The post 2025-2026 MHI Seminar Series, Spring Schedule appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

The post Annual MHI Pumpkin Contest! appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

In response to a number of requests, we are attaching the slides for the noontime talk on Generative AI.

Many thanks!

Berfin and Brian

The post ANNUAL FACULTY RETREAT appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

The work, entitled “Simulating cardiac fluid dynamics in the human heart”, was co-authored by graduate student, Marshall Davey, alumni postdoctoral research associates, Charles Puelz, Simone Rossi, and David R. Wells, Margaret Anne Smith, UNC Department of Mathematics, Gregory M. Sturgeon, Department of Radiology and William Paul Segars, Ph.D., Professor in Radiology; Professor of Biomedical Engineering, both with Duke University, John P. Vavalle, MD, MHS, Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, UNC Division of Cardiology, and Charles S. Peskin, Ph.D., Silver Professor of Mathematics and Neural Science, NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. The article was featured in the October, 2024, Volume 3, Issue 10 of PNAS Nexus and can be read online now.

The post The Griffith Lab Awarded The Langtangen Prize From PNAS Nexus appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

Dr. Emerson received this recognition for his dissertation, entitled “Post-transcriptional mechanisms regulate cardiac sex differences.” His research provides insights into sex-specific differences in heart development and disease susceptibility. The award highlights Dr. Emerson’s exceptional scholarship and contributions to advancing the field of cardiovascular biology.

The post McAllister Heart Institute (MHI) Trainee, Isaiah (Ike) Emerson, Receives Journal Of Cardiovascular Development And Disease (JCDD) Best Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Thesis Award appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

Congratulations to Harold Heatherly, BS, a PRISM Postbaccalaureate Researcher, Biol395, in Dr. Kim’s Lab, for presenting at the PBTS Graduate Curriculum Symposium.

Harold gave a fantastic presentation and won the Best Lightning Talk Award! This is a phenomenal achievement for him and a wonderful recognition of his hard work and research excellence. Congratulations to Harold!

The post Postbaccalaureate Research Initiative In Science And Medicine (PRISM) Postbaccalaureate Researcher, Harold Heatherly, Presents At Pathobiology And Translational Science (PBTS) Graduate Curriculum Symposium appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

The Rebecca Clark Staff Award for Moral Courage recognizes a staff member who has demonstrated a strong commitment to social justice, especially with regard to the treatment of fellow workers.

The post Postdoctoral Research Associate, Michael F. Almeida, Receives Rebecca Clark Staff Award For Moral Courage At University Of North Carolina’s (UNC) University Day Ceremony appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

MHI Director

MHI Senior Research Scientist and Deputy Director

MHI Senior Physician Scientist and Deputy Director

Dear MHI Colleagues:

I am happy to announce that Li Qian has been appointed as the Senior Research Scientist and Deputy Director of MHI and Brian Jensen has been appointed as the Senior Physician Scientist and Deputy Director of MHI. I will remain Director, but Li and Brian will take over the day-to-day operations of MHI. They will play a major role in strategic planning, resource management, faculty and staff oversight, fostering research collaborations, and ensuring compliance with institutional and external regulations. The Deputy Directors will provide leadership in cardiovascular research, scholarship, and educational initiatives, not only for MHI but across the UNC School of Medicine. They will also continue to prioritize mentoring of our younger faculty, post-docs, grad students, undergrad students, and other trainees.

Please join me in congratulating them. We are very fortunate that MHI has these two accomplished and internationally known investigators to help lead us into the future.

Best,

The MHI Leadership Team

The post Message From The MHI Leadership Team appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

Dr. Zaw received $23,878.89 from the Core Facility Advocacy Committee (CFAC), $3000 from the McAllister Heart Institute (MHI) and $2000 from the Cardiovascular Physiology and Phenotyping Core (CPPC) for a Leica M320 surgical microscope. This advanced surgical microscope and imaging system will significantly enhance precision and visualization in microsurgery procedures and training, supporting MHI’s mission to advance cardiovascular science through innovation and technical excellence.

Dr. Zaw’s research article was co-authored by University of Waterloo researchers, Drs. Dency David, Joshua Kunihiro, Yuan Yao, and Evelyn K. F. Yim. The paper explores how micro- and nano-scale substrate topographies influence vascular smooth muscle cell behavior under inflammatory conditions — an important step toward developing advanced biomaterials for cardiovascular applications. It is featured in Volume 17, Issue 33 of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces and can be read online now

The post Aung Moe Zaw, Ph.D. Receives Leica M320 Surgical Microscope Award And Publishes In ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

The work from the Giudice Lab’s team was first-authored by the main driver of the article, graduate student and Integrative Vascular Biology (IVB) trainee, Gabrielle Bais. They are thankful for the support from UNC-Chapel Hill, CBP Department and Curriculum, MHI, and the IVB training grant, as well as to our funding sources, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). The article is featured in Volume 44, Issue 9, 23 September, 2025 of the journal Cell Reports, which can be read online now.

The post The Giudice Lab Publishes In Cell Reports appeared first on UNC McAllister Heart Institute.