Women’s heart health & patient education
Nanette K. Wenger
MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA
Emory cardiologist and pioneer whose research helped change how medicine understands women’s heart disease.
Research & impact
When women were underrepresented in heart research, Dr. Wenger helped challenge the assumption that cardiovascular disease was mainly a problem for men. Her clinical research and advocacy brought women’s symptoms, treatment and prevention into greater focus. The American Heart Association named its award for scientific publications on cardiovascular disease and stroke in women in her honor.
Why this matters
Women need evidence that reflects their own experiences. Her career helped make studying women’s hearts a priority in medicine.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Nanette K. Wenger
After reading Lisa Zahakos’s article “The Pregnancy Your Heart Remembers,” Nanette K. Wenger wrote: “Information and education provides power to women to enhance their long term CV health.”
This statement concerns the pregnancy-history article she read. It is not a review or endorsement of the full manuscript or website.
Cholesterol & ApoB
Allan D. Sniderman
MD
Edwards Professor of Cardiology at McGill University, with decades of research on ApoB and cardiovascular risk.
Research & impact
Dr. Sniderman’s work examines the particles that carry cholesterol into artery walls. In a 2019 JAMA Cardiology review with Ann Marie Navar and colleagues, he explained why measuring ApoB can reveal risk that a cholesterol concentration alone may miss: particles can carry different amounts of cholesterol.
Why this matters
Two people with similar LDL cholesterol can have different numbers of particles that contribute to plaque. His research helps explain why a clinician might add ApoB to the conversation.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Allan D. Sniderman
After reviewing the focused HEART RESERVE lipid and ApoB material, Allan Sniderman wrote: “She sees cardiovascular disease as a process that occurs over time. She is so right.”
His review and statement concern the focused material he read, not the full manuscript.
Palpitations & heart rhythm
Anne B. Curtis
MD
University at Buffalo heart-rhythm specialist, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus and past president of the Heart Rhythm Society.
Research & impact
Dr. Curtis was first author of the BLOCK HF trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2013. The study compared pacing both lower heart chambers with conventional right-ventricular pacing in people with impaired pumping function and a blocked electrical signal. She has also helped develop national guidance on atrial fibrillation and served as president of the Heart Rhythm Society.
Why this matters
Her work brings heart rhythm and heart function into the same conversation. A rhythm problem is evaluated in the context of how the rest of the heart is working.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Anne B. Curtis
Anne B. Curtis, MD, reviewed the two-page BEAT passage on palpitations and heart rhythm for medical accuracy.
Her review applies to those two book pages, not the full book or every heart-rhythm article on this website.
Testosterone & women’s health
Susan R. Davis
MBBS, PhD
Monash University endocrinologist and first author of the Global Consensus Position Statement on testosterone therapy for women.
Research & impact
Professor Davis is first author of the 2019 Global Consensus Position Statement on testosterone therapy for women. This international work brought the evidence together to clarify appropriate use, safety questions and monitoring. It gives clinicians a shared scientific basis for discussing a treatment that is often marketed much more broadly.
Why this matters
Women deserve to know which claims come from clinical evidence and which questions remain unanswered. Her work helps make that distinction clearer.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Susan R. Davis
Susan R. Davis, MBBS, PhD, first author of the Global Consensus Position Statement on the Use of Testosterone Therapy for Women, reviewed the testosterone section and provided guidance on monitoring testosterone levels during treatment.
This acknowledgment concerns the book’s testosterone section and monitoring guidance. It is not an endorsement of the book, website or hormone treatment for an individual reader.
Lp(a) & cardiovascular trials
Michelle L. O’Donoghue
MD, MPH
Brigham and Women’s Hospital cardiologist, TIMI investigator and global principal investigator of the OCEAN(a)-Outcomes trial.
Research & impact
Dr. O’Donoghue is the global principal investigator of OCEAN(a)-Outcomes, a phase 3 trial evaluating olpasiran, a medicine designed to lower lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). The trial studies people with established artery disease and elevated Lp(a). Her wider research designs and tests cardiovascular treatments across many medical centers, with a particular interest in women’s heart health.
Why this matters
A lower blood-test result is only part of the question. Outcome trials are designed to find out whether a treatment also helps protect people from cardiovascular events.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Michelle L. O’Donoghue
Michelle L. O’Donoghue, MD, MPH, reviewed the HEART RESERVE Lp(a) and OCEAN(a) passage for scientific accuracy and reported no factual corrections.
This is a factual acknowledgment of her review of one book passage. She did not provide an endorsement or promotional quotation.
ApoB & cardiovascular prevention
Ann Marie Navar
MD, PhD
UT Southwestern preventive cardiologist and epidemiologist whose research focuses on preventing cardiovascular disease.
Research & impact
Dr. Navar coauthored the JAMA Cardiology review of ApoB particles with Allan Sniderman and colleagues. Her wider research uses clinical and electronic health-record data to study prevention, treatment access and how risk is communicated. It asks both how to identify cardiovascular risk and how to help people receive effective care.
