Medical College of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Research Center

The Cardiovascular Research Center has appointed Justin Womack, PhD, MS, as a postdoctoral trainee to the Cardiovascular Research Center’s National Institutes of Health T32 postdoctoral training program.

Dr. Womack earned his Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and biomedical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014, followed by a Master of Science in biomedical engineering from the same institution in 2019. He then completed his PhD in biomedical engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University in 2025 under the mentorship of Ranjan Dash, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Womack has now joined the laboratory of Lu Han, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics. Dr. Han is also a member of the Cardiovascular Research Center’s Signature Program in Cardiac Biology & Heart Failure.

His project, "Decoding Spatiotemporal Cell-Cycle Plasticity in Cardiac Regeneration," tackles one of the biggest challenges in heart disease research: the adult heart's limited ability to heal itself after an injury like a heart attack. Unlike some tissues in the body, the heart cannot easily replace damaged muscle cells. While these cells can attempt to grow and divide after injury, most fail to complete the process, leaving the heart permanently weakened.

Dr. Womack will use computational tools to build a predictive model that helps explain why some heart muscle cells successfully divide and regenerate while others do not, taking into account the cells' internal biology as well as the surrounding tissue environment. Ultimately, this work could point toward new treatments that help the heart repair itself more effectively after injury.

Building on excellence in cardiovascular research, the Cardiovascular Research Center’s T32 postdoctoral training program, “Training in Signature Transdisciplinary Cardiovascular Sciences,” is funded by a $2.7 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that provides support for six postdoctoral training slots each year. The grant provides up to three years of training for appointed postdoctoral fellows in the Cardiovascular Research Center with an MD, PhD, PharmD, or DO degree. Complementary support for trainees is provided by a donation given to the Cardiovascular Research Center by the A. O. Smith Foundation for the A. O. Smith Fellowship Scholars Program, a program designed to support talented cardiovascular researchers and physicians to overcome the barriers that exist in launching and sustaining a successful research career.

The ultimate goal of this training program is to train the next generation of cardiovascular scientists and physicians, by incorporating broad-based, personalized, supportive, and rigorous training opportunities.

Dr. Womack joins three other distinguished A.O. Smith Scholars in the Cardiovascular Research Center’s T32 postdoctoral training program: Adam Knier, PhD, Alexis Smith, PhD, and Taylor Holmes, DPT, PhD. The program is currently accepting applications from highly qualified candidates. Since its inception in 2017, alumni of the program have been highly successful in publishing in high-impact journals, obtaining K and F awards, and securing faculty positions, building toward independence as cardiovascular investigators and physicians.

The program is co-directed by Mary Sorci-Thomas, PhD, professor of medicine and associate director of the Cardiovascular Research Center, Jacquelyn Kulinski, MD, professor of medicine, and Justin Grobe, PhD, of physiology and biomedical engineering, Butenhoff Family Professor of Cardiovascular Research at MCW.

The CVRC is so happy to welcome our undergraduate Summer Program participants to campus this week! They join us from institutions all across the US and are participating in their respective programs:

The Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences (AHA SURE) is supported by the American Heart Association (AHA). MCW was one of only six institutions selected to pilot the program that has now expanded to more than 18 institutions across the United States. This program provides summer experiences in cardiovascular research and STEMM/healthcare career preparation for up to four undergraduate students each summer.

The Advancing Student Potential for Inclusion with Research Experiences (ASPIRE) Program is supported by a federal grant from the NHLBI. This program provides summer experiences in cardiovascular research and STEMM/healthcare career preparation for up to 13 undergraduate students each summer.

Brian L. Lin, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, neurobiology, and anatomy and a member of the Cardiovascular Research Center, has received the 2025 Michael H. Keelan, Jr., MD Scholar Award for his project, “Targeting heart failure in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.”

Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy lose the ability to walk by the time they are about 10 years old and die in their 20s and 30s, primarily due to heart failure. Dr. Lin will be testing the therapeutic potential of a next-gen drug, establishing a new disease screening tool, and expanding knowledge of the mechanisms by which heart failure contributes to morbidity and mortality in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

This $75,000 competitive award is made possible by the Michael Keelan, Jr. Research Foundation Grant, an endowment managed by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and designated for cardiovascular research at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Research Center. Over the last 10 years, the Michael Keelan, Jr. Research Foundation Grant has leveraged over $18.2M in extramural funding for junior and mid-level investigators.

The fund, established by the Tendick Family, honors the life and career of Michael H. Keelan, Jr., MD, ’60, whose career as a cardiologist spanned several decades. Dr. Keelan has served as a member on the Cardiovascular Research Center Board.

We are happy to share that Little Heart Warrior, part of MCW’s Project Wonder: The Sounds of Science series, has been selected to screen at the Milwaukee Film Festival on April 28, marking the first time MCW has had a film featured in the festival. The film will be shown as part of the Milwaukee Music Video program. Get Tickets Today: https://mkefilm.org/films/69b8282f806dff10f20e5182/

Little Heart Warrior is an animated operetta inspired by the pediatric cardiovascular precision medicine work of CVRC Members Drs. Brandon Tefft and Aoy Tomita-Mitchell. Created in collaboration with Wisconsin artists, including composer Autumn Maria Reed and producer Jill Anna Ponasik, the piece translates complex science into an emotionally compelling story that highlights the real-world impact of expert care at MCW and Children’s Wisconsin. https://www.mcw.edu/project-wonder/little-heart-warrior

Project Wonder: The Sounds of Science - Little Heart Warrior | Medical College of Wisconsin At just 6-years-old, William—the inspiration behind the operetta “Little Heart Warrior” - has already lived through a congenital heart defect. Learn about his story through music in MCW's "Project Wonder: The Sounds of Science".

