Connect with the experts tackling heart disease, America’s #1 killer

Researchers and clinicians are advancing cardiovascular science and care. This list brings together experts whose work spans early detection, artificial intelligence, pediatric heart surgery and advanced robotic procedures. Together, they reflect FIU’s leadership in addressing the nation’s leading cause of death.  

For help contacting any of our experts, please contact the Office of Media Relations:

• Biomedical Engineering/Artificial Intelligence 
• Cardiovascular Surgery and Medicine 
• Cardiovascular research
• Health Outcomes/Public Health

Biomedical Engineering/Artificial Intelligence

Joshua Hutcheson

Associate Professor, Graduate Program Director
Director, FIU-Florida Heart Research Foundation Center for Innovation in Cardiovascular Health
Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering and Computing

Joshua Hutcheson is an associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at FIU and an active member of the Biomolecular Science Institute. His research focuses on the mechanical and molecular contributors to vascular calcification and aortic valve disease, and he is working on developing non-invasive techniques to diagnose and treat these pathologies. Hutcheson studies cardiovascular disease mechanisms through the lens of mechanobiology, examining cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in engineered tissue model systems. He is co-founder of Thirst for Science and the Miami Heart Month, which seek to increase science enthusiasm and literacy, and he directs the Coulter Undergraduate Research Excellence (CURE) Program, which provides research and mentorship opportunities to undergraduate students in Biomedical Engineering. Hutcheson is the director of FIU-Florida Heart Research Foundation Center for Innovation in Cardiovascular Health, an interdisciplinary center designed to accelerate breakthroughs in heart disease research, education, and innovation.    

Office: 305-348-0157 
Email: jhutches@fiu.edu 

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
305-348-7511
ecalzadi@fiu.edu

Valentina Dargam

Research Assistant Professor
Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering and Computing

Dargam is a research assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at FIU, where she earned both her bachelor's and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering. Her research lies at the intersection of cardiovascular physiology and environmental health, focusing on noninvasive diagnostics and preclinical models to understand and prevent heart disease. Dargam investigates how cardiovascular remodeling and dysfunction arise from chronic diseases and environmental exposures, integrating preclinical mouse models, noninvasive diagnostics, and physiological measurements to identify early, low-cost markers of heart disease progression. She was named the Florida Heart Research Foundation's Early Career "Stop Heart Disease" Researcher of the Year in 2022 and holds several U.S. patents for innovations in cardiac acoustics. Dargam is available for interviews in English and Spanish.

Office: 305-348-7297
Email: vdargam@fiu.edu 

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
305-348-7511
ecalzadi@fiu.edu

Cardiovascular Surgery and Medicine 

Dr. Makoto Hashimoto

Professor
Cardiovascular Sciences
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Dr. Makoto Hashimoto is an internationally acclaimed cardiovascular surgeon and leader in robotic heart surgery. He serves as professor and director of robotic cardiac surgery at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and performs surgery at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, specializing in robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, including coronary artery revascularization. He treats conditions such as valvular heart disease, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, and adult congenital cardiac disease. Since 2025, Hashimoto has performed over 100 robotic heart surgeries, making the Baptist Health program the largest by volume in Florida.  

Office: 305-348-9280  
Email: mhashimo@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Ileana Varela
305-348-4926
ilvarela@fiu.edu

Dr. David Kalfa

Professor
Pediatrics and Surgical Sciences
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Dr. David Kalfa is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric congenital cardiac surgery. He serves as professor and researcher at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, in addition to treating patients at Nicklaus Children’s, where he is chief of the cardiovascular surgery section and co-director of the Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. Renowned for his skill in complex neonatal cardiac surgery and advanced pediatric valve repair, Kalfa has developed tissue-engineered cardiovascular devices and minimally invasive surgical techniques for treating congenital heart defects. His clinical work is closely integrated with research focused on improving safety, long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, and overall quality of life for children with heart defects. 

