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Welcome to the USF Health Heart Institute
Our beautiful USF Health building in Downtown Tampa is located in the center of Water Street Tampa, a revitalized downtown region where our faculty and students can enjoy a healthy, energy-efficient lifestyle within walking distance of renowned entertainment venues, innovative dining, and outdoor recreational activities.
State-of-the-art laboratories and core facilities supported through National Institutes of Health and other federal grant sources, 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.
Director's Welcome - Dr. Thomas McDonald
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.
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.
Whether you are a patient, potential faculty recruit, donor, or citizen of the Tampa Bay region, I invite you to take a look at the faculty accomplishments on this website and join us in supporting research and innovation at the USF Health Heart Institute.
Featured Faculty
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Thomas McDonald, MD
Professor & Director, USF Health Heart Institute; USF - Cardiogenetics Program -
Ngoc Nguyen, MD
Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine/Cardiology, USF Health MCOM Assistant Professor, Center for Regeneration USF Health Heart Institute -
Kay Everett, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, USF Health Heart Institute -
Ajit Magadum, PhD
Assistant Professor, USF Health Heart Institute
USF Health Heart Institute News
USF Health $5.6 million study to define link between genetics and heart disease in many Friedreich's ataxia patients
Researchers at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine were awarded $5.6 million of expected funds for a 4-year study from the U.S. Department of Defense to examine why many people with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) go on to also develop heart disease, a major cause of death for those with FA.
“We still don’t have a full understanding of the genetic mutation for Friedrich’s ataxia to determine why so many patients go on to get heart disease – we need to know,” said Dr. Thomas McDonald, Principal investigator for the USF study.
Read more about the USF Health study being conducted define a link between genetics and heart disease Friedrich ataxia patients.
Cardiac health risks with cannabis & processed foods
“If you are smoking cannabis, and you are already on a processed food diet — or what we call an omega-6 enriched diet — then you are shutting off the immune system, which is your defense system,”
Ganesh Halade, PhD, a cardiovascular researcher and professor of Internal Medicine, and senior author of the new study.
Recent Publications
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Convergent and divergent immune aberrations in COVID-19, post-COVID-19-...
We aimed to study transcriptional and phenotypic changes in circulating immune cells associated with increased risk of mortality in COVID-19, resolution of pulmonary fibrosis in post-COVID-19-interstitial lung disease (ILD), and persistence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from 227 subjects with COVID-19, post-COVID-19
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Alcohol-induced gut dysbiosis & overproduction of PAGln promotes CVD
The mechanism(s) underlying gut microbial metabolite (GMM) contribution towards alcohol-mediated cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unknown. Herein we observe elevation in circulating phenylacetylglutamine (PAGln), a known CVD-associated GMM, in individuals living with alcohol use disorder. In a male murine binge-on-chronic alcohol model, we confirm gut microbial reorganization, elevation in PAGln...
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Agonist activation to open the Gα subunit of the GPCR–G protein
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate multiple cellular responses and represent highly successful therapeutic targets. The mechanisms by which agonists activate the G protein are unclear for many GPCR families, including the bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs). We ascertained TAS2R5 properties by live cell-based functional assays, direct binding affinity measurements using optical resonators...
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Label-free, real-time monitoring of membrane binding events at zeptomolar
G-protein coupled receptors help regulate cellular function and communication, and are targets of small molecule drug discovery efforts. Conventional techniques to probe these interactions require labels and large amounts of receptor to achieve satisfactory sensitivity. Here, we use frequency-locked optical microtoroids for label-free characterization of membrane interactions in vitro...
Cardiovascular Development
Heart Institute Seminars
The USF Health Heart Institute offers seminars that are open to faculty, staff and students, providing opportunities to learn about cutting-edge research and advancements in cardiovascular health.
Heart Institute Seminars
Groundbreaking Research and Scientific Excellence
Research Day 2026 will feature poster presentations, oral presentations, keynote address, and networking opportunities that foster collaboration and advance the frontiers of health science.
Groundbreaking Research and Scientific Excellence
Heart Institute Honors
Congratulations to Xueling Ma!
Xueling Ma received the American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship for her project on targeting the PPP1R3G/PP1γ to prevent RIPK1-mediated cardiac cell death and injury. She is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Zhigao Wang's laboratory at USF Health.
Congratulations to Hao Wang!
Hao Wang, a postdoc scholar at the USF Heart Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Dazhi Wang, has been awarded the American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project investigating the role of CDK13 in cardiac development and regeneration.
Congratulations Claudia!
Claudia Cedeño Kwong, a PhD student in Dr. DaZhi Wang’s lab at the USF Heart Institute, was awarded the American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship to support her project studying the role of lncP1 in cardiac function.