TEAM

SAMUEL Z. GOLDHABER, MD is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is Director of Faculty Promotions in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). He directs the BWH Thrombosis Research Group. Dr. Goldhaber serves as Principal Investigator for an array of observational and randomized trials studying venous thromboembolism, stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF), and direct oral anticoagulants.

Dr. Goldhaber showed that right ventricular dilatation and hypokinesis predict an adverse prognosis in acute pulmonary embolism. He was Principal Investigator of pivotal trials leading to the FDA’s approval of systemically administered TPA and, subsequently, ultrasound-facilitated, catheter-directed thrombolysis for sub massive and massive pulmonary embolism. For his work on prevention of venous thromboembolism, Dr. Goldhaber received the Certificate of Appreciation from the Surgeon General of the United States. He has also received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association. His clinical research interests are now evolving to include weight management and autonomic nervous system dysfunction due to COVID.

In 2006, Dr. Goldhaber founded the North American Thrombosis Forum (www.Thrombosis.org), a nonprofit organization which focuses on thrombosis education for healthcare providers, patients, and the public. Dr. Goldhaber also runs a busy ambulatory practice of general cardiology, vascular medicine, venous thromboembolism, atrial fibrillation, weight management, and autonomic dysfunction patients.

GREGORY PIAZZA, MD, MS is Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and faculty in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). He is the Director of the Vascular Medicine Section at BWH. Received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts and completed residency in internal medicine, Chief Medical Residency, general cardiology fellowship, and an advanced cardiovascular imaging fellowship at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He also completed a National Heart Lung and Blood Institute-sponsored advanced fellowship in vascular medicine at BWH.  Gregory’s research interests include the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of venous thromboembolism, thrombophilia-associated infertility, computerized decision support to improve cardiovascular outcomes, as well as stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

BEHNOOD BIKDELI, MD, MS (@bbikdeli) is a clinician-investigator at TRG, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He is passionate about investigating venous or arterial (pro)thrombotic diseases (such as pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, antiphospholipid syndrome), and antithrombotic therapy, and has been involved in dozens of clinical trials and observational studies related to epidemiological or comparative effectiveness questions for thrombotic conditions, with many of his studies being inspired by bedside encounters. He is also interested in clinical trial and registry methodology. Benhood has been also a member of the Yale New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), and collaborates closely with RIETE investigators, who run the largest venous thrombosis registry in the world. He is an Executive Associate Editor for JACC, an Associate Editor for Thrombosis Research, and for New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch Cardiology, and a Section Editor for Thrombosis and Haemostasis. He enjoys playing the piano, cooking, playing chess, and visiting new locations around the world!

UMBERTO CAMPIA, MD is an associate physician in Cardiology and Vascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and assistant professor in medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS), in Boston, MA. He is one of the limited numbers of academic cardiologists in the United States who are also trained in vascular medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Adult Cardiology, and Vascular Medicine.

Prior to his appointment at BWH and HMS, Umberto established and directed the Section of Vascular Medicine at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and was assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University, both in Washington, DC.

Since joining BWH, the largest proportion of his time has been dedicated to patient care, both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. His clinical expertise includes General Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, with a special focus on aortic diseases and cardiovascular oncology. Umberto is the medical director of the multidisciplinary aortic disease program in collaboration with Cardiac and Vascular Surgery. In addition to the prompt evaluation and management of patients presenting with acute aortic syndromes, the program focuses on the early detection and management of aortic diseases. In parallel with his interest in aortic disease, he has created a unique Vascular Oncology clinic within the Cardio-Oncology section, which focuses on the management of the vascular complications of cancer and cancer treatments. Additionally, he is the only cardiologist staffing the E-Consult service, which answers a broad spectrum of clinical questions using the electronic medical records.

JUNYANG LOU MD, PHD is an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an interventional cardiologist with clinical and research interest in the management of complex coronary and peripheral vascular diseases.  He received a PHD in neuroscience at Washington University as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) and completed training in cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic. He has maintained a vascular medicine practice for over a decade and has been an active member of the Society of Vascular Medicine (SVM), where he currently serves as the Chair of the Clinical Practice Taskforce. Junyang sees patients in Rhode Island as a member of Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England, and performs cardiovascular interventions at Kent Hospital (Warwick, RI), The Miriam Hospital (Providence, RI) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA).