Office: 305-348-9280
Email: dkalfa@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Ileana Varela
305-348-4926
ilvarela@fiu.edu

Dr. Tom Nguyen

Chair and Professor
Cardiovascular Science
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Dr. Tom Nguyen is a global leader in minimally invasive heart surgery.  He chairs the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and serves as chief medical executive of Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.  Nguyen and his team focus on the least invasive approach to address complex heart valve problems.  This includes Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery, TAVR, and MitraClip. Patients with minimally invasive procedures have a decreased need for blood transfusions, shortened hospital stays, and ultimately a faster recovery. 

Office: 305-348-9280
Email: tonguyen@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Ileana Varela
305-348-4926
ilvarela@fiu.edu

Cardiovascular Research

Stephen Black

Associate Dean for Research
Chair, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Director, FIU Center for Translational Science
Associate Vice President for Translational Research
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Pulmonary vascular disease is one of the most serious and life-limiting complications affecting children with congenital heart disease. Black studies how in these children, excess blood flow to the lungs alters lung blood vessels long before symptoms appear. His work shows that early vessel overgrowth and stiffening – driven by changes in how cells produce energy and build tissue – can lead to progressive lung disease, revealing new opportunities for earlier diagnosis and intervention before irreversible damage occurs. 

Office: 305-348-1486
Email: stblack@fiu.edu 

For help, contact:
Ileana Varela
305-348-4926
ilvarela@fiu.edu

Health Outcomes/Public Health 

Rajiv Chowdhury

Chair and Professor
Global Health
Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

A leading expert in heart disease prevention, Chowdhury’s research examines the drivers of chronic disease focusing on how social, biological and environmental factors shape cardiometabolic risk across communities and how implementation science can move evidence into policy and practice in the U.S. and globally. He is a fellow of the European Society of Cardiology and has published extensively on chronic disease drivers and scalable prevention strategies. 

Office: 305-348-5265 
Email: rajiv.chowdhury@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Jonathan Ruadez
305-348-4670
jruadezn@fiu.edu

Sabrina Sales Martinez

Associate Professor
Dietetics and Nutrition
Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work

Sales Martinez is a registered dietitian/nutritionist with a research program focused on how lifestyle factors influence health outcomes across the lifespan, with a complementary line of work investigating the relationship between the gut microbiome and cardiometabolic risk factors linked to cardiovascular health. Her work aims to clarify the complex interactions between biological and environmental influences on obesity and other nutrition-related chronic diseases and to generate evidence that can inform effective interventions to reduce chronic disease risk.

Office: 305-348-0364  
Email: saless@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Jonathan Ruadez
305-348-4670
jruadezn@fiu.edu

Alejandro Arrieta

Associate Professor
Global Health
Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

Dr. Arrieta's work sits at the intersection of global health and health policy with a focus on the value of care and how financing, incentives and health system design shape utilization and quality outcomes. As a health economist, he evaluates what it costs (and what it saves) to prevent and manage cardiovascular conditions, including studies on the cost-effectiveness of therapies that reduce cardiovascular risk (such as PCSK9 inhibitors) and research on interventions aimed at improving hypertension control and other cardiometabolic outcomes.   

Office: 305-348-7525
Email: alejarri@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Jonathan Ruadez
305-348-4670
jruadezn@fiu.edu

Contact us

For help contacting any of our experts, please contact the Office of Media Relations:

Media Relations
Madeline Baró
Senior Director of Media Relations
305-310-9665
mbaro@fiu.edu 

Dianne Fernandez
Senior Director of Broadcast
305-608-4870
dfernand37@fiu.edu

College of Engineering & Computing
Elizabeth Calzadilla
Director of Marketing and Communications
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.edu

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine  
Ileana Varela
Director of Marketing and Communications
305-348-0570
ilvarela@fiu.edu 

Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work 
Jonathan Ruadez
Director of Marketing and Communications
305-348-4903
jruadezn@fiu.edu