Lab Members

Dr. Shah is the Stone Endowed Professor of Medicine, Director of Research for the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and Director of the HFpEF Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Shah’s research interests include understanding the physiology, mechanisms, epidemiology, and treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Dr. Shah started the first dedicated HFpEF clinical program at Northwestern University in 2007, and has been a leading enroller in HFpEF clinical trials since that time. Dr. Shah’s research interests also include the study of acquired and genetic risk factors for abnormal cardiac mechanics, and novel machine learning techniques for improved classification and therapeutic targeting for heart failure syndromes. Dr. Shah is currently the PI of 3 active NIH R01 grants and an AHA Strategically Focused Research Network project grant, and he is also the PI or on the executive/steering committee member for several ongoing international HF clinical trials. Dr. Shah has published over 250 peer-reviewed research publications, and he is an Associate Editor for JAMA Cardiology. 

Laura is the Senior Project Manager on the HeartShare Study. Prior to joining Dr. Shah’s lab in February 2022, Laura worked as a project manager in Northwestern’s Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research (CFAAR). She has extensive experience in managing technology and data projects and has a background in data management and preservation. Laura attended Amherst College for her undergraduate studies and earned a Master’s in Information Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Hamorabi is a Chicago native and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago for his undergraduate studies in Biology. After his studies, he began work in the Investigational Pharmacy at Northwestern Memorial Hospital managing investigational product for various oncology, cardiology, transplant, and infection disease studies across Northwestern University. Soon after, he shifted into a clinical research coordinator role at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center where he managed radiation oncology studies. He then stepped into a Project Manager role for the HFpEF program run by Dr. Sanjiv Shah.  Most recently, Hamorabi has transitioned to the Clinical Operations Manager in the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute Clinical Trails Unit where he oversees the research staff and day to day operations of the group. Outside of Northwestern, Hamorabi can occasionally be found managing dance floors from the DJ booth at various establishments.

Lauren grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  She attended the University of Missouri, where she obtained her Bachelor of Health Science degree, followed by a Master of Science degree with a focus in Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound.   She joined Dr. Shah’s lab as a research sonographer in 2010.  Lauren has served as the lead sonographer on several clinical trials and is also responsible for performing echo in rodents, dogs, and primates for a variety of heart failure studies.  In her capacity as technical director of the core laboratory, she has quantitated over 5,000 echos for projects relating to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, scleroderma, and pulmonary hypertension.  She is also the resident expert on speckle tracking echocardiography, a high level echo analysis technique that is used to evaluate the deformation of atrial and ventricular tissue.  In 2015, Lauren became a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography.  She frequently presents on speckle tracking echocardiography and animal echocardiography and is also responsible for training new laboratory personnel in basic and advanced echocardiographic analysis techniques and cardiovascular anatomy and physiology.  Outside of the lab, Lauren enjoys reading, horseback riding, watching Mizzou football and basketball, and spending time with her young family and her dog, Charles Barkley.

Ryan grew up in Northwest Indiana before venturing south to Purdue University for his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.  After undergrad, he moved to Chicago and began working at Northwestern in 2011.  After working on a few projects focused on the genetics of polycystic ovary syndrome and completing a Masters of Science in Predictive Analytics, Ryan joined Dr. Shah’s lab in January 2019.  As lab manager, Ryan has a hand in various aspects of all non-clinical trial studies and always trying to learn more.  He enjoys reading, having his heart broken by Purdue sports, and enjoying baseball through statistical analysis.

Hello everyone! I am Bong-Joon Kim, Cardiologist. I was working as an Associate Professor of Cardiology at Kosin University Gospel Hospital in Korea. I came to Chicago in September 2023, as a Research Fellow at Northwestern Medicine Cardiology. My major interest is heart failure preserved ejection fraction and pulmonary hypertension. Especially, I am interested in hemodynamics of right ventricle and pulmonary artery. I am also learning Echocardiography from James D Thomas. Recently we are focusing on RV hemodynamics and I am studying how to understand RV function in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Jeff grew up in Delaware, Ohio, and studied chemistry at Northwestern University. He remained at Northwestern for medical school where he is currently in his fourth year. He is applying to residencies in internal medicine with a goal of pursuing a career as a clinician-investigator in cardiology with additional interests in critical care.