Congratulations to former CVRC T32 Postdoc, Michael Flinn, BS, PhD, MS on his recent Career Development Grant from the American Heart Association and in turn, upcoming promotion to Instructor at MCW.

This grant supports highly promising healthcare and academic professionals, in the early years of one’s first professional appointment, to explore innovative questions or pilot studies that will provide preliminary data and training necessary to assure the applicant’s future success as a research scientist. The award will develop the research skills to support and greatly enhance the awardee’s chances to obtain and retain a high-quality career position.

March 24 Health Briefing on WTMJ radio - In this segment, CVRC Members Drs. John Auchampach and John Lough discussed new research on cardiac repair after a heart attack - findings on the benefits of Tip60, the heart muscle’s ability to repair itself, and the evolution of cardiac repair research.

Every Tuesday at 4:45 p.m., MCW President and CEO Dr. John Raymond or another MCW leader joins Wisconsin’s Afternoon News on WTMJ 620 AM. Listen to the segment: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/milwaukee-health-briefing-new-research-on-cardiac-repair/id1672152559?i=1000757141925

Please join us in welcoming our newest CVRC Member, Emily Griffing, MD, Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology. Dr. Griffing's research investigates the intersection of early-onset pediatric obesity, pre-diabetes, and the subsequent development of cardiometabolic disease. She is actively developing multidisciplinary clinical interventions aimed at reversing these early risk factors to mitigate long-term cardiovascular morbidity.

At the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), a cross-disciplinary team has launched a clinical trial to test a promising treatment that could improve outcomes for both pregnant patients and their babies.

The trial, supported by a grant from the Gates Foundation through Grand Challenges, is testing whether the supplement MitoQ can improve vascular function in patients with preeclampsia, ultimately leading to longer, healthier pregnancies.

“There is currently no medication that can cure preeclampsia or really even hold it at bay,” says CVRC Member Jennifer McIntosh, MS, DO, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a maternal fetal medicine specialist who is leading the research. “The mother can become very sick, and currently the only definitive treatment is to deliver the baby, which can mean that the newborn ends up in intensive care. We are excited by what we’ve seen in our research so far, and we hope this shows that it can help with vascular dysfunction.”

The two-year, $900,000 award was funded by the Gates Foundation through Grand Challenges, a global partnership that catalyzes innovation and serves as a platform for partners to collaborate and drive lasting impact.

The research team, which also includes CVRC Directors Matt Durand, PhD, associate professor of anesthesiology, and Bill Hughes, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology, was one of about a dozen that received grants out of 1,000 applicants and five rounds of review. The foundation found that the MCW proposal was such a strong fit that it asked the team to expand their project and ultimately offered them more funding to support the expanded research.

New Treatment for Preeclampsia Being Tested to Improve Outcomes for Pregnant Women Learn more: https://www.mcw.edu/mcwknowledge/mcw-stories/new-treatment-for-preeclampsia-being-tested-to-improve-outcomes-for-pregnant-womenPreeclampsia – per...

The CVRC is happy to welcome our new member, Brian Branchford, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant. Dr. Branchford's research program integrates mechanistic platelet biology with clinically oriented thrombosis research, with a focus on thromboinflammation and protein S/GAS6-TAM signaling in platelet activation and thrombus stability.

The Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, in partnership with the Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC), has announced the recipients of its 2025/2026 Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award, along with this year’s jointly funded pilot research awards supporting innovative cardiovascular science.

The $75,000 Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award was awarded to a multidisciplinary team led by Aoy Tomita-Mitchell, PhD, professor of surgery (division of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery), and Angela Mathison, PhD, associate professor of surgery. Their project, “Precision Therapeutics for HLHS: Single-Cell Profiling and A*O Rescue of MYH6 E1584K,” aims to advance gene-targeted therapies for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

This award will support studies demonstrating that antisense oligonucleotides (A*Os) can correct the underlying genetic drivers of HLHS, rather than solely managing disease symptoms after onset. If successful, this approach has the potential to reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, and improve long-term outcomes for children with HLHS and their families. Importantly, the strategy may also be adaptable to other genetically driven forms of heart disease, further advancing pediatric cardiology toward precision medicine - delivering the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.

Designed to accelerate innovative, high-impact research, the Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award prioritizes emerging ‘omics-based methodologies that interrogate the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. The funding mechanism aims to catalyze future extramural grant submissions, publications, or both, while fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and technological innovation.

In addition to the major award, the Mellowes Center and CVRC also funded pilot research projects totaling up to $40,000, supporting early-stage, high-risk ideas with strong potential for scientific and translational impact. 2025 Mellowes Center CVRC Pilot Award recipients include:

Brian Lin, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, neurobiology, and anatomy, for his project “Mechanisms by Which TRPC6 Inhibitors Rescue Heart Failure Using Human Stem Cell Models of DMD.”

Brian Smith, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry, for his project “BET Proteins Influence Macrophages During Inflammation.”

These competitive pilot awards share the same overarching goal as the Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award: to generate impactful preliminary data that advances cardiovascular discovery, strengthens future funding applications, and promotes collaboration across disciplines and institutions.