Rajani Aatre is a Senior Genetic Counselor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and a member of the MI-AORTA Program and Inherited Cardiomyopathy Program at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center. She is also part of the Pediatric Cardiogenetic Clinic at Mott Children's Hospital. 
She received her bachelor’s degree from University of Delhi, New Delhi, India, and two master's degrees in Cell and Molecular Biology from Dalhousie University, Halifax Canada, and in human genetics (Genetic Counseling) from Sarah Lawrence College, New York. 

She worked in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Hutzel Hospital (1998-2001) and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital (2001-2005) before joining the FCVC Clinic in 2008. Her clinical work is focused on providing comprehensive care to patients with inherited cardiovascular disease and their families. Her research interests include return of research results and the application & utility of genomic medicine in health care.  

Dr. Ailawadi 

Dr. Beaulieu

Dr. Burris is a Cardiothoracic Radiologist who joined the faculty at University of Michigan in 2016, after having received his medical degree from the University of Maryland and completing residency in Diagnostic Radiology and fellowship in Cardiothoracic Radiology at UCSF. Dr. Burris additionally completed a year of dedicated post-doctorate research training at UCSF as part of the Biomedical Imaging for Clinician Scientists NIH T32 training grant. 

Dr. Burris’ primary clinical and research interests are focused on advanced imaging of diseases of the aorta and aortic valve. He has investigated a variety of advanced MRI and CT techniques to improve risk assessment of patients with aortic dissection, aortic aneurysm, and aortic valve disease. Specifically, he leads several funded research projects including a project from the Radiologic Society of North America focused on the use of 4D Flow MRI in the assessment of patients with aortic dissection, and a NIH SBIR/R44 funded project focused on the development and commercialization of a novel technique for an accurate, three-dimensional assessment of aortic aneurysm growth (vascular deformation mapping). He is a lead Radiologist for the Multidisciplinary Aorta Program (MAP), transcatheter aortic valve (TAVR) and MATRIx (Mitral/Tricuspid) programs and serves as the director of Aortic & Structural Heart Imaging for the Department of Radiology, as well as the Associate Director of the FCVC MI-AORTA program.

Dr. Burris serves as a reviewer for multiple top national and international scientific journals including JACC, Circulation, Radiology, and European Heart Journal. He has a high level of enthusiasm for training medical students, residents, and fellows in Cardiovascular Imaging.  

The long-term goal of my laboratory is to stimulate bench-to-bedside research that sheds light on molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of diabetes-induced cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke. As a physician-scientist, I have made seminal contributions to advance the field of vascular biology and diabetes treatment. My original cloning of the gene for exendin-4, led to an entirely new class of drugs to treat diabetes. In the past 20 years, my team has made significant contributions to uncover the role of PPARg activation as a determinant of cardiovascular cell gene expression and function and I was among the first to define the cardiovascular roles of PPARd. In collaboration with leading geneticists, physiologists and drug development experts, I have implemented a platform at the University of Michigan to accelerate gene discovery-function-drug targeting. Of relevance to this application, in the past 10 years, we have successfully established a program at University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center to investigate the function of genes screened by our whole genome genotyping and association analysis. Genetic variants in Krüppel-like factor 14 (KLF14) are strongly associated with elevated plasma HDL levels, metabolic syndrome, and coronary artery disease. Recently, we uncovered the central role of KLF14 in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. 

In addition, we identified that perhexiline, which is approved for treatment of angina and heart failure, could attenuate the development of atherosclerosis by regulating KLF14 (PMC4607137). These data raise the interesting possibility that activation of the KLF14 pathway may be a therapeutic target for atherosclerosis treatment. Through the approach of focusing on protein-changing allelic variations in the genetic association studies to accelerate discovery, we have identified TM6SF2 variants linked to cholesterol levels and myocardial infarction and embarked in intensive research to understand the biological role of TM6SF2 in CVD and NAFLD (PMCID: PMC4842105). Recently, we performed a GWAS of 1,351 TAA-affected individuals and 18,295 control individuals and identified a previously unpublished genome-wide significant locus in the third intron of TCF7L2. We have identified that TCF7L2 plays an important role in vascular smooth muscle cells and related to the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysm (PMID: 34265237). 