Daniel grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and attended Northwestern University for his undergraduate studies. During this time, he began working with Dr. Shah on projects within the Cardiovascular Health Study. He remained at Northwestern University for medical school and continues to work with the Shah lab on additional projects. He is currently a fourth-year medical student applying to Internal Medicine residency programs. He hopes to pursue a career blending clinical care, scholarly activity, and medical education within cardiology. Outside of Northwestern, Daniel enjoys cooking and remains a loyal Detroit Pistons fan, convinced his team will recreate their championship dynasty in the coming years.

Ellen hails from West Michigan and completed her undergraduate studies in Movement Science at the University of Michigan. She briefly moved to Chicago in 2016, while earning her master’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. After graduation from UIC, she returned to Michigan and started her career at University of Michigan Health- Michigan Medicine in the Ann Arbor area. There, she worked in Phase II cardiac rehab and performed a variety of clinical stress tests. Ellen returned to Chicago in 2023, shifting her career focus to working in research performing cardiopulmonary exercise tests and stress echocardiograms in Dr. Shah’s lab. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time along the shores of Lake Michigan, hiking, traveling, attending events around the city, and quality time with friends and family.  

Sue was born in Winnetka, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign on an soccer scholarship, where she obtained a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences. Her heart was always yearning to study nursing so shortly after graduation she enrolled in Chamberlain College of Nursing in Chicago earning her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing graduating with honors. Sue began her nursing career working on the Hematology-Oncology Stem Cell Transplant  Unit at Northwestern Medicine where she continued to hone her nursing skills and served as a preceptor for new nurses. Sue then transitioned to a Clinical Research Coordinator position at Northwestern University working with patients with autoimmune diseases for participation in Stem Cell Transplant Clinical Trials –CAST (Cardiac Safe Transplant for Systemic Sclerosis) & ASSISTIIB (Autologous Stem Cell Systemic Sclerosis Immune Suppression Trial). Sue then transitioned back to Northwestern Medicine where she is now the Clinical Nurse Program Coordinator for Cardiomyopathy and focuses on new patient coordination, clinical protocols, clinical trials, program development, patient education, multi-disciplinary physician collaboration, and community outreach for both Cardiac Amyloidosis & Cardiac Sarcoidosis Programming.

Madeline Jankowski is an advanced cardiac sonographer and research associate with Northwestern University. A Wisconsin native, Maddie is a Chicago transplant via Cleveland, OH, where she started her sonography career at the Cleveland Clinic. From 2015-2021, she served as a lead sonographer in the Northwestern Memorial hospital echo lab, transitioning into a researched focus role in 2021. In her clinical work, she specializes in adult patient’s undergoing stress echo and valvular research studies. In research, her interests include artificial intelligence and advanced echo technology, including strain and 3D analysis. She is the current chair of the Adult Echo Boards Exam committee with the sonographer credentialing body – Inteleos, and the sonographer co-chair of the 2023 American Society of Echocardiography Scientific Sessions in National Harbor.

