Newswise — HOUSTON – (Aug. 28, 2013) – Heinrich Taegtmeyer, M.D., D.Phil., professor of medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), was inducted as fellow of the International Society of Heart Research at the society’s 21st World Congress in San Diego, Calif.

Taegtmeyer’s research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health for three decades. His clinical studies investigate molecular mechanisms of heart failure and effects of diabetes and obesity on the heart. His most recent research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in May, revealed that too much starch and/or sugar can cause stress to the heart and contribute to heart failure.

The society was founded in 1968 and has more than 3,000 members in seven international sections. Fellows are selected solely on the basis of scientific excellence, as evidenced by an established track record of publications in high-impact journals. The main criterion in assigning fellowship status is the performance of independent research that has made a major contribution to advancing the understanding of cardiovascular biology and medicine.