Save Dr. Waldo's Research Lab
At 81, University Hospitals Cardiologist (and my dad) Dr. Albert L. Waldo has been conducting life-saving heart rhythm research for over 50 years. He’s still working because he and his team are on the cusp of making a breakthrough discovery that would cure Atrial Fibrillation, a serious medical condition that affects 1 out of 4 people over 40 in the United States. But because of National Institute of Health funding trends, and absent a new grant, his University Hospitals/Case Western University research lab will have to close. Unless we step in to save it. Every little bit counts. #SavetheLab
My dad, Pritchard Professor of Cardiology at University Hospitals, Cleveland Medical Center, Dr. Albert L. Waldo, has been working to fix heart rhythm disorders for over 50 years. A pioneer and award-winning cardiac electrophysiologist, my dad has conducted life-saving research studies on heart rhythm disorders in his lab for decades, primarily funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH). His work is his one true passion, keeping him busy with patients and research when most of his peers have retired. And that’s because he’s so close to a breakthrough to understand and cure Atrial Fibrillation, a serious, even deadly, heart rhythm disorder that affects 1 out of every 4 people over the age of 40, causes nearly 1 out of every 3 strokes, and is associated with increased heart failure and death.
My dad first started his research in 1966, on a training grant from the NIH. However, since 2009, it has become increasingly difficult to get these grants. In the past, about 1 in 3 grants were funded by the NIH. However, for several years now, only about 10% get funded. And President Trump’s proposed cuts to medical research -- specifically to the NIH – would be disastrous for medical breakthroughs like his.
My dad's research lab in Cleveland, Ohio will have to close unless funds can be raised to support the lab. At the brink of understanding and curing this terrible heart rhythm disorder, a stop in funding would be devastating to millions of patients, the research team, and all of those who desperately are looking for answers.
And that’s why we’re reaching out to you to do everything possible to save my dad's lab and his critical life-saving research. Time is running out, and we need your support. Please consider making a donation today. Every little bit counts.
ABOUT FUND MANAGEMENT
I, Eric Waldo, will be managing the funds such that ALL donations (minus the 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee) will be given directly to the lab at Case Western Reserve University once I receive them.
ABOUT MY DAD, DR. WALDO
Albert L. Waldo, M.D is The Walter H. Pritchard Professor of Cardiology, Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. He is also Associate Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine for Academic Affairs at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Dr. Waldo received his MD from the State University of New York College of Medicine, Downstate; and completed his postdoctoral fellowships in cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. He is a founding member and past president of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE), now called the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS); and has served as president of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, and the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). He is a fellow of the ACC, HRS, American Heart Association, American College of Physicians, and American College of Chest Physicians. He is a member of several distinguished organizations, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the Association of University Cardiologists, and the American Physiological Society, among others.
Dr. Waldo’s research in the field of cardiac arrhythmias is well known. He has over 450 publications, and in 1997, one of his articles (Waldo AL, et al. Demonstration of the mechanism of transient entrainment of ventricular tachycardia with rapid atrial pacing. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1984;3:422-430) was selected by the ACC as one of 14 historical articles (influential articles previously published in ACC Journals) as part of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Commemoration. He has participated in numerous clinical trials (78), including serving on steering committees, executive committees, planning committees, data and safety monitoring boards, or as principal investigator. In 1997, he received the Distinguished Scientist Award from NASPE (now HRS), and in 2009, he received the Distinguished Scientist Award (Translational Domain) from the ACC. He has received both The William Dock Master Teacher Award in Medicine (2002) and the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award (2012) from his medical school; an Award for Achievements in Clinical and Experimental Cardiology from The Foundation Hartsvrienden RESCAR of The Netherlands (2003); a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of California San Francisco Faculty in Electrocardiography and Arrhythmia Studies (2003); the Outstanding Achievement Award from the European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society (ECAS) (2006), the first Founders Lectureship Award from HRS (2007); the Michel Mirowski, MD Award of Excellence in the Field of Clinical Cardiology and Electrophysiology (2007); the University Hospitals Case Medical Center Society of 1866 Distinguished Physician Award (2012); the Pioneer in Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology Award from HRS (2013); the Kansas University Pioneer in Electrophysiology Award (2013); the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio Special Honors Award (2014), an honorary PhD degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (2014), the Philippe Coumel Lecture (ECAS, 2015), and the Maurice Saltzman Award from the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation of Cleveland (2015), amongst others.
Dr. Waldo’s extensive public service has included: committee membership on the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Cardiovascular A and B Study Sections, and the Electrical Signaling, Ion Transport, and Arrhythmias (ESTA) Study Section; the American Medical Association’s Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology Assessment Program, and numerous committees of the ACC (including the Board of Governors), the AHA, and HRS/NASPE (including President and the Board of Trustees); member of and consultant to the Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee of the FDA; and membership on the editorial board of most peer reviewed journals in the field, including Circulation, J Am Coll Cardiol, Am J Cardiol, Pacing Clin Electrophysiol, J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, J Electrocardiol, Heart Rhythm, Clin Cardiol, the audio journals of the ACC (ACCEL), and NASPETapes (of which he was editor-in-chief).
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Read more about Dr. Waldo
Watch Dr. Albert Waldo talks on the challenges in atrial fibrillation
AWARDS, HONORS & RECOGNITIONS
2012 University Hospitals Distinguished Physician award
ASCI Member, 1977
ACC Fellow
America's Top Doctors 2002- 2016
Northern Ohio Live 2006 & 2007