Bonnie was born on Long Island but has lived most of her life in the Chicago suburbs. She graduated from Quinnipiac College (now University) in Hamden, Connecticut in 1980 with a BS in Laboratory Animal Technology. Early in her career she briefly worked as a Veterinary Technologist at an animal hospital and then moved to Northwestern University where she has been for 35 years. The first 8 years she worked as a Veterinary Technologist/Surgical Coordinator for the Center for Experimental Animal Resources. In 1990, Bonnie joined a Cardiovascular Research laboratory where she performed cardiovascular ultrasound exams for clinical and animal research studies, and eventually became the laboratory manager in 2005. Over the past 12 years, she continues as a sonographer for large multi-site studies for echo, carotid IMT and brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) studies (MESA, CARDIA, the HIV-CVD Collaborative) in addition to numerous smaller studies. She recently has joined the Shah laboratory, performing ultrasound scans for various studies including MESA, MACS, KNOCK-OUT and AHA-GRFW. She continues to be the only sonographer here at Northwestern University certified to perform the brachial flow mediated dilation (FMD) scans. Bonnie is a registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer with the ARDMS and is a Fellow with the American Society of Echocardiography. She has presented at Echo Northwestern and the American Society of Echocardiography Scientific Sessions.

Allie attended the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire where she received her Bachelor of Science degree, specialized in Kinesiology. She continued her education at Benedictine University where she received her Master of Science degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology. After working at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Cardiac Diagnostics for 3.5 years, she went back to school for Echocardiography. She first joined the lab in 2017 quantitating echos relating to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and a specialization in strain technology. Some of her responsibilities include review and critique of sonographer's echocardiograms for the MASALA study, and is the lead and primary contact for the Validation Study in India. Allie is excited to start new advanced technology using artificial intelligence on their most recent projects. 

Juliet grew up in the Southside of Chicago, Illinois, and attended Eastern Illinois University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Administration/Therapeutic Recreation.  Later on, she studied exercise physiology courses at University Of Illinois at Chicago and echocardiography/electrocardiography at Medical Careers Institute where she began her career as a Cardiology Sonographer.  Juliet has worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital Echo Lab for 15 years and has focused on research studies that eventually brought her to Dr. Shah’s Lab where she is in charge of administering echocardiograms and measurement/ strain analysis on multiple research studies. In addition to this, she enjoys sports, outdoor activities, music, spending time with family/friends and volunteering for military fundraisers.

Abi grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. After graduating, she worked for several years as an engineer for a medical devices company before completing a master’s degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Abi has since collaborated with Northwestern University investigators for over 10 years on a variety of studies, trials, and projects. She is currently completing her dissertation at Johns Hopkins, working towards a doctoral degree in public health (DRPH) with a focus on implementation science. Abi enjoys spending time with her daughter, volleyball, reading, and being outdoors.

Before moving to Chicago with her family, Mo had worked at research institutes focusing on neuroscience and next generation genomic sequencing. She received her master’s in biology from Northeastern University and master’s in statistics in San Diego State University. Mo always has an extensive interest in healthcare fields, especially the analytical aspect. She joined Dr. Shah’s lab a statistical/bioinformatic analyst. Her current work involves applying both conventional statistics and novel machine learning methods in cardiology such as identifying risk factors and improving diagnosis. Outside work, Mo enjoys traveling, cooking and exploring the city of Chicago with her family.

Ali grew up in the southwest suburbs of Chicago before moving to Evanston for his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University. He majored in Environmental Science while participating in various research. Soon after graduation, Ali moved to Lincoln Park, and joined the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute – Clinical Trials Unit as a Research Study Coordinator. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family/friends, watching sports, and volunteering.

I am originally from New England and moved to Chicago after graduating in the Spring of 2023. I attended the University of Michigan where I received a degree in Neuroscience. While in Michigan, I worked as an MA at a pediatric office, particularly working with COVID positive patients. I am very excited to be shifting my focus towards heart failure clinical research here at Northwestern.

Despite his lack of an accent, Dan grew up on Long Island, NY and attended Washington University in St Louis where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Biology.  He spent two of his undergraduate summers working with Dr. William R. Jacobs at his tuberculosis lab at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he helped with knockout plasmid design and delivery.  Additionally, he spent a summer working with Dr. John Curci at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine to study the use of doxycycline after endoluminal aneurysm repair.  After graduating from undergraduate studies, Dan worked as an oncology clinical research coordinator at The University of Chicago before moving to Northwestern University’s Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.  He has been with the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute since 2012 where he works on a range of trials including those for vascular disease, heart failure, regenerative medicine, and electrophysiology.  In his spare time he is an avid biker rider and also enjoys strength training with friends.  He is also working towards completing his Masters of Science in Health Informatics through Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies.

