The Section of Cardiology at the UIC Medical Center is committed to providing excellent
clinical service that utilizes state-of-the-art technology.
By virtue of the fact that we are part of a major university hospital and the largest
medical school in the country, we also have a strong and unwavering commitment to
education and research. The clinical mission of the program is supported by a distinguished
faculty whose training and expertise places them at the forefront of contemporary
cardiology. UIC medical center houses newly updated equipment for diagnostic and
interventional catheterization, invasive and non-invasive electrophysiologic evaluation,
and echocardiographic, nuclear, CT, and MRI imaging of the heart. The clinical program
at all sites is linked to an electronic medical record system, allowing for review
of clinical records and imaging studies on-line, 24 hours / day wherever internet
access is available. We also participate in the care of patients at the Jesse Brown
VA hospital and Christ Medical Center, a high-volume suburban community hospital.
Our commitment to education is reflected in the training provided to our fellows,
residents and students. Our fellows benefit from a rich didactic program and from
clinical experiences which enhances our educational mission. A Cardiovascular Teaching
Center which incorporates “Harvey” a cardiology patient simulator. The teaching center
is located within the section which assures that our trainees are well versed with
respect to the cardiovascular physical exam.
Clinical and basic research opportunities are integral to the educational process,
and all fellows have a substantial period of protected research time which is designed
to facilitate their development as academic cardiologists. Research is on-going in
many areas within the section. Notable is a newly established Cardiovascular Center
for Research which links the clinical activities of the section with the rich basic
research environment within the larger medical school campus. Specific interactions
that have been supported include studies with investigators in the Department of
Physiology investigating cellular mechanisms of cardiac muscle dysfunction and studies
exploring endothelial transport with faculty in the Department of Pharmacology. Beyond
this, there is a wealth of clinical research within the Section. The heart failure
group is involved in a large number of trials studying pharmacological therapies
for patients with advanced heart failure and the use of advanced echocardiographic
techniques for risk stratification; the electrophysiology group is exploring catheter
based techniques for the treatment of common arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation);
the interventional group is studying novel pharmacologic treatment during interventional
procedures and the use of new device therapies and the cardiac prevention group is
in the process of defining unique cardiac screening modalities (including ultrafast
CT) which may predict the development of clinically relevant coronary artery disease.
This is an exciting time for cardiology in general and for the Cardiology Section
at UIC in particular. We have great confidence that the supportive environment provided
by the University and Hospital administration and the leadership within the Department
of Medicine will allow us to fulfill a very optimistic mission: To define the highest
clinical, educational and research standards in our profession.
Thomas D. Stamos, MD
Program Director