Intriguingly, our collaborative project that led to the identification of TCF7L2 as a candidate gene in AAA genetics, as described in this application, has been recently published (PMID: 37845353). In this R01 application, we will engage in a systematic approach to accelerate the understanding of the physiology and pathology of novel variants in novel loci as well as the epigenetic modifications discovered to a highly refined and focused innovative genetic association approach that leverages unique resources spanning from one of the largest integrated genomic/phenotypic database in the world to our unique expertise in dissecting molecular and biological and physiological aspects of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a highly collaborative, well established integrated team approach. In summary, the Dr. Chen has demonstrated a record of successful and productive collaborative research projects in CVD, has a well-developed and productive collaborative interaction with the Multiple-PI, Dr. Ida Surakka and the combined team Chen/Surakka have all the required expertise and resources to conduct the proposed project successfully. 

Y. Eugene Chen, M.D., Ph.D

Michigan Experts Profile 

I am a practicing vascular surgeon with internationally recognized expertise in peripheral artery disease (PAD) and an M.S. in Health Sciences Research. My long-term goal is to improve treatment through clinical research that strategically targets critical gaps in evidence, decision-making, and quality.  Throughout my career, I have used patient care to generate clinical research questions and translate the findings into actionable evidence.  My clinical practice and research led me to recognize the critical need for better approaches to treatment selection. I treat patients across the spectrum of vascular disease severity including “no options” patients who are sometimes at the end of a long road of interventions that may have contributed to bad outcomes. I strongly believe that imbalance between patient and provider values during treatment selection a familiar problem that needs to be solved.  I have developed an independent research program centered on uncovering patient values and applying this information to shared treatment decisions. 

Dr. Davis 

Dr. Eagle 

Dr. Eliason is the S. Martin Lindenauer Collegiate Professor of Vascular Surgery. He completed his general surgery training at Vanderbilt University in 2002 and his vascular surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan in 2004.  After completing his training he served as an active-duty vascular surgeon in the United States Air Force. He completed one overseas deployment to Balad, Iraq in the 2006-2007 timeframe under Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2007 he returned to the University of Michigan as Faculty where he has focused clinically on open and minimally invasive aortic surgery and pediatric vascular surgery.  

Until 2020 he maintained an active research laboratory.  He collaborated with the Department of Defense on the management of non-compressible torso hemorrhage in trauma, as well as studying the connections between tobacco smoke and e-cigarette vapor on aortic aneurysms.  His current research focus is clinical in nature, focused on outcomes of minimally invasive and open surgical treatments of aortic disease.  He is a Past-President of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) and serves in leadership as the Co-Director of MI-AORTA. He has a strong emphasis on surgical education, receiving the Arnold Coran teaching award for medical student education in 2023 and the Faculty Excellence in teaching award for vascular trainees in 2019 and 2023. 

Dr. Figueroa received his PhD Mechanical Engineering at Standford University, where he developed computational methods for simulating fluid structure interactions between blood and blood vessels. His first academic appointment was at King’s College London in the UK, where he was Senior Lecturer in the Division of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences. Dr. Figueroa is currently Edward B. Diethrich M.D. Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Vascular Surgery, Senior Associate Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, and Thematic Director of the FCVC Cardiovascular Research Network (CRN). 

Dr. Figueroa’s laboratory is focused on the following main areas: 1) developing tools for advanced modeling of blood flow which combine advanced imaging, machine learning, and computational methods of fluid and solid mechanics. His group develops the modeling software CRIMSON (www.crimson.software); 2) studying the link between abnormal biomechanical stimuli and cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and thrombosis; 3) simulation-based surgical planning to aid with the optimal planning of cardiovascular surgeries.  

