Flora Sam, MD
Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Medicine
Cardiovascular Medicine

MD, University of the Witwatersrand
Websites
favorite icon Sam Lab

ORCID ORCID Icon : 0000-0001-8442-9362



Dr. Sam is the present Director, ad interim, of the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute. She is an advanced heart failure clinical cardiologist and a physician-scientist. She is a translational researcher and the PI of her NIH funded lab. She is an expert in cardiac myocyte biology and in mechanisms of myocardial remodeling in cardiomyopathy, both in humans and animal models. She is a recognized expert in "heart failure with preserved ejection fraction" (HFpEF) /diastolic heart failure and "heart failure with reduced ejection fraction" (HFrEF)/systolic heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

The Sam lab is focused on three major areas of investigation:
1) Pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mechanisms that mediate cardiac remodeling in heart failure, cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension.
2) Investigating the relationship between matrix markers and heart failure in humans with cardiac amyloid and scleroderma.
3) Investigating cross talk between adipocyte-derived factors, myokines and cardiokines in heart failure.

Member
Boston University
Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute


Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences




Mechanistic underpinnings of increased adipose tissue in HFpEF
07/01/2019 - 06/30/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
5R01HL145985-04

Protocol #C1973-204 - A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Phase 2 Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Different Doses of IW-1973 over 12 Weeks in Patients with Heart
04/18/2018 - 04/17/2022 (PI)
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


Protocol # EFC15156:A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Effects of SOtagLiflozin on Clinical Outcomes in HemOdynamIcally STable Patients
11/12/2018 - 11/12/2021 (PI)
Sanofi-Aventis, U.S., LLC


Dual ETA/ETB antagonist macitentan inhibits the progression from left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy to heart failure in a murine model of diastolic heart failure
10/15/2014 - 10/14/2019 (PI)
Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.


Role of Aldosterone and Adiponectin in Inter-Tissue Communication in Diastolic Heart Failure
06/01/2016 - 05/31/2019 (PI)
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
4R01HL117153-04

Role of Aldosterone and Adiponectin in Inter-Tissue Communication in Diastolic Heart Failure
09/01/2013 - 05/31/2016 (PI)
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
5R01HL117153-03

Follistatin-Like 1 and the Cardiac Secretome in Human Heart Failure
04/15/2010 - 03/31/2014 (PI)
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
5R21HL102631-02

The REVIVE Study
06/01/2002 - 07/31/2003 (PI)
Abbott Laboratories

A Placebo Controlled Trial of Bidil Added to Standard Therapy in African-American Patients with Heart Failure
11/01/2001 - 10/30/2002 (PI)
NitroMed Inc


Role of Aldosterone in Cardiac Remodeling
06/01/2005 - 04/30/2010 (PI)
NIH-NHLBI
5 R01 HL079099-03 (A)

Fixed-does isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine in a mouse left ventricular pressure overload model
02/01/2006 - 01/31/2007 (PI)
Nitromed

Oxidative Stress/AE in Heart Failure
08/01/2000 - 07/31/2005 (PI)
NIH-NHLBI
5 K23 HL004423-05

Aldosterone in Transition from Hypetrophy
07/01/2002 - 06/30/2005 (PI)
American Heart Assoc


Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2022 Mechanistic underpinnings of increased adipose tissue in HFpEF 5R01HL145985-04
2021 Mechanistic underpinnings of increased adipose tissue in HFpEF 5R01HL145985-03 1
2020 Mechanistic underpinnings of increased adipose tissue in HFpEF 5R01HL145985-02 1
2019 Mechanistic underpinnings of increased adipose tissue in HFpEF 1R01HL145985-01A1 1
2016 Role of Aldosterone and Adiponectin in Inter-Tissue Communication in Diastolic He 4R01HL117153-04 9
2015 Role of Aldosterone and Adiponectin in Inter-Tissue Communication in Diastolic He 5R01HL117153-03 9
2014 Role of Aldosterone and Adiponectin in Inter-Tissue Communication in Diastolic He 5R01HL117153-02 9
2013 Role of Aldosterone and Adiponectin in Inter-Tissue Communication in Diastolic He 1R01HL117153-01A1 9
2011 Follistatin-like 1 and the cardiac secretome in human heart failure 5R21HL102631-02 8
2011 Novel Insights into the Pathogenesis of Light Chain Cardiac Amyloidosis 5R21HL095891-02 16
Showing 10 of 28 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Valero-Muñoz M, Sam F. Endothelin-1: Is it Time to "Biomark" the Cardiac-Tumor-Treatment Nexus in Breast Cancer? JACC CardioOncol. 2023 Oct; 5(5):701-703. PMID: 37969651; PMCID: PMC10635882; DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccao.2023.05.007;
     