Why this matters
A useful test needs to lead to an understandable conversation and an achievable care plan. Her research connects risk measurement with what happens in everyday clinical care.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Ann Marie Navar
Ann Marie Navar, MD, PhD, reviewed the HEART RESERVE ApoB passages and provided technical corrections.
This acknowledgment applies to the book’s ApoB passages. It is not an endorsement or promotional quotation.
Lp(a), menopause & coronary calcium
Harpreet S. Bhatia
MD, MAS
UC San Diego cardiologist and epidemiologist researching Lp(a), cardiovascular prevention and coronary artery calcium scoring.
Research & impact
Dr. Bhatia was first author of the 2026 JACC study “Use of Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring in Individuals With Elevated Lipoprotein(a).” His team examined how an elevated Lp(a) level and a coronary calcium score relate to cardiovascular risk across several cohorts. The work studies how an inherited blood marker and evidence of calcified plaque can be considered together.
Why this matters
Lp(a) and a calcium scan answer different questions. This research helps clinicians interpret them together when discussing a person’s overall risk.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Harpreet S. Bhatia
Harpreet S. Bhatia, MD, MAS, reviewed the Lp(a), menopause, and CAC passages for accuracy.
This acknowledgment concerns the three focused book passages he reviewed. CAC means coronary artery calcium. His review does not cover the full book or website.
The two-page Baseline
Demilade Adedinsewo
MD, MPH, FACC
Mayo Clinic cardiologist and researcher focused on women’s heart health, gaps in care and better detection of heart disease.
Research & impact
Dr. Adedinsewo studies heart-muscle disease in women of reproductive age, including cardiomyopathy around pregnancy. Her Mayo Clinic research also examines whether artificial intelligence can help detect cardiovascular disease and reach underserved communities. A central concern is improving evidence and care for people of African ancestry, who have often been underrepresented in research.
Why this matters
Better detection matters most when it reaches the people whose disease may otherwise be missed. Her work connects women’s heart health, diagnostic tools and gaps in access to care.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Demilade Adedinsewo
Demilade Adedinsewo, MD, MPH, FACC, reviewed the two-page HEART RESERVE Baseline and provided focused feedback on clinical clarity, patient usability, terminology, and its educational, non-diagnostic boundaries.
This credit applies to the original two-page Baseline. The expanded online Heart Story and four-page worksheet have not been reviewed by her.
Blood pressure after pregnancy
Margo B. Minissian
PhD, ACNP-BC, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAAN
Cedars-Sinai nurse practitioner and cardiovascular research scientist studying women’s heart health after pregnancy complications.
Research & impact
Dr. Minissian’s NIH-supported SPACE Study and subsequent research examine how spontaneous preterm birth and preeclampsia relate to later blood-vessel and heart dysfunction. Her work treats pregnancy as an opportunity to recognize risk earlier and improve follow-up. She brings both cardiovascular science and experience as a nurse practitioner to that question.
Why this matters
A pregnancy complication can remain relevant after delivery. Her research helps explain why a mother’s blood pressure and longer-term heart health deserve continued attention.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Margo B. Minissian
In her contribution to HEART RESERVE, Margo B. Minissian offered this practical guidance: “Ask your health care provider whether you should use a validated upper arm blood pressure monitor at home and how often to check your readings.”
This credit is limited to her postpartum blood-pressure contribution. It does not mean she reviewed the full book or the online Heart Story.
Pregnancy & heart rhythm
Faisal Merchant
MD
Emory professor and heart-rhythm specialist who coauthored the pregnancy-arrhythmia study discussed in HEART RESERVE.
Research & impact
Dr. Merchant coauthored the 2026 JACC: Advances study “Fetal and Long-Term Maternal Outcomes of New-Onset Arrhythmia During Pregnancy.” Using the Epic Cosmos database, the team examined pregnancy outcomes and later maternal cardiovascular outcomes after atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter or supraventricular tachycardia during pregnancy.
Why this matters
The study asks what a rhythm problem during pregnancy may mean beyond the delivery. Observational records can identify associations and reasons for follow-up; they do not prove that the pregnancy rhythm problem caused a later condition.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Faisal Merchant
After reviewing the two HEART RESERVE passages about his team’s pregnancy-arrhythmia study, Faisal Merchant wrote: “I think this is well-written and your summary of our study seems very appropriate”
His feedback applies to those two study passages, not the entire pregnancy chapter or every rhythm article.
GLP-1 medicines & alcohol
Henry R. Kranzler
MD
Penn psychiatry professor and director of its Center for Studies of Addiction, studying medication treatments for alcohol use disorder.
Research & impact
Dr. Kranzler’s research at Penn studies medicines for substance use disorders and why treatment response differs between people. His published work includes trials of long-acting naltrexone and topiramate for alcohol-related problems, alongside studies of genetic influences on addiction. That combination brings experience in testing treatments and evaluating who may benefit.
Why this matters
Reports of reduced alcohol cravings need to be tested carefully. His work helps place emerging GLP-1 findings alongside the standards used to evaluate addiction treatments.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Henry R. Kranzler
Reviewed the article “My GLP-1 changed how I feel about alcohol. Is that real?” and contributed scientific perspective and corrections to its explanation of the research.