JOHN FANIKOS, BS, MBA serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Treasurer for the North American Thrombosis Forum. Formerly, John was Chief of Pharmacy Services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). He worked at the hospital for almost 40 years in various Pharmacist and Pharmacy Management roles. During that time, he worked closely with the hospital’s Thromboembolism Research Group. He authored and co-authored many articles and textbook chapters with an emphasis on medication utilization, avoiding the medication problems and pitfalls, while optimizing patient outcomes. John earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and his Master of Business Administration degree at Northeastern. He completed his Hospital Pharmacy Residency and Executive Pharmacy Leadership training through the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). He is a past President of the Massachusetts Society of Health System Pharmacists. John comes from a family of pharmacists; both his father and brother are pharmacists in the Boston area. They often engage in heated discussions surrounding the benefits of generic and brand name medications.

HEATHER HOGAN is a nurse in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital received her BS in Nursing from University of Massachusetts Boston. Before joining TRG, she worked in Intermediate Float Pool, Cath Lab Recovery, Telemedicine Research, Center for Clinical Excellence, Heart Failure Research, and Intermediate Telemetry Cardiovascular Nursing – spanning 25 years. Heather, while still providing bedside nursing, was previously active in an ongoing research project funded through the Lily Kravitz Nursing Research Award, Be-Well-Work-Well Nursing Research Grant, and Brigham Research Institute Award focused on decreasing the stress of nurses while increasing patient satisfaction. Through this research, she collaborated with colleagues to organize health fairs for staff and brought a “Caritas Space” to the unit for staff to utilize after stressful events. Heather came to TRG in 2021 where she works as a research nurse to follow 600 patients in a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. She plays an integral part in our HIPRO study and currently strives to provide the best possible care and follow-up for each patient as they journey through their 1-year of participation. Outside work, Heather enjoys gardening and spending time with her family.

RUTH MORRISON is a clinical research nurse and has worked at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Thrombosis Research Group (TRG), for 37 years. Her passion for cardiovascular nursing began at the beginning of her nursing care at BWH in 1976. Ruth has been involved with numerous clinical trials, focusing on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of blood clots. Many of these trials have dramatically impacted the management of blood clots and other cardiovascular diseases. Alteplase (TPA), a powerful thrombolytic agent used in the lysis of acute thromboembolism, was one of the first of many trials Ruth participated in which led to FDA approval of TPA. Another groundbreaking study resulted in the utilization of Low- Molecular Weight-Heparin (LMWH) in outpatient DVT. Outside of the realm of clinical trials, Dr. Goldhaber and Ruth launched a blood clot support group over 30 years ago. Ruth also assisted Dr. Goldhaber and NAFT in nationalizing the Pulmonary Embolism Support Group. NATF continues to hold monthly support groups. Ruth retired in 2020 but continues to work per-diem. She schedules herself regularly to actively participate in the HIPRO Trial, focusing on completion of the 3-6-9 and 12- month follow-up visits. Outside of work, Ruth enjoys spending time with her family, her soon-to-be 8 grandchildren, and if time allows golf.

ANTOINE BEJJANI, MD is originally from Beirut, Lebanon, where he obtained his medical degree at the American University of Beirut. He subsequently joined TRG in 2021 as a postdoctoral research fellow until he left for Pittsburgh in 2023 to start his internal medicine residency. He is committed in pursuing a career in cardiology later. His research interests include thrombosis (venous thromboembolism and arterial thrombosis), antithrombotic therapies, and cardiovascular outcomes. Among the recent work he has published was a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing DOACs and vitamin-K antagonists in patients with thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome, released in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Outside of his work, Antoine really enjoys building puzzles (his biggest is 3,000 pieces) and is a fan of board games (currently owns ~70 games at home).

MARIANA PFEFERMAN, MD  is originally from São Paulo, Brazil, where she earned her medical degree from the “Universidade de Santo Amaro”. She joined TRG in 2020 as a research trainee for one year, during which she was involved in several projects, including the Corona-VTE registry and HIPRO trial. After returning to Brazil to complete her medical studies, she rejoined TRG as a postdoctoral research fellow. Mariana has participated in other cardiology-related projects, including a study on echocardiographic findings in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Her goal is to focus her research on thromboembolic cardiovascular diseases, including those related to women’s health. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, spending time with family and friends, and traveling.

