Abbate Lab – Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center

Five SRIP Fellows Join the CVRC for Summer Research

Chris Baryiames — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:51:16 +0000

As part of this year’s Summer Research internship Program (SRIP), five undergraduate students have joined CVRC labs to build research skills and gain lab experience. Participants live at UVA for ten weeks, are partnered with a student mentor, and complete an intensive professional development series throughout the program. The internship is capped by an internal conference where the students present their research.

Ruthvik Jeenigiri is working in the Abbate Lab to identify age-based differences in heart failure. “I’m South Asian, and South Asians are very disproportionately affected by heart conditions, so I’m excited to work in a cardiology lab,” Ruthvik explained. “I want to be a physician, so I’m enjoying working for a physician researcher. I’ve been able to shadow Dr. Abbate in the clinic and understand what his work is like.” Ruthvik will leave the SRIP program with more confidence in his research skills, ability to solve problems independently, and cardiovascular knowledge. “I’m learning things I wouldn’t be exposed to until medical school,” he said.

Gerardina Abbate, working under Antonio Abbate, MD, PhD, is searching for connections between the brain and heart in Takotsubo Syndrome. “Takotsubo Syndrome looks like a heart attack, but it isn’t,” she explained, “It’s triggered by an emotional or physical stressor, and we think the brain connection is overlooked. I’m interested in cardiology and neurology, so this project is a mix of both worlds that I like.” Gerardina hopes to become an expert who uses her specialist knowledge of this condition to raise awareness of it.

Dalma Kaszala is working in the Abbate Lab to understand the neurological underpinnings of Takotsubo Syndrome. The daughter of a cardiologist, Dalma’s interest in cardiology is grounded in understanding how the body’s different systems are networked. “Heart failure leads to the failure of so many other parts of the body—there’s a lot of variety in the cases and that’s really interesting,” she explained. SRIP provides opportunities to grow both as a researcher and communicator, especially important given her interest in clinical research.

Raegan Canada, mentored by Antonio Abbate, MD, PhD, is studying the brain structures in patients with Takotsubo Syndrome, a transient defect in the heart’s left ventricle, hoping to identify correlations that may explain the disease. “I am really interested in how the heart interacts with the rest of the body, and am very excited about Dr. Abbate’s work,” she said. Raegan’s work is exposing her to research’s “soft skills” – reading papers, assessing data, and presenting her findings.

Center Researchers Share Career Insights With Local High Schoolers

Chris Baryiames — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:15:07 +0000

CVTG appointee Hogan McKee, MBChB, recently presented to the Monticello High School Science National Honor Society, along with Antonio Abbate, MD, PhD. The Science National Honor Society hosts symposia given by outside speakers to expose high school students to career options in STEM.

Dr. McKee, mentored by CIC Co-Director Coleen McNamara, MD, is deeply involved in community engagement efforts both within UVA and beyond. She received her medical training at the University of Otago in New Zealand before pursuing a master’s degree in Immunology and Inflammatory Disease at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. While presenting to the approximately 40 high schoolers attending her talk, she used her experience in both clinical and research settings to help delineate the two perspectives. “Imagine a cliff,” Dr. McKee explained. “Clinical medicine is like an ambulance that treats people who fall off the edge. Research science tries to build a fence to stop people from falling in the first place, and there are pros and cons to each approach.” She also described her current research and the importance of being an advocate for science in a national climate increasingly skeptical of research.

Speaking at Monticello High School is Dr. McKee’s latest community engagement effort. She has also volunteered at events that brought middle schoolers to Grounds, UVA’s Discover Medicine program, and Charlottesville’s local Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter. Community service is one of Dr. McKee’s core values, having volunteered in international medical efforts and local programs throughout her professional and personal life.

Her efforts to bring UVA and the Charlottesville community together are already building new bridges. Dr. McKee’s Discover Medicine mentee attended her talk at Monticello High School. Another student who attended that talk subsequently sought out a clinical research rotation and will work at iPRIME this summer.

Dr. Abbate, for his part, has a long history of community outreach. Like Dr. McKee, he spoke about the career that brought him to UVA: an MD/PhD from the Campus Bio Medico University of Rome, Italy, a fellowship at the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, and a residency at Virginia Commonwealth University. He focused, however, on trying to excite the next generation to pursue science. “When I was a young student, people inspired me. Now, my job is to return that inspiration to the community,” Dr. Abbate said. He and the highschoolers discussed a variety of topics, ranging from practical concerns like how long an MD/PhD takes and his research projects to wider questions, like what motivates research and Dr. Abbate’s long-term goals. “It was a very rewarding experience—the students were very excited to learn about careers in science,” he recalled.

Community outreach and engagement is a core value of the CVRC and its researchers. Students and faculty interested in additional outreach opportunities should contact Dr. Christos Baryiames.

Antonio Abbate, MD, Identifies Treatment for POTS

Chris Baryiames — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:00:22 +0000

Resident member Antonio Abbate, MD, Ruth C. Heede Professor of Cardiology, recently published a paper detailing a treatment for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Dr. Abbate & coworkers found that controlling the patient’s heart rate with an already-approved medication improved their symptoms, especially feelings of faintness and chest pain.

Read more in UVA Health’s Making of Medicine blog.