Cardiovascular Center, Herma Heart Center forge new translational research partnership

November 10, 2004 - The Medical College of Wisconsin's Cardiovascular Center and the Herma Heart Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin have partnered to propel translational research and training to a higher level throughout the campus.

The centers will collaborate in research initiatives designed to define and treat mechanisms of pediatric cardiovascular disease.

The partnership follows the initiation of the new Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program at Children's, which was launched in July 2004 in conjunction with the College. The fellowship program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

"The collaborations will bring together top clinical and basic science investigators to seek world-class levels of findings and train the next generation of academic pediatric cardiologists," said pediatric cardiologist Peter C. Frommelt, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, in his remarks at the Oct. 4 Pediatric Cardiovascular Research Forum held at Children's Hospital. "The research will also lead to a clearer understanding of antecedent disease and will attract top quality faculty, fellows and medical students."

Dr. Frommelt coordinates the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program.

The Herma Heart Center has one of the nation's largest programs for medical and surgical treatment of congenital heart defects and children's heart disease. It offers every kind of pediatric heart care procedure and is the only center in the state performing pediatric heart surgery. It leads the country in the best published survival rate for the Norwood procedure used to correct Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and is recognized for its expertise in fetal echocardiography and state-of-the art diagnostic equipment.  

The collaboration came to fruition over the past year, but the concept originated and was developed over a five-year period, aided by David R. Harder, PhD, Professor of Physiology and Director of the Cardiovascular Center; David D. Gutterman, MD, Northwestern Mutual Professor of Cardiology, Professor and Vice Chairman of Medicine (Cardiovascular) and Associate Clinical Director of the Cardiovascular Center; and Stuart Berger, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatric Cardiology, who were instrumental in encouraging faculty and institutional involvement in the collaborative endeavor.

Ranked as one of the world's top cardiovascular centers, the Cardiovascular Center focuses on translating biological science into clinical applications. Established in 1992, the Center facilitates more than 150 researchers from 23 departments in one of the largest laboratory complexes in the United States.

Among their accomplishments, Cardiovascular Center researchers have identified the genetic determinants of cardiovascular disease; found a new role for nervous tissue, suggesting therapies for stroke; revealed that abnormal menstrual cycles in athletes can damage hearts; and identified the role of blood sugar in predicting heart attack damage.

The Cardiovascular Center is one of only five National Institutes of Health-funded Specialized Centers for Research on Hypertension in the United States.

The collaborative association between the Cardiovascular Center and the Herma Heart Center is anticipated to attract significant federal support, as interdisciplinary and translational research initiatives are key funding interests of the current National Institutes of Health Roadmap to Accelerate Medical Discovery and Improve Health. It also serves as a good model for future interdisciplinary initiatives facilitated through the new Children's Research Institute.

In his concluding remarks at the Oct. 4 forum, James S. Tweddell, MD, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, characterized the collaboration as "blessed with excellent, highly motivated clinicians and strong basic scientists."

"That we share the same sense of mission is evident each day in our research and patient care," he said, "but we have more to do, and the tremendous synergy of our resources will make the next two years remarkable." 

This story was written by Seema B. Sernovitz, MSEd.