Dr. Ford joined the Rheumatology division at Michigan Medicine in 2020, after completing internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. Dr. Ford works alongside her mentor Dr. Ora Gewurz-Singer in the Aortitis program within MI-AORTA.

Jennifer Frick is the FCVC Research Administrator. Jennifer’s commitment to scientific inquiry and patient care improvement has led her to participate in numerous groundbreaking research studies and clinical trials. She now focuses on administering large multidisciplinary, multi mission spanning cardiovascular programs at the CVC.  

Jennifer is a respected leader at the FCVC, sharing her knowledge and passion for cardiovascular research administration with the next generation of healthcare professionals. She actively engages in mentoring and coaching activities to inspire others to discover and pursue their professional goals.  

Jennifer’s contributions to the Frankel Cardiovascular Center exemplify her dedication to advancing cardiovascular research and improving patient care and outcomes. Her expertise, passion, and collaborative spirit continue to drive innovation and foster a culture of excellence within the center.    

Dr. Gallagher 

Ora Gewurz-Singer, MD MS is an associate Professor of Rheumatology in the Department of Internal Medicine. She completed her medical training in NEW York City graduating from NYU Medical School and completing residency and fellowship at Cornell and Hospital for Special Surgery respectively.  She has a master's degree in Clinical Research from Cornell University.

Dr. Singer has a clinical and research interest in vasculitis and serves as the Director of the Michigan Medicine Vasculitis Program and is a member of the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC). She enjoys cooking, running and spending time with her husband and 4 sons. 

Dr. Gordon

Dr. Guo joined Michigan Medicine in 2008 and is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical School. Her research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm, and develop new therapeutic strategies for treating vascular diseases.

Peter Henke has been a University of Michigan faculty since July 2000. He rose to Professor of Surgery in 2009 and retains the Leland Ira Doan Research Professor of Surgery endowed chair, and is the Section Head of Vascular Surgery since 2020. He is co-director of the statewide quality collaborative, BMC2. He is the past Associate Chair for Research for the Department of Surgery, and past Chief of Surgery at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital. His research interests include a focus on vascular medicine, DVT risk assessment, and translational research related to venous thrombosis resolution and vein wall injury, which is supported by an R01. He has served on numerous NIH study sections, several DSMBs, as well as the VA surgery study section. Nationally, he is past Associate Editor for Journal of Vascular Surgery, a current Associate Editor for Annals of Vascular Surgery, and has held positions in the Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society, the Central Surgical Association, the Society for Vascular Surgery, and the American Venous Forum, where he served as its President in 2014. He is the current PVD Council Chair of the AHA.

Dr. Hofmann is a physician, a scientist, and an accomplished sutdent mentor who strives to combine translational research with clinical care. She was trained in Germany and obtained both MD and PhD degrees from Heidelberg University where she gained a deeper understanding of diabetes-mediated vascular inflammation during a year-long postdoctoral research fellowship in the laboratory of Ann Marie Schmidt at Columbia University in New York. 

Dr. Hofmann then applied her knowledge in vascular biology to her clinical work as a general cardiologist, specifically for the care of patients with aortic aneurysms. After the completion of an internal medicine residency at Northshore University Hospital in Long Island, NY, she trained in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Chicago under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth McNally. There she became the Driector of the Aortic Clinic at the University of Chicago Medical Center from 2014-2018. In 2018, Dr. Hofmann became a faculty member at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan in the Department of Internal Medicine. Her expertise in aortic diseases led to her appointment as an Executive Director of the MI-AORTA program, and as the principal investigator for the CHIP biorepository, a long-term investment of the Frankel Cardiovascular Center. 

