Introducing Cardio-Oncology Centers of Excellence

Dr Lenihan has been active in cardio-oncology and heart failure, for over 20 years. The main focus of these efforts have included hemodynamic assessments, angiogenic growth factor response, novel cardiac biomarkers as well as optimal methods to prevent or detect heart failure at the earliest stage possible in patients undergoing treatment for cancer. His current research projects include early phase clinical trials in cardio-oncology, heart failure and amyloidosis. He is the Principal Investigator of the PROTECT study looking at cardiac safety in patients undergoing proteasome inhibitor treatment for relapsed multiple myeloma and the recently completed PREDICT study, a large multicenter prospective study examining the role of cardiac biomarkers for the detection of cardiotoxicity during anthracycline based therapy. In addition, he is intimately involved in the latest treatment trials for cardiac amyloidosis. He was recently at Washington University in St Louis to enhance and expand the Cardio-Oncology Center of Excellence. He is at the forefront of concerted efforts to develop a viable Cardio-Oncology fellowship training program and continues to foster collaboration among a host of colleagues both regionally, nationally, and throughout the world. He is the current President of the International Cardio-Oncology Society (ICOS),www.IC-OS.org, which is an international professional association whose primary goal is to eliminate cardiac disease as a barrier to effective cancer therapy.

Dr. Vijay Rao is the Director of CardioOncology, Heart Failure, and Anticoagulation at Franciscan Health, Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated with a dual degree MD and PhD from the Medical University of South Carolina followed by Internal Medicine training at Duke University Medical Center. He then completed Cardiology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco followed by a dedicated additional year in echocardiography serving as the Chief Fellow. He is the governor-elect for the Indiana Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. Under his leadership, the Franciscan CardioOncology team was awarded an Associate of Community Cancer Centers National Innovator Award in 2020 for “Nurse Navigation as a Model for Developing an CardioOncology Program.” Dr. Rao was also the first author on a recent State of the Art Review published in Journal of American College of Cardiology June 2021 issue titled “Clinical Approach to Cardiovascular Toxicity of Oral Antineoplastic Agents.” He also serves as the Chair of the ICOS Center of Excellence Committee and is an active member of the ICOS Education Committee.