YNHH named a Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence

HCM Program team members include, front row (l-r): Kevin Hall, MBBCh, director, Pediatric Heart Failure Program; Umer Darr, MD, surgical director, HCM Program; Daniel Jacoby, MD, founder and director, HCM Program, and medical director, Comprehensive Heart Failure and Transplant programs; Dawn Shaddinger, RN, research manager; Carol Brescia, administrative assistant; Chris Williams, RN, clinical research nurse; and Eileen Taylor, RN, surgical nurse coordinator. Back row (l-r) are: Hamid Mojibian, MD, director, Cardiac CT and MRI; Nikolaos Papoutsidakis, associate research scientist; Anna Rodonski, PA; Noreen Gorham, RN, clinical program director; and Irene Scanlon, LCSW, social worker.

Yale New Haven Hospital is the first Connecticut hospital – and one of only 29 nationwide – to be recognized as a Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association. Such centers are recognized for providing comprehensive diagnostic, treatment, education and research programs.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is caused by a thickening of the heart muscle, which in some people can result in shortness of breath, chest pain or problems in the heart’s electrical system that can lead to abnormal rhythms.

YNHH offers a range of HCM services, including advanced imaging, diagnostic testing and treatment; genetic profiling; and novel clinical trials. The HCM team treats patients at all ages and stages of the disease and includes physicians and staff who specialize in adult and pediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery, electrophysiology and cardiac anesthesia, cardiac imaging, social work, nutrition and genetics.

“We have a multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized physicians and scientists applying the latest cardiovascular genetic research results directly to patient care,” said Daniel Jacoby, MD, director, HCM Program at the hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center and director, Comprehensive Heart Failure Program. “We are committed to providing patients and their families with the information they need to make informed decisions about their health care.”

“HCMA Recognized Centers of Excellence programs provide the most timely and cost-effective care when compared to those seeking care in the general cardiology community,” said Lisa Salberg, founder and CEO, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association. “Patients and families benefit by having a team of highly skilled clinicians and the emotional support they need to manage living with a genetic heart condition that may impact many other members of the family as well.”