Savren is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a minor in Psychology. Moving to Illinois after graduating in 2020, Savren joined the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute - Clinical Trials Unit as Dr. Shah's Program Coordinator in early 2022. She works on a variety of projects running stress tests, working with visiting scholars on their studies, and helping oversee day to day operations of Dr. Shah's lab.  In her spare time, Savren enjoys hiking, backpacking, and reading.

Liz grew up in St. Louis, MO and made her way to Chicago for her undergraduate studies in Health Sciences at DePaul University. She went on to attend Northwestern University and earned her Master of Public Health, with a focus on Community Health Research. Once completing her studies, Liz worked with Healthy Futures of Texas, conducting an evaluation and review of a new puberty curriculum. Shortly after, she joined Dr. Sanjiv Shah's lab as she stepped into a Research Project Coordinator role for the Echo Core Lab. Here she works with a variety of trials, ensuring organization of documents, coordinating study activities, and visualizing data. In addition to Echo Core Lab, Liz works within the Clinical Trials Unit where she is leading the development of an HCM registry. Outside of Northwestern, you can find Liz trying out new coffee shops and taking yet another picture of lake Michigan or the city skyline. 
 

Adrienne Kline is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Preventative Medicine at Northwestern University. She completed her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering (with imaging specialization in machine learning), an M.D. in medicine, preceded by a B.Sc. in electrical engineering. Her interests lie at the intersection of medicine and engineering, specifically in leveraging algorithmic decision-making support for translational applications to medicine. Her work has led to the development of novel methods for handling missing data, innovative metrics for evaluating the reliability of machine learning predictions, and information fusion of multimodal data streams.

bio

Stephanie received her Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from North Central College. While there, she was an active member of the student lead athletic training organization and was awarded the most outstanding Athletic Training Student Award her senior year. She then went on to received her Master’s in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Benedictine University while practicing PRN as a Licensed Athletic Trainer. During her Master’s, she held an internship at Edwards Hospital in cardiac diagnostics and at Good Samaritan Hospital in cardiac rehabilitation. She went on to develop her experience working full time as an Athletic Trainer with a foot and ankle orthopaedic physician through which she was able to do initial evaluations, present them to the physician, provide important patient education, and scrub into surgeries after obtaining her Othopaedic Technologist Certification. Following her interest in cardiac research, Stephanie joined Dr. Shah’s lab in 2019. While at Northwestern, she has lead the cardiopulmonary exercise testing of research patients in various studies focused on heart failure. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys being active outdoors, spending time with family/friends, volunteering in her community, and is an avid Chicago sports fan. Go Cubs!

Kiersten is a native of Illinois and attended Princeton University earning a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Global Health and Health Policy. During her undergraduate studies, she completed clinical research in the field of Interventional Cardiology, as well as an ethnographic thesis on diabetes disparities on the South Side of Chicago. Upon graduating from Princeton, Kiersten began working at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute Clinical Trials Unit as a research coordinator of pharmaceutical studies. She works mainly on hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy studies, with an additional emphasis on studies recruiting patients living with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Dominique was raised in the south suburbs of Chicago and attended St. Louis University where she obtained her bachelor's degree in Biology. After her studies, she began working in Research Administration and Finance at Washington University in St. Louis before relocating back to Chicago in the summer of 2019. She then joined the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute - Clinical Trials Unit as a Research Coordinator on the CARD Research Database. Wanting to have a more patient-facing role, she recently transitioned into Clinical Research and will be coordinating on some of Dr. Shah's Heart Failure Research Studies. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Spencer, lifting weights at the gym, and watching football.