Prof. Dr. Ioana Dumitru | Mechanical Circulatory Support | Best Researcher Award

Medical Director MCS Program at Tampa General Hospital/University of South Florida, United States

Dr. Ioana Dumitru is a board-certified cardiologist and heart failure specialist with a distinguished career in academic medicine and clinical leadership. With a focus on advanced heart failure therapies, cardiac transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support (MCS), she currently serves as Codirector of the Heart Failure Center of Excellence at Tampa General Hospital and holds a professorship in medicine. Her leadership has advanced multiple heart failure programs across top institutions in the U.S., and she is widely recognized for her contributions to cardiovascular innovation and education.

Profile

Scopus

ORCID

Education

Dr. Dumitru earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania (1990–1996). Following her graduation, she completed a residency in Internal Medicine at St. Joseph Hospital affiliated with Northwestern Medical School in Chicago (1997–2000). She pursued further specialization through a Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (2000–2003), followed by a dedicated Fellowship in Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (2002–2003). She has since undertaken advanced leadership training, including the 2021 Executive Leadership Physician Course.

Experience

Dr. Dumitru has held progressive leadership roles in multiple high-acuity centers. She founded and directed Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Programs at both the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Memorial Regional Hospital. Her leadership was pivotal in advancing these institutions’ transplantation and mechanical support capabilities. From 2013 to 2022, she led the Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, and Cardiac Transplant Program at Memorial Regional Hospital in Florida. Since 2022, she has taken on dual roles at Tampa General Hospital as Medical Director of MCS and Professor of Medicine, culminating in her appointment as Codirector of the Heart Failure COE in 2024.

Research Interest

Dr. Dumitru’s research portfolio centers on improving outcomes in heart failure patients through advanced therapies, including mechanical circulatory support, heart transplantation, and emerging pharmacotherapies. She has participated in and led numerous clinical trials exploring innovative interventions such as Impella devices, gene expression profiling in transplant rejection, and novel therapeutics for decompensated heart failure. Her translational research also emphasizes post-transplant outcomes, immunologic profiling, and multi-organ support strategies like ECMO.

Award

Throughout her career, Dr. Dumitru has received numerous accolades, including the 2024 Innovation Award from Tampa General Hospital’s C-Shock Team. She was consistently honored by the Rotary Club of Boca Raton from 2016 to 2021 for her role as a top physician. Other honors include the Patient First Award at MRH (2015), Top Teacher of Internal Medicine at UNMC (2011–2013), and a Bronze Award for the Heart Transplant Program at UNMC from the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice. She became a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology in 2006.

Publications

Dr. Dumitru has contributed extensively to peer-reviewed journals with a focus on cardiac transplantation, MCS, and heart failure management.

1. Cerebral Aspergillosis Following Orthotopic Heart Transplantation, Clinical Transplantation, 2008 — cited in literature on post-transplant infections.

2. Electromagnetic Interference in Patients with ICD and LVAD, PACE, 2010 — widely referenced in device compatibility studies.

3. Diastolic Dysfunction and Post-Liver Transplant Heart Failure, Transplantation, 2012 — cited in cardiometabolic transplant literature.

4. Oncogene Variations in End Stage Cardiomyopathies, Journal of Cardiac Failure, 2013 — noted in molecular heart failure research.

5. Impella RP Flex as Rescue in Post-Transplant RV Failure, ASAIO, 2024 — clinical innovation spotlighted in heart transplant recovery.

6. Impella 5.5 as Bridge-to-Surgery in Acute MR Post-PCI, Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2024 — case-based innovation in critical care.

7. Single Center Experience with Impella 5.5 in Cardiogenic Shock, Journal of Interventional Cardiology, 2024 — contributes to growing literature on advanced mechanical support.

Conclusion

Dr. Ioana Dumitru exemplifies excellence in academic cardiology, blending clinical acumen, research leadership, and mentorship. Her contributions have directly influenced advancements in heart failure treatment paradigms, particularly through her pioneering use of mechanical support systems and her work in transplant immunology. With a continuous drive for innovation and compassionate care, she remains a transformative force in the field of cardiovascular medicine.