Spotlight: Sharlene Day, M.D., AHA researcher of the week

Sharlene Day, M.D., and her team are actively involved in institutional and multi-center research studies that aim to learn more about inherited cardiomyopathies and to develop new treatments to prevent the onset of symptoms or reduce their severity.

A major focus of her clinical research is determining the importance of fitness for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and establishing evidence-based guidelines to inform recommendations for athletes with cardiomyopathies.

The primary goal of this project — which is funded by the American Heart Association — is to help understand the basic disease mechanisms in HCM caused by mutations in a specific protein. Day hopes that her findings will lead to new areas of investigation in the field and to enable the development of new therapies that target the disease process itself. Her results may also be applicable more broadly to other genetic cardiovascular diseases that afflict millions of families worldwide.

Day’s work, along with other important research initiatives, are made possible through support of the Washtenaw County Heart Walk. Please consider participating in the U-M Heart Walk campaign by creating/joining a team and fundraising for the cause (click here).

The U-M team needs your help to reach its fundraising goal of $50,000! Thank you for helping make advances in cardiovascular research and education!

If you have any questions, please contact Traci Fischer at 734-232-1866 or via email at fischert@med.umich.edu.