in particular, to push forward with their important research that may someday lead to effective therapies for patients.”