Cardio Pod: Heart of the Matter

In this episode of The Stories Behind the People, Dr. Christopher O’Connor sits down with Dr. Mariell Jessup for a candid conversation about her journey, the experiences that shaped her life and her career, and the people and moments that made an impact along the way. A conversation that goes beyond medicine and into the personal story behind an extraordinary career.

How can patient-reported outcomes help us better understand what matters most to patients with heart failure? In this episode, we take a closer look at the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) and explore the opportunities and challenges of using patient-reported outcomes as endpoints in heart failure clinical trials.

In this episode of The Stories Behind the People, host Dr. Christopher O'Connor welcomes Dr. Clyde Yancy for an intimate conversation that goes beyond clinical trials, publications, and professional achievements. Together, they explore the personal stories, defining moments, mentors, challenges, and life experiences that shaped Dr. Yancy's journey and influenced the leader he became. It's a side o...

In this episode, we explore the evolving role of surrogate clinical outcomes and expanded endpoints in heart failure research, featuring a point/counterpoint discussion that examines different perspectives on this important topic.

In this episode, host Dr. Christopher O'Connor sits down with Drs. Barry Greenberg, Marvin Konstam, and Jim Carr to discuss how to leverage natural history cohorts for regulatory purposes.

In this inaugural episode of The Stories Behind the People , host Dr. Christopher O'Connor sits down with Dr. Robert Califf for a candid conversation that goes beyond medicine. Together, they explore Dr. Califf's personal journey, the defining moments that shaped his life, and the experiences that influenced his leadership, values, and extraordinary career. From personal reflections to professiona...

In this episode, host Dr. Christopher O'Connor is joined by Dr. Carine Hamo, Dr. Ankeet Bhatt, and Dr. Javed Butler to discuss the CKM Score and the quantitative methods that are beginning to transform how we design and conduct clinical trials, as well as how they can improve everyday clinical practice.

In this episode, host Dr. Christopher O'Connor is joined by Drs. Carine Hamo, Ankeet Bhatt, Joan Lindenfeld, and Martin Cowie to discuss the importance of evaluating and accounting for body weight and obesity in heart failure research and care. The panel explores key considerations for adjusting for body weight, interpreting clinical outcomes, and ensuring that trial design and treatment strategie...

In this episode, host Christopher O'Connor sits down with Scott D. Solomon, Ellis Unger, Janet Wittes, Michael Felker, Ben Saville, Douglas Mann, and Fady Malik to discuss how to design Phase II clinical trials that generate meaningful data, reduce uncertainty, and improve the chances of success in later-stage studies.

In this episode, Host Dr. Christopher O'Connor and his guests, Dr, Joann Lindenfeld, Dr. Mitchell Psotka, Dr. Minnow Walsh and Dr. William Abraham, discuss class effect considerations in devices.

In this episode, host Christopher O’Connor and his colleagues discuss device trials and how they differ from drug trials. The conversation focuses on how device trials can be improved and how to advance device development overall.

Host Christopher O’Connor, MD is joined by Jana Svetlichnaya, MD; Anu Lala-Trindade, MD; and Marshall Brinkley, MD to unpack the challenges of site-based research. This episode dives into the barriers, obstacles, and opportunities investigators face—and what it truly takes to build and sustain a successful research site.

This episode explores two different ways of analyzing outcomes in clinical trial and longitudinal studies in cardiovascular and heart failure research.

In this episode, host Dr. Christopher O'Connor sits down with Dr. Robert Califf, MD , Nicholaas Honig, JD , Dr. Maria Rosa Costanzo , and Dr. Norman Stockbridge, MD, PhD to explore the role of real-world evidence in advancing therapeutic development and improving patient outcomes.

In this episode, Christopher O’Connor, MD , sits down with Melvin Echols, MD; JoAnn Lindenfeld, MD; Minnow Walsh, MD; and Wayne Batchelor, MD to explore the role of social drivers of health in heart failure clinical trials . This discussion stems from an initiative of the Heart Failure Collaboratory (HFC) that led to a publication in JACC: Heart Failure titled “Social Drivers of Health in Heart Fa...

This episode discusses further the challenges of site-based research. What goes into those barriers, obstacles, and opportunities to be a successful site-based researcher.

In this episode, Host Dr. Christopher O’Connor is joined by Dr. Melvin Echols, Dr. Anu Lala-Trindade, Dr. Maria Rosa Costanzo, Dr. Lars Kober, and Dr. Norman Stockbridge to explore key models of success in site-based research. The discussion covers operational efficiency, dedicated research infrastructure, sustainable funding and business models, collaborative partnerships, diversity and patient a...

Hosted by Christopher O’Connor, MD , this episode dives into why site-based research is “broken” — fragmented, inefficient, and weighed down by administrative and regulatory burdens. Many clinical research sites — especially community hospitals and smaller practices — face inconsistent funding, delayed contract approvals, and limited infrastructure for study coordination and data management. Join...

In this episode, host Dr. Christopher O’Connor is joined by Dr. Christian Guilliod, Dr. Wayne Batchelor, Dr. Mona Fiuzat, and Dr. Orly Vardeny to discuss the need for clinical trials to reflect the populations most affected by disease, emphasizing culturally and demographically aligned recruitment. They advocate for targeted, site-based strategies and raise concerns about interpreting results from...

In this episode, Host Christopher O’Connor, MD, is joined by Robert Califf, MD; Michael Bristow, MD; Scott Solomon, MD; Marvin Konstam, MD; and Mona Fiuzat, PharmD, to discuss who should have access to clinical trial data amid growing collaboration between academia and industry. The conversation highlights the importance of transparency, trust, and responsible data interpretation to maintain scien...

In this episode, experts Jonathan Cunningham, MD; Ankeet Bhatt, MD; Trejeeve Martyn, MD; Anu Lala-Trindade, MD; Sneha Shah Jain, MD; Elise Shalowitz, MS; and Mitchell Psotka, MD join host Christopher O’Connor, MD to explore AI’s role in transforming clinical trials by reducing workload, improving recruitment, and enhancing protocols. Together, they discuss AI’s use in clinical workflows, continuou...

Only with cardiology with nephrology working together can the field of acute decompensated heart failure move forward with respect to kidney related entry criteria & endpoints. We call for standardization to allow for real progress. Host Chris O'Connor invites authors of the HFC, newly published JACC Expert Panel, Anuradha Lala, Maria Rosa Costanzo, Muthu Vaduganathan, Jason Feinman, Mona Fiuz...

How can artificial intelligence enhance and augment clinical trials? In what ways can it be used responsibly to increase trial efficiency? Host Chris O'Connor invites Martin Cowie, JoAnn Lindenfeld, Scott Solomon, Jon Cunningham, Mona Fiuzat, and Mitch Psotka to discuss the role of AI in clinical trials.

Host Dr. Christopher O'Connor invites Drs. Scott Solomon, William Abraham, JoAnn Lindenfeld, Brian Claggett, Mona Fiuzat, and Mitchell Psotka to continue discussion of the importance of subgroups in heart failure clinical trials. How can we analyze subgroups and determine the differences between subgroups and special populations?

Host Dr. Christopher O'Connor invites Drs. Javed Butler, Mariell Jessup, and Mitchell Psotka to discuss the importance of subgroups in heart failure clinical trials. How do we appropriately define subgroups? Which groups should be included as standard practice in HF trials?