Cardiovascular Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) Lisa Findley, CRNP, DNP, Lindsay Howard, CRNP, and Amy McElderry, CRNP, earned the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Cardiovascular Knowledge Certification which demonstrates their professional commitment to cardiovascular excellence and clinical knowledge.

Vibrant. Active. Energetic. Sarah Hazen’s loved ones use these three words to describe her. At 85 years old, Hazen spent her time swinging her clubs at golf courses all over Alabama. If she was not on the links, friends and family might find her traveling across state lines to visit her grandchildren or spending time at the beach.

Throughout the course of his life, University of Alabama at Birmingham patient Bill Wingate has had four open heart surgeries, seven heart valve replacements and multiple heart catheterizations. Wingate is one of the estimated 2 million people living with a congenital heart defect, and this Heart Month, Wingate is using his story to inspire others.

UAB Medicine employees work together daily to save lives, and sometimes it’s for one of their own. This was the case with Joy Marsh, an administrative support specialist at the UAB Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Lab, who suffered a heart attack shortly after arriving at work in November 2023. Her coworkers helped transport her to the UAB Emergency Department, then a surgery and cardiology team inserted a tiny tube called a stent to reopen a section of artery that was 100% blocked.

February is American Heart Month, but heart health is important all year round. Elizabeth Jackson, M.D., a cardiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute, says making small lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of heart disease and the use of medications to regulate health.

In August of 1995, the Miley family found themselves in a hospital room celebrating the arrival of their newest addition, a baby girl named Brooke. A year later, the family was back in the hospital for a different reason. Brooke had restrictive cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening condition that the hospital could not treat.

Small teams of UAB Medicine cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, and nurses are making a positive difference in South America, where they volunteer to share their expertise in complex pediatric heart disease and defects with local doctors.

The study found that 70-75 percent of all participants, regardless of whether they were already on blood pressure medications or not, were likely to see a reduction in their blood pressure if they lowered the sodium in their diet.

It was just another ordinary, early morning for Patrick Jones. While his wife, Debbie, was out attending to a sick horse on their South Carolina farm, Patrick ambled to the kitchen to make his daily cup of coffee. That journey to the kitchen would be the last thing Patrick remembered until he regained consciousness with Debbie by his side, as paramedics loaded him for emergency transport.

The UAB Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) received the highest possible rating of three stars for its yearly participation in the Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI).

It is possible to have a broken heart, though not in the way people typically think. While many people think of a broken heart on an emotional level, Gregory Chapman, M.D., a cardiologist in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute, says a broken heart can impact the body on a physical level, causing temporary cardiac episodes or, in rare cases, even death. 

The on-field collapse of Buffalo Bills defensive player Damar Hamlin in January due to cardiac arrest sparked conversations about safety in the National Football League. As sports go, however, basketball players actually suffer the highest rate of sudden cardiac death (SCD).