UT Southwestern cardiologist Dr. Ambarish Pandey has been named a Texas Health Resources Clinical Scholar.

DALLAS – May 1, 2018 – UT Southwestern cardiologist Dr. Ambarish Pandey has been named a Texas Health Resources Clinical Scholar. Funding from this award will bolster his studies developing novel approaches to prevent heart failure and improve heart failure outcomes at a health system level.

The $750,000 career development award over three years supports Dr. Pandey’s research on screening and prevention of heart failure, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a difficult to treat form of heart failure.

“We hope to develop and evaluate a screening strategy that may be integrated with the electronic health record system to identify individuals at high risk of heart failure, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction,” Dr. Pandey said. “We also aim to evaluate a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program to target these high-risk individuals to improve their fitness levels and reduce the risk of heart failure in the long term.”

Dr. Pandey’s research aligns with the central mission of Southwestern Health Resources, an integrated health network launched in 2015 by UT Southwestern and Texas Health Resources that comprises 31 hospital locations and more than 650 outpatient facilities, clinics, and more, spanning a 16-county service area with more than 7 million residents.

“The Clinical Scholars Program is about scientifically examining the quality and efficiency of the care we provide and determining where there are gaps,” said Dr. Elizabeth Ransom, M.D., FACS, Executive Vice President and North Zone Clinical Leader for Texas Health. “We’re constantly pursuing these kinds of improvements in the network, and Dr. Pandey’s work will help us provide higher value care that equates to a better experience for the provider and, more importantly, the patient.”

Recent work has identified obesity and physical inactivity/low fitness as significant risk factors for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a type of heart failure that is very common and difficult to treat, said Dr. Pandey, a fellow in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern.

“Dr. Pandey’s pathbreaking research takes place precisely at the nexus that defines the THR-UT Southwestern collaboration: novel, evidence-based care for a population of patients with cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Joseph Hill, Chief of Cardiology and Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Biology, who holds the James T. Willerson, M.D. Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Diseases and the Frank M. Ryburn, Jr. Chair in Heart Research at UT Southwestern. “Dr. Pandey has emerged very early in his career as a thought leader in leveraging information gleaned from the electronic health record, coupled with innovative analysis and novel strategies of intervention, to ‘get out in front’ of the expanding tidal wave of cardiovascular disease, both in North Texas and globally. I can think of no one better suited to receive this recognition and support.”

Southwestern Health Resources established the Texas Health Resources Clinical Scholars Program to facilitate the advancement and recruitment of outstanding clinician researchers. Leaders at both institutions expect the cumulative work of the Clinical Scholars Program to help advance the effectiveness of UT Southwestern and Texas Health clinical research programs, increase the impact of the Southwestern Health Resources Population Health Research Institute on the North Texas community, and enhance the delivery of quality health care.

Dr. Pandey earned his medical degree from All India Institute of Medical Sciences and completed internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowships at UT Southwestern.

Previous recipients of the Texas Health Resources scholarship include Dr. Arthur Hong, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Sciences at UT Southwestern, and Dr. Bradley Lega, Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, and Psychiatry at UT Southwestern.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 22 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The faculty of more than 2,700 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients, 600,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 2.2 million outpatient visits a year.