Michael Nanna, MD, MHS, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI

The mission of HeartWise Lab is to advance cardiovascular research focused on older adults and medically complex populations. HeartWise Lab (https://www.heartwiselab.com/) was established to address critical gaps in evidence-based cardiovascular care for aging patients, particularly those with frailty, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment, and geriatric syndromes that remain underrepresented in traditional cardiology research.

The Yale campus develops and disseminates patient-centered research that improves clinical decision-making and enhances quality of life for older adults living with cardiovascular disease. HeartWise Lab bridges geriatrics and cardiology through collaborative scholarship, mentorship, education, implementation science, and healthcare innovation.

Research Focus

The Yale campus of HeartWise Lab conducts research in geriatric cardiology, cardiovascular outcomes research, preventive cardiology, shared decision-making, cardiovascular interventions in older adults, and multidisciplinary approaches to caring for older adults with cardiovascular disease. Scholarship from HeartWise investigators has contributed substantially to the growing field of geriatric cardiology, including work focused on cardiovascular risk prediction in older adults, lipid management and statin therapy in aging populations, coronary artery disease in older adults, and patient-centered cardiovascular outcomes research. HeartWise is positioned at the intersection of geriatric cardiology, implementation science, patient-centered outcomes research, and cardiovascular innovation.

To date, HeartWise Lab leadership has garnered significant extramural funding supporting cardiovascular aging, cognition, multimorbidity, implementation science, and patient-centered outcomes research. Major recent and ongoing projects include the PCORI-funded LIVEBETTER Trial (HA-2021C3-24), LIVEBETTER Diversity Supplement, LIVEBETTER-Cog (K76AG088428-01), the Consider, Listen, Decide shared decision-making initiative (P30AG021342), a Merck Investigator-Initiated Study (MISP#103759), and an NIA GEMSSTAR R03 (R03AG074067) focused on geriatric-centered cardiovascular risk stratification.

Current research at the Yale campus spans large pragmatic clinical trials, cardiovascular outcomes research, implementation science, patient-centered care delivery, cognition and cardiovascular disease, and healthcare innovation for older adults with cardiovascular disease. HeartWise investigators and trainees have been featured in national media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Medscape, and AARP, for their expertise in cardiovascular aging, multimorbidity, and patient-centered cardiovascular care.

Collaborative Infrastructure

The Yale campus of the HeartWise Lab functions as a collaborative research laboratory that partners with investigators and trainees across institutions and disciplines. The laboratory includes a multidisciplinary team of investigators, postdoctoral fellows, biostatisticians, analysts, research coordinators, and collaborating faculty across Yale School of Medicine focused on cardiovascular aging, implementation science, and patient-centered cardiovascular outcomes research.

The Yale campus maintains a close scientific partnership with Dr. Abdulla Damluji and other collaborators at Cleveland Clinic, as well as a broader network of national and international investigators. These collaborations expand the program’s scientific reach while maintaining clear institutional leadership, governance, and oversight of the Yale laboratory.

The laboratory has mentored dozens of trainees across medicine, nursing, public health, and cardiovascular research, including medical students, residents, fellows, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars. Trainees actively participate in national presentations, manuscript development, implementation science initiatives, and cardiovascular outcomes research focused on aging populations.