Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

We provide patients and their loved ones with a comprehensive set of both inpatient and outpatient cardiovascular services, ensuring they have access to the services they need to meet their unique health needs.

Programs & Centers

The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine provides comprehensive preventive care as well as medical and interventional therapies for all types of heart conditions.

• Advanced Heart Failure Program
• Cardiac Direct Access
• Cardiac Sarcoid Center
• Cardio-Oncology Program
• Electrophysiology Institute & Arrhythmia Service
• Interventional Heart Care
• Sports Cardiology Program
• Structural Heart Center
• Vascular Medicine Program

Outpatient Cardiovascular Clinic

Our cardiology specialists at the Outpatient Cardiovascular Clinic provide patients with the full range of preventative, diagnostic and noninvasive heart care services without requiring overnight hospital stays.

The Outpatient Cardiovascular Clinic contains the following specific clinics and programs:

• Amyloidosis Clinic
• Center for Cardiovascular Genetics
• Complex Hypertension Clinic
• Diabetic Heart Disease Program
• Infectious Endocarditis Clinic
• HIV & Cardiovascular Disease Clinic
• Latinx Cardiovascular Clinic
• Lipid & Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Clinic
• Russian Cardiovascular Clinic
• Women’s Cardiovascular Health Program

Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging

Our specialists use advanced cardiovascular imaging techniques to diagnose a variety of cardiovascular conditions, as well as monitor the effectiveness of certain treatments.

Our cardiac imaging services include:

• Cardiac MRI
• Clinical Physiology Stress Testing Laboratory
• Myocardial perfusion scans
• Cardiovascular CT scans
• Echocardiography
• Electrocardiography
• Nuclear cardiology

At the heart of our cardiac imaging services is the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (MR) Center, one of the first MR Centers to focus specifically on cardiovascular imaging.

Through a variety of unique fellowship opportunities and education programs, including our Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship and summer research training opportunities for medical students, we are committed to training the next generation of cardiovascular specialists to continue delivering advanced cardiac services to patients throughout our communities and beyond.

Fellowship Opportunities

As part of our commitment to training the next generation of cardiovascular physicians, we offer numerous advanced fellowship programs for further specialized training, available to qualified physicians after completion of a general cardiovascular disease fellowship program.

• Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellowship
• Structural Heart Disease Fellowship
• Cardio-Oncology Fellowship
• Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship
• Interventional Cardiology Fellowship
• Vascular Medicine Fellowship

Research Training Programs

In addition to our specialized fellowship options, we also offer a number of research opportunities and programs for fellows, including:

• Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Fellowship
• Zimetbaum Research Fellowship

We offer numerous opportunities in basic and translational research, allowing researchers to work alongside some of the world’s foremost heart care specialists at the leading edge of advancements in cardiovascular medicine.

Our research laboratories are among the best-funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), providing unrivaled opportunities to investigate the most compelling questions in cardiovascular care.

Researchers can take advantage of further opportunities at the Smith Center for Cardiology Outcomes Research, our dedicated team of researchers and physicians using clinical trials and data analysis to assess the current state of cardiovascular care.

Among Top Four in NIH Funding

Today, the BIDMC is a tertiary/quaternary teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, serving more than half a million patients each year. BIDMC’s biomedical research program consistently ranks in the top four in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide.

Furthermore, the nation’s first clinical research laboratory, the Harvard-Thorndike Laboratory, has been located at BIDMC since 1973.

Cardiometabolic Disease Research

Researchers in our Personal Genomics and Cardiometabolic Disease program are investigating the relationship between heart disease and diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

Among their discoveries, researchers have identified novel biomarkers that single out individuals likely to develop diabetes and heart disease more than a decade before disease onset. Breakthroughs like these help our specialists determine which patients might benefit from early clinical interventions.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Research

Our HCM research team is committed to advancing the study and practice of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy medicine to ensure our patients have the most advanced treatment options available.

Members of our research team include:

• Reza Nezafat, MD
• Warren Manning, MD
• Robert Gerszten, MD
• Usman Tahir, MD

The Current Genetic Paradigm for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

In this informational video, Dr. Usman Tahir, Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Genetics at BIDMC, discusses the current genetic paradigm for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). He also reviews new risk markers for sudden cardiac death and the role of novel myosin inhibiters in the management of HCM.

Vascular Medicine Research

The Vascular Medicine Research Program at BIDMC spans all areas of investigation involving peripheral vascular disorders, with disciplines ranging from basic/translational research through clinical health services and outcomes research.

Clinical Trials

The physician-scientists in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine are national leaders of key clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of new treatments for cardiovascular disease.

If a clinical trial is an appropriate option for you, your cardiologist will discuss details regarding possible participation.

With innovations dating back to the founding of Beth Israel Hospital in 1916 and New England Deaconess Hospital in 1896, the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine has a distinguished history as a leader in cardiovascular discovery and training.

Medical Milestones: First Pacemaker and Other Breakthroughs

• The first implantable cardiac pacemaker was developed by Dr. Paul Zoll at Beth Israel Hospital in 1952.
• Beth Israel's Dr. Herrman Blumgart was the first investigator to use radioisotopes in studying human cardiac physiology, paving the way for modern day nuclear cardiology.
• Beth Israel cardiologist Dr. Louis Wolff was a member of the team that first described the clinical manifestations of what has become known as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.
• More recently, the Deaconess Hospital established a record of excellence in developing its two catheterization laboratories in the decade between 1965 and 1975, as well as creating one of Boston's first coronary intensive care units.