Baroreflex Activation Therapy: A Novel Approach for HFrEF Patients

Dr. Economides MD, completed an undergraduate degree in music at the University of California, Los Angeles followed by a Master’s degree in music at the University of Southern California. She then changed focus to medicine and returned to UCLA for pre-medical coursework. She received her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and completed internship and residency at the UCLA/VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. She then completed a cardiology fellowship at the UCLA/VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System/Olive View Medical Center, and subspecialty interventional cardiology fellowship at Good Samaritan Hospital/Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Economides has published numerous articles in peer review journals and presented at national cardiovascular meetings. Her professional interests include cardiovascular disease in women, prevention of vascular access complications and radial artery catherization, peripheral vascular disease, preservation of vascular access in dialysis patients, and patient quality outcome research. Dr. Economides is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Economides is fluent in English and Spanish.

Gurusher Panjrath MD FACC FAHA is an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist, Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Heart Failure and Mechanical Support Program and Infiltrative Cardiomyopathy Program at The George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington DC. Dr. Panjrath has been published in peer reviewed journals and has received several national and international research awards. He has a keen interest in education and developing educational programs nationally and internationally and in developing innovative solutions and clinical program building to improve heart failure care. He has served as co-editor of Heart Failure self-assessment programs, on editorial boards and directed development of HF curriculum for PCPs in Latin America. He has spoken widely at both national and international meetings. Dr. Panjrath is the immediate past chair of the Heart Failure and Transplantation Section of American College of Cardiology and was the co-chair/chair for heart house roundtables on improving heart failure care. He practices in Washington DC and focusses on the complete spectrum of heart failure care. His recent research has focused on interface of technology and heart failure care.

Dr. Jefferies is the Jay Michael Sullivan Distinguished Chair in Cardiology, Professor and Chief of Adult Cardiovascular Diseases, and Professor of Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Tennessee Methodist Hospital system in Memphis TN. He completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Kentucky, and then went on to complete a fellowship in General Internal Medicine and a Master's in Public Health at the University of Kentucky. He subsequently completed a combined fellowship in Adult Cardiovascular Diseases and Pediatric Cardiology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas. He stayed on staff there at the Texas Heart Institute and Texas Children's Hospital to direct the Advanced Heart Failure program and Cardiovascular Genetics, and then moved to the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 2010 to direct Advanced Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, and Transplant before moving to Memphis in July of 2018. He has authored or co-authored over 200 peer reviewed manuscripts, functioned as lead Editor for 2 textbooks, and is on the editorial boards of several journals. His research interests include gene discovery for cardiomyopathy and novel therapeutic strategies for heart failure.