Zhonggang Hou

Lauren Humphrey-Stark

Dr. Minhajuddin Khaja

Dr. Likosky 

Dr. Madamanchi's laboratory is dedicated to studying the effects of oxidative stress on cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, ahterosclerosis, stress cardiomyapathy, abdominal aortic anuerysms, and heart failure with preserved ejection. Inflammatory and cardiovascular cells are mainly affected by reactive oxygen species, which are produced by various forms of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH oxidase) enzyme and dysfunctional mitochondria. We are conducting research using genetically modified mouse models to identify the key NADPH oxidases that regulate oxidative stress, including mitochondrial oxidative stress, in the cardiovascular system. Our ultimate goal is to find therapeutic targets to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases. 

Jen McNamara is the MI-AORTA Administrative Manager at the University of Michigan. With a wealth of experience spanning over 10 years, Jen has established herself as a dedicated professional in the field of aortic research. Jen received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Indiana University. Throughout her tenure at the University of Michigan, Jen has showcased her expertise in managing and coordinating research projects related to aortic studies and biorepositories. Her exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail have enabled her to successfully oversee various aspects of research administration, ensuring the smooth operation of projects from start to finish. 

Dr. Meisner completed his MD and PhD at the University of Virginia and did his pediatric and cardiology training at the University of Michigan. During his fellowship training he benefited from the excellence of the University of Michigan cardiovascular genetics program. His clinical focus is on cardiovascular genetics and bringing novel and cutting-edge therapeutics to rare pediatric disease in the clinic and through his translational research laboratory. He continues to expand the Pediatric Cardiovascular Genetics Program at the University of Michigan providing care in the multidisciplinary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, muscular dystrophy, cardiovascular genetics and aortopathy, and RASopathy clinics. He additionally runs a translational research laboratory utilizing induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocyte and innovative mouse models to understand the pathophysiology and clinical course that leads to cardiomyopathy in children and young adults. Dr. Meisner works closely with Frankel Cardiovascular Center’s Comprehensive Aortic Program to provide consistent, high-level care across the age span of aortic diseases at the University of Michigan.

Dogukan Mizrak

Dr. Myers

Dr. Ford 

Stefanie Peters

After Medical School at Duke University, Dr. Russell did his pediatric training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore where he had the pleasure of learning from many outstanding physicians and educators including Dr. Hal Dietz who was doing a fellowship in Genetics at the time. He moved to Ann Arbor to pursue a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology where he began a research project on the genetics of Long QT syndrome, a familial disorder that can cause sudden death. His mentor, Dr. Francis Collins, was recruited to the NIH to head the Human Genome Project and Dr. Russell went with him for two years to continue my training in Cardiovascular Genetics. Since completing his fellowship, he has helped to develop a robust Pediatric Cardiovascular Genetics Program here at the University of Michigan which includes aortopathies and connective tissue disorders, inherited cardiomyopathies and muscular dystrophies. In 2011, togehter with Pediatric Geneticist Mark Hannibal and Genetic Counselor Rajani Aatre, they established a Pediatric Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic which specializes in the evaluation and management of aortopathies and connective tissue disorders. Dr. Russell has worked closely with the Frankel Cardiovascular Center’s Comprehensive Aortic Program to provide consistent, high-level care across the age span of aortic diseases at the University of Michigan.  

Dr. Salmon 

Dr. Vemuri  

Dr. Williams

Dr. Xu obtained his Ph.D. of reproductive physiology from the University of Connecticut in 2002, where he studied animal cloning and telomere biology. As one of the first wave researchers adapting the gene editing tools in biomedical research, Dr. Xu has led multiple projects in generating novel preclinical animal models, including immunodeficient rabbits and cystic fibrosis rabbits at the University of Michigan. He has also made contributions to improve the gene editing tool. In one project, Dr. Xu and colleagues developed a novel Cas9 variant miCas9 that brings improved efficacy and safety to gene editing.