  2. El-Adili F, Lui JK, Najem M, Farina G, Trojanowska M, Sam F, Bujor AM. Correction: Periostin overexpression in scleroderma cardiac tissue and its utility as a marker for disease complications. Arthritis Res Ther. 2023 Jan 23; 25(1):11.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36691037; PMCID: PMC9869504; DOI: 10.1186/s13075-023-02993-0;
     
  3. Saw EL, Werner LD, Zamani P, Chirinos JA, Valero-Muñoz M, Sam F. Skeletal muscle phenotypic switching in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022; 9:1016452.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36531739; PMCID: PMC9753550; DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.1016452;
     
  4. El-Adili F, Lui JK, Najem M, Farina G, Trojanowska M, Sam F, Bujor AM. Periostin overexpression in scleroderma cardiac tissue and its utility as a marker for disease complications. Arthritis Res Ther. 2022 Nov 11; 24(1):251.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36369212; PMCID: PMC9650849; DOI: 10.1186/s13075-022-02943-2;
     
  5. Valero-Muñoz M, Saw EL, Hekman RM, Blum BC, Hourani Z, Granzier H, Emili A, Sam F. Proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiling in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022; 9:966968.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36093146; PMCID: PMC9452734; DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.966968;
     
  6. Roh J, Hill JA, Singh A, Valero-Muñoz M, Sam F. Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Heterogeneous Syndrome, Diverse Preclinical Models. Circ Res. 2022 Jun 10; 130(12):1906-1925. PMID: 35679364; PMCID: PMC10035274; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.320257;
     
  7. Valero-Muñoz M, Sam F. A misdirected conundrum in translational HFpEF research. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2022 Jul; 168:1-2. PMID: 35405105
     
  8. Pandey A, Shah SJ, Butler J, Kellogg DL, Lewis GD, Forman DE, Mentz RJ, Borlaug BA, Simon MA, Chirinos JA, Fielding RA, Volpi E, Molina AJA, Haykowsky MJ, Sam F, Goodpaster BH, Bertoni AG, Justice JN, White JP, Ding J, Hummel SL, LeBrasseur NK, Taffet GE, Pipinos II, Kitzman D. Exercise Intolerance in Older Adults With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: JACC State-of-the-Art Review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2021 09 14; 78(11):1166-1187. PMID: 34503685; PMCID: PMC8525886; DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.07.014;
     
  9. Valero-Muñoz M, Oh A, Faudoa E, Bretón-Romero R, El Adili F, Bujor A, Sam F. Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Heart Failure With a Preserved Ejection Fraction: Insights Into the Cardiorenal Syndrome. Circ Heart Fail. 2021 09; 14(9):e008372.View Related Profiles. PMID: 34407636; PMCID: PMC8575120; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.121.008372;
     
  10. Saw EL, Ramachandran S, Valero-Muñoz M, Sam F. Skeletal muscle (dys)function in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Curr Opin Cardiol. 2021 03 01; 36(2):219-226.View Related Profiles. PMID: 33394707; PMCID: PMC7895420; DOI: 10.1097/HCO.0000000000000824;
     
Showing 10 of 83 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 83 publications over 24 distinct years, with a maximum of 9 publications in 2011 and 2013

YearPublications
19982
19991
20001
20013
20043
20053
20063
20074
20081
20096
20105
20119
20121
20139
20142
20155
20163
20172
20182
20194
20202
20215
20225
20232


2018 Association of University Cardiologists: Elected Member, Association of University Cardiologists (AUC)
2016 Heart Failure Society of America: Fellow of the Heart Failure Society of America (FHFSA)
2011 American Society of Clinical Investigation: Member, American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI)
2009 American Heart Association: Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA)
2003 American College of Cardiology: Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC)
In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

cardiac amyloidosis
cardiac scleroderma
cardiomyopathy
diastolic heart failure (Heart Failure Preserved Ejection Fraction)
hypertrophy and cardiac remodeling
systolic heart failure (Heart Failure Reduced Ejection Fraction)

I serve as a mentor to postgraduate trainees (doctoral and medical students), residents-in-training, post-doctoral fellows, clinical fellows and junior faculty. My role is to assist in the professional advancement that is aligned with the individual's goal as the mentee enters into the next stage of their career, such as academia, pharma, research or clinical medicine.

Available to Mentor as: (Review Mentor Role Definitions):
  • Advisor
  • Career Mentor
  • Research / Scholarly Mentor
Contact for Mentoring:
  • Email (see 'Contact Info')

88 E. Newton St Newton Pavilion
Boston MA 02118
Google Map

617.638.8060
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