Welcome to the USF Health Heart Institute at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. We are in the center of Water Street Tampa, a revitalized downtown region where our faculty, students, and staff can enjoy a healthy, energy-efficient lifestyle within walking distance of renowned entertainment venues, innovative dining, and outdoor recreational activities.

New facilities, top talent to advance leading research

The mission of the USF Health Heart Institute is to create an environment that promotes novel, interdisciplinary research in basic, translational, and clinical cardiovascular sciences. Our researchers are investigating cardiac development and diseases ranging from congenital conditions in children to acquired illness in adult patients such as congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, and atherosclerosis.

Our critical mass of basic science and clinical researchers address unmet medical needs related to heart, lung, and vascular disease, which account for three of the top five causes of death in the United States. Through better understanding of the genetic, molecular, and environmental drivers of heart, lung, and vascular disease, the Heart Institute ultimately aims to better predict, diagnose, and prevent disease rather than respond late in its course.

Recognizing these challenges, USF, the State of Florida, Hillsborough County, and the local business community joined together to accelerate the fight against diseases of the heart, lung, and blood vessels several years ago. Their efforts culminated in construction of our new building consisting of 13 floors of research, education, and administration.

State-of-the-art laboratories and core facilities supported through National Institutes of Health, Department of Defenses, private foundations, industry, and USF-generated resources create a vibrant environment for research. We have a particular interest in recruiting funded scientists with high risk-high potential gain projects, those using cutting-edge technology, and those seeking to unite basic and translational sciences to directly benefit patients.

The Heart Institute is also committed to helping expand entrepreneurial activity by channeling intellectual property into new commercial enterprises and engaging in community redevelopment with local companies. USF continues to be one of the top 10 universities in the nation in awarded patents, and Heart Institute faculty are always “aiming for the cure”, so securing intellectual property from our research is a core value.

Whether you are a patient, potential faculty recruit, donor, or citizen of the Tampa Bay region, I invite you to explore our faculty accomplishments on this website and join us in supporting research and innovation at the USF Health Heart Institute.

Sincerely,

Thomas V. McDonald, MD, FAHA
Director, USF Health Heart Institute