His contribution applies to this article. It does not imply endorsement of HEART RESERVE or institutional endorsement by Penn Medicine.
Menstrual history & cardiometabolic context
Eman Toraih
M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc., D.Bio
Medical genetics researcher and voluntary faculty member in cardiovascular perfusion at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Research & impact
Dr. Toraih and colleagues examined menstrual-cycle irregularity and cardiometabolic risk in a systematic review and meta-analysis. This type of research brings findings from multiple studies together to ask whether a pattern appears across populations. Their work explores menstrual history as a possible clue to broader cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Why this matters
Menstrual history can add context to a health conversation. An association does not mean irregular periods cause heart disease or that every woman needs additional heart testing.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Eman Toraih
Eman Toraih, M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc., D.Bio, reviewed the HEART RESERVE passage on persistent menstrual irregularity as a potential clinical clue and provided scientific guidance on its cardiometabolic context and appropriate limits of interpretation.
This factual acknowledgment applies to the focused book passage. It does not imply that irregular periods cause heart disease or by themselves require specialized heart testing.
Strength, bone health & mobility
Elizabeth Matzkin
MD, FAAOS
Orthopedic surgeon and co-leader of Women’s Sports Medicine at Mass General Brigham, caring for female athletes at all levels.
Research & impact
Dr. Matzkin studies why female athletes experience certain injuries differently and how their recovery can be improved. Her work includes preventing anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injuries and helping women return to sport after surgery with less risk of another injury. Her research considers sex-specific factors in injury, treatment and recovery.
Why this matters
Keeping women active requires attention to the barriers that can interrupt movement. Her work connects injury prevention and recovery with the ability to keep participating in life.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Elizabeth Matzkin
In her contribution to HEART RESERVE, Elizabeth Matzkin described strength training this way: “it is an investment in how well you want to live in your sixties, seventies, and beyond.”
This credit concerns her contribution on strength, bone health, mobility and healthy aging. It does not claim that she reviewed or approved the full exercise plan.
Strength, balance & independence
Corey Rovzar
PhD, DPT
Physical therapist and Stanford Prevention Research Center scientist studying balance, movement and fall prevention in older women.
Research & impact
Dr. Rovzar’s Stanford research develops remotely delivered exercise and education to improve balance and movement in older women. She also studies ways to assess movement outside a traditional clinic. Her work combines physical therapy and research on how to make programs for healthy aging more accessible.
Why this matters
Balance and the quality of everyday movement deserve attention alongside strength. Her research focuses on practical abilities that support independence and reduce the risk of falls.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Corey Rovzar
Corey Rovzar, PhD, DPT, encourages women to picture what they want life to look like in five, ten, fifteen, or twenty years, then work backward from what it may take physically to keep doing those things. Even practicing a task you hope to preserve—such as getting to the floor and back up—can help maintain that skill.
Her contribution concerns the focused POWER passage. It is not a review or validation of the entire exercise program.
Daily steps & physical activity
Melody Ding
PhD, MPH
University of Sydney public health professor and lead author of the 2025 Lancet Public Health review on daily steps and health outcomes.
Research & impact
Professor Ding led the 2025 Lancet Public Health review of daily steps and health outcomes, drawing on 57 studies from more than ten countries. Her team examined associations with outcomes including cardiovascular disease, dementia and early death. The findings support achievable progress in daily movement, including at step counts below 10,000.
Why this matters
A round-number target should not erase the value of doing more than you do now. Her research helps put step goals in context; observational associations do not guarantee an individual result.
Contribution to HEART RESERVE from Melody Ding
Melody Ding, PhD, MPH, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney, provided scientific perspective on the evidence around daily step targets and its practical interpretation for readers.
This acknowledgment concerns her guidance on daily step targets and their practical interpretation for HEART RESERVE. It does not represent a review or endorsement of the full book, website, or exercise program.
Research spotlight · Gut microbiome & AFib
Professor Zhiyong Huang
Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Co-corresponding author with Song Xu of the 2026 mBio study.
Could the gut hold a clue to AFib?
We don’t yet know whether changes in gut bacteria help cause atrial fibrillation, or AFib, an irregular heart rhythm. This study offers a clue.
Professor Huang, Song Xu, first authors Xinyuan Wang and Xiwen Wang, and their colleagues studied the gut microbiome, the community of microbes living in the gut. Their analysis combined human cohorts totaling 355 people. People with AFib had less Lactobacillus, a group of bacteria, and differences in their wider gut microbial communities. Those observations alone cannot tell us whether the gut changes contribute to AFib or follow it.
The team then tested a possible explanation in rats. Giving selected Lactobacillus strains lowered levels of LPS, a bacterial substance involved in inflammation, and reduced inflammation and AFib-related changes. Their work suggests that the stability of the whole bacterial community may influence how much LPS is released.
Why this work matters
The study gives researchers a possible explanation to investigate, and a specific question to test in people. It does not establish that a probiotic prevents or treats AFib in humans.
Credit for published research. This entry does not identify Professor Huang as a reviewer or endorser of this website.
Menopause hormone-therapy passage
Rod Baber
Thanks to Rod Baber for some editorial advice in preparation of this paper.