Introducing AHA's New President: Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, FAHA

As a young person, Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, the Simon Stertzer, MD, Professor of Medicine and Radiology and Director of Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, was drawn to cardiology because he was fascinated by the beating heart— “the center of melodic, rhythmic motion that makes it the most palpable organ of the human body.” Now, Joe (as he is known to colleagues and friends) regularly observes the behavior of beating cardiomyocytes grown from patients’ cells in his laboratory at the Biomedical Innovation building across from the Stanford University Hospital. “We take patient’s blood cells, convert them into induced pluripotent stem cells and differentiate them into heart cells in a dish,” he said. “We can also grow human engineered heart tissues in a dish.” His work on human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is on the cusp of revolutionizing cardiovascular drug studies. It is also bringing personalized medicine into reach for patients with genetic forms of heart disease. As he continues his ambitious research agenda, Dr Wu hopes to share his passion for cardiovascular health and science with the public, policymakers, and the next generation of cardiovascular researchers as he steps into the role of the 2023– 2024 president of the American Heart Association. “I want to raise public awareness about the importance of cardiovascular health because heart disease is the number one cause of mortality,” he said during an interview. “I also want to emphasize the importance of investing in biomedical research that will benefit our patients in the future and training the next generation of scientific researchers who will do this critical work for decades to come.”