SINA RASHEDI, MD, MPH graduated from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. During the past several years, he was fortunate to work on numerous clinical investigations related to different aspects of cardiovascular diseases, especially thromboembolic cardiovascular diseases. Currently, he is working as a postdoc research fellow at Thrombosis Research Group, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Sina’s goal is to continue his research in this field to obtain the necessary knowledge for helping those who are affected by cardiovascular complications by providing high-quality evidence from well-conducted studies

GIOVANNI SCIMECA, MD is an Internal Medicine physician at Mount Auburn Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. He is set to join Cape Cod Hospital as an internist in September 2025. Giovanni earned his medical degree from the University of Split, School of Medicine in Split, Croatia. During his Internal Medicine residency, he joined the TRG in November 2023 as a Research Collaborator, contributing to a variety of projects, including retrospective studies such as the CORONA-VTE-Network study and randomized clinical trials such as LDL alert and Dischage eAlert. With a strong interest in cardiology and clinically oriented research, Giovanni is committed to advancing the field of cardiology through meaningful contributions to research and patient care. Outside of medicine, he is a fitness enthusiast and an avid chess player.

DARSIYA KRISHNATHASAN has been with TRG since 2022. She received her BS in Biology from Stony Brook University and a master’s in biomedical sciences from Tufts University School of Medicine. Previously, she served as an EEG administrator/processor at Stony Brook University’s Autism Research Lab, focused on understanding social functioning and refining interventions for autistic adolescents. At TRG, Darsiya was heavily involved in data coordination for our multicenter CORONA-VTE Network registry. She has contributed to numerous manuscripts/projects stemming from this study and is interested in the connection between various comorbidities and thrombotic/cardiovascular outcomes in patients with COVID-19. She is actively involved in the HI-PRO trial, serving as the liaison between patients and their physicians and gaining invaluable experience in clinical trial operations. Her research interests include superficial vein thrombosis and thrombosis-related events in women, hoping to contribute to research in these understudied areas.  Outside of work, she enjoys dancing, with over 20 years of training in Bharatanatyam, along with photography and traveling with her family.

HANNAH LEYVA is from Southern California and attended the University of Rochester where she received her BS in Neuroscience and BA in Psychology. Before joining TRG, she completed research at UMass Chan Medical school assessing the structural remodeling that occurs in atrial fibrillation, Boston Children’s studying sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, University of Rochester viewing the degradation of CSF in Alzheimer’s disease and worked in the Emergency Department at Strong Memorial Hospital as part of the clinical support team. Her research interests include the study of atrial fibrillation, thrombosis, and neurology. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, playing the drums, and trips to the beach

BASSIL BACARE is from Boston and received his BS in Neuroscience and a minor in Philosophy from Trinity College. Prior to joining the team, he was conducting research with the Division of Endocrinology also at Brigham and Women’s. There, he helped bring a study from the ground up by investigating the prevalence of primary aldosteronism in patients with hypertension nationally and co-authored an abstract published in The Journal of Endocrinology. He was a former intercollegiate track and field athlete in the 110-meter-high hurdles and 2-time varsity letter recipient. With a passion in the intersection of healthcare, advocacy, and legislation, Bassil is a Legislative Intern with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts contributing to the development of programs and policies that address the needs and challenges of people with substance use disorders for The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. He is also the founder and creator of The Healing Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Boston that provides interdisciplinary and longitudinal mentorship, resources, support, and inspiration for underrepresented students pursuing meaningful careers in healthcare.  He is an avid Boston sports fan, enjoys cooking, restaurant hopping, and running.

ZHOU LAN, PHD is a faculty biostatistician at the Center for Clinical Investigation (CCI) within the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Zhou’s research is focused on serving as a biostatistical teacher within the Center for Clinical Investigation. Zhou collaborates closely with investigators in the Thrombosis Research Group Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Zhou Lan earned his PhD in Statistics from North Carolina State University and received the Paige Plagge Award. Zhou has advanced knowledge of diverse statistical techniques such as spatial statistics, Bayesian computing, and longitudinal data analysis with applications to neuroimaging and clinical/epidemiological studies. He believes that the best statistical approaches are rooted in practical clinical problems.