Newswise — PHILADELPHIA – Thomas P. Cappola, MD, ScM, a physician-scientist with special expertise in heart failure, has been named chief of the division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
He will lead a division comprised of 78 faculty and 47 fellows, overseeing both clinical care and research efforts across cardiovascular specialties, including interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, heart failure and transplantation, adult congenital heart disease, consultative cardiology, noninvasive imaging, preventive cardiology and vascular medicine. The division cares for more than 68,000 patients each year.
“Dr. Cappola has proven himself to be a leader and innovator in cardiovascular medicine, particularly in his field of advanced heart failure and transplantation,” said Michael S. Parmacek, MD, chair of the department of Medicine, who preceded Dr. Cappola as chief of the division of Cardiovascular Medicine. “I look forward to watching him build upon the foundation of excellence in the division of Cardiovascular Medicine and taking the program in exciting new directions.”
Cappola has served as an attending cardiologist on Penn’s nationally recognized advanced heart failure and transplantation service since his arrival at Penn in 2003. He also served as associate director of the Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Program from 2011 to 2013. That year, he was appointed as director of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Clinical and Translational Research Center and assistant director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT). Dr. Cappola is also a member of Penn’s Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism; the Cardiovascular Institute; the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics; and the Penn Genome Frontiers Institute.
Dr. Cappola’s application of genomic methodologies to identify the molecular and genetic basis of heart failure was recognized in 2008 with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), which he received from President Obama. This is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government for scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. To date, Dr. Cappola has published over 80 manuscripts and lectured extensively nationally and internationally. Dr. Cappola currently serves as the co-principal investigator of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored Mid-Atlantic Heart Failure Network. He is also co-investigator for the Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Dr. Cappola is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Interurban Clinical Club, and is a fellow of the American Heart Association.
Dr. Cappola earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Princeton University in 1991, his medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 1995, and his master’s degree of science in clinical investigation from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in 2004. He performed his internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and completed his cardiology fellowship, including specialty training in heart failure and transplantation, at Johns Hopkins.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 17 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $392 million awarded in the 2013 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Chester County Hospital; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2013, Penn Medicine provided $814 million to benefit our community.
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