Steve Downing, MD

My main focus of interest is in the study of ischemic heart disease. Approaches to this problem range from structural aspects as reflected in gross, microscopic and ultrastructural manifestations, to mechanistic considerations using experimental models. Our current activities focus on diagnostic parameters of clinical disease as they appear in humans. The Autopsy Service includes a high proportion of individuals with various cardiac diseases and their complications. Clinical-pathological correlation are often difficult to reconstruct because of a deficiency of definitive diagnostic methods. This is especially true in the interpretation of ischemic heart disease, where issues of duration and degree are rarely accurate. An objective of our group is to attempt to develop and introduce more definitive and reliable diagnostic methods into the practical application of post mortem analysis. Methods include angiography and enzymatic evaluations of hearts removed at autopsy, as well as conventional structural analyses.
Cardiovascular Pathology and Pathophysiology
Research Interests: Cardiovascular Pathophysiology; Ischemic Heart Disease, Other Interests: Autopsy Pathology