Dr. Yang joined the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Michigan in July 2011 after completing his Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at Stanford University. His clinical expertise spans the range of complex aortic surgical procedures to treat aortic pathology from aortic root to the femoral arteries (including open and TEVAR), and adult cardiac procedures for patients with aortic aneurysm and dissections, such as bicuspid aortic valve, Marfan’s Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, familial thoracic aortic aneurysm. 

Dr. Yang has been very productive in basic science research and clinical research. He and his team use patient’s induced pleuripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model the thoracic aortic aneurysm and study the mechanism of aortic aneurysm in bicuspid aortic valve and in patients with known mutations, such as Loeys-Dietz syndrome, and Marfan syndrome in order to develop novel therapies to prevent aortic aneurysm. Clinically, he and his team have focused outcome research of aortic surgery and adult cardiac surgery, including acute aortic dissection, aortic root repair, aortic arch repair, thoraco or thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.  

Dr. Yang has won numerous research awards such as: AHA Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Award, finalist; Young Investigator of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation, and several research projects supported by NIH grants.  

Dr. Dr. Ying Yang joined Dr. Bo Yang’s lab at Michigan Medicine as Research Fellow since Sep 2019. Her research focuses on personalized bioengineered vessel grafts, stem cell technology, disease modelling and precise medicine. She got American Heart Association Postdoc Fellowship in 2022 and serves as a reviewer for journals including Advanced Science, et al. She published 33 international journal papers in Circulation, Biomaterials, Applied Materials Today, and other journals, 2 authorized patents, co-edited 1 book chapter.

Dr. Guo joined Michigan Medicine in 2008 and is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical School. Her research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm, and develop new therapeutic strategies for treating vascular diseases.

Yan Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry at University of Michigan Medical School. The overarching goal of her lab is to decipher the biology of diverse CRISPR-Cas defense systems in pathogenic bacteria, and to convert their novel features into gene-editing tools and therapeutics to improve human health. Her group uses complementary genetic, genomic, biochemical, cell biology, and informatic approaches to tackle key questions in CRISPR biology and gene therapy.

Dr. Zhang received her BS in Biological Sciences from Peking University in China, and her PhD in Biomolecular Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining U of M in 2017, she pursued postdoctoral training with Dr. Erik Sontheimer at Northwestern University and University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, where she established Neisseria meningitidis (Nme) as a model to investigate Type II-C CRISPR-Csa9 and developed NmeCas9 as a robust gene editing platform in human embryonic stem cells. Dr. Zhang has received an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship, a NIH NIGMS K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, and numerous awards from University of Michigan, including a Biological Sciences Scholar Award, an EBS Innovator Award, a MTRAC for Life Sciences Award, and a Research Scouts Award.

Dr. Zhang received a PhD in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology from the University of Yamanashi, Japan. He joined Michigan Medicine in 2006 and currently is a research professor at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical School. His research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and abdmonial aortic anuerysm, and develop new treatments for these diseases. 

Dr. Zhu is Ara G. Paul Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The research in my lab lies at the interface of nucleic acid engineering, drug and vaccine delivery, and immunology. Our current focus is to develop novel circRNA/MRNA/oligonucleotides therapeutics and vaccines and their delivery systems for the prophylaxis and therapy of various diseases.  

Dr. Zhu's Lab 

Dr. Zuo is the Edward T. and Ellen K. Dryer Early Career Professor of Rheumatology, Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology, and the Antiphospholipid Syndrome Program associate director at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the pathogenic role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and autoimmunities against NETs in various thromboinflammatory diseases such as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), vasculitis and COVID-19. He has authored some 50 papers, and his current research is supported by the National Institute of Health, Taubman Medical Research Institute, Arthritis National Research Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the Rheumatology Research Foundation, and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan support his current research. Recently, he earned the distinction of being named a Taubman Institute Emerging Scholar and was also the recipient of the 2024 American Society of Clinical Investigation Young Physician Scientist Award.

Dr. Zuo's Lab