Ilan S. Wittstein, MD
Cardiology
Highlights
Johns Hopkins Affiliations:
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
About Ilan S. Wittstein
Professional Titles
- Director, Advanced Heart Failure Fellowship
Primary Academic Title
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Background
Dr. Ilan Wittstein is a cardiologist and the foremost expert in “broken heart syndrome,” also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy. His 2005 article in the New England Journal of Medicine explaining the mechanisms of short-term heart failure after extreme stress introduced this syndrome to the global medical community. Dr. Wittstein has lectured extensively on stress cardiomyopathy, both nationally and internationally, and has appeared in scores of major media stories on national TV and radio networks, in international documentaries, newspapers, magazines and websites. Time Magazine called stress cardiomyopathy one of 2005’s most important medical discoveries. As a result of Dr. Wittstein’s work, Johns Hopkins Hospital has become a referral center for patients diagnosed with this condition.
Dr. Wittstein received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, then completed medical school, residency, and two cardiology fellowships at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is an assistant professor of medicine and gives regular lectures and seminars on topics of coronary care. Dr. Wittstein also serves as a peer reviewer for over 20 journals including Lancet, Nature Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American College of Cardiology and European Heart Journal.
Centers and Institutes
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
Research Interests
Effect of emotional and psychological stress on cardiac function, Stress Cardiomyopathy
Selected Publications
Ilan S. Wittstein; David R. Thiemann; Joao A.C. Lima; Kenneth L. Baughman; Steven P. Schulman; Gary Gerstenblith; Katherine C. Wu; Jeffrey J. Rade; Trinity J. Bivalacqua; Hunter C. Champion. Neurohumoral features of myocardial stunning due to sudden emotional stress. New England Journal of Medicine. 2005;352(6):539-548.
Daniel J Brotman; Sherita H Golden; Ilan S Wittstein. The cardiovascular toll of stress. Lancet. 2007;370(9592):1089-1100.
Jacob Abraham; James O. Mudd; Navin Kapur; Kelly Klein; Hunter C. Champion; Ilan S. Wittstein. Stress Cardiomyopathy After Intravenous Administration of Catecholamines and Beta-Receptor Agonists. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2009;53(15):1320-1325.
David B. Bekelman; Edward P. Havranek; Diane M. Becker; Jean S. Kutner; Pamela N. Peterson; Ilan S. Wittstein; Sheldon H. Gottlieb; Traci E. Yamashita; Diane L. Fairclough; Sydney M. Dy. Symptoms, Depression, and Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure. Journal of Cardiac Failure. 2007;13(8):643-648.
S. Laowattana; S.L. Zeger; J.A.C. Lima; S.N. Goodman; I.S. Wittstein; S.M. Oppenheimer. Left insular stroke is associated with adverse cardiac outcome. Neurology. 2006;66(4):477-483.
David B. Bekelman; Sydney M. Dy; Diane M. Becker; Ilan S. Wittstein; Danetta E. Hendricks; Traci E. Yamashita; Sheldon H. Gottlieb. Spiritual well-being and depression in patients with heart failure. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2007;22(4):470-477.
Ryan J Tedford; Anna R Hemnes; Stuart D Russell; Ilan S Wittstein; Mobusher Mahmud; Ari L Zaiman; Stephen C Mathai; David R Thiemann; Paul M Hassoun; Reda E Girgis; et al. PDE5A inhibitor treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension after mechanical circulatory support. Circulation. Heart failure. 2008;1(4):213-219.
Bettina Heidecker; Edward K. Kasper; Ilan S. Wittstein; Hunter C. Champion; Elayne Breton; Stuart D. Russell; Michelle M. Kittleson; Kenneth L. Baughman; Joshua M. Hare. Transcriptomic biomarkers for individual risk assessment in new-onset heart failure. Circulation. 2008;118(3):238-246.
Xinqi Peng; Fabio A. Recchia; Barry J. Byrne; Ilan S. Wittstein; Roy C. Ziegelstein; David A. Kass. In vitro system to study realistic pulsatile flow and stretch signaling in cultured vascular cells. American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology. 2000;279(3 48-3):C797-C805.
Ilan S. Wittstein. Stress cardiomyopathy: A syndrome of catecholamine-mediated myocardial stunning? Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. 2012;32(5):847-857.
Honors
- Best Doctors in America, 2007 - 2014
- Baltimore's top cardiologists, Baltimore Magazine, 1/1/14
- Cardiology Fellowship Faculty Teaching Award, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1/1/10
- Baltimore's top cardiologists, Baltimore Magazine, 1/1/07
- Department of Medicine Housestaff Teaching Award, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1/1/04
- Phi Beta Kappa, Wesleyan University, 5/15/99
- Henry Strong Denison Award for outstanding basic research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5/15/90
- Hawk Prize for innovative research in molecular biology and biochemistry, Wesleyan University, 5/15/85
Lectures & Presentations
- Broken Heart Syndrome, Presentation, Mace Braxton 2011 Cardiovascular Symposium, Salina Regional Health Center, Salina, KS, 11/18/11
- Hemodynamic Conundrums, Moderator, Scientific Sessions, American Heart Association, Los Angeles, CA, 11/4/12
- New Mechanisms from Experimental Models, Poster moderator, 61st Annual Scientific Session, American College of Cardiology, Chicago, IL, 3/25/12
- Stress and cardiovascular disease: Evidence for disease pathways, Presentation, Harvard Catalyst Symposium on Stress and Health Disparities, Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 10/17/13
- Stress Cardiomyopathy in 2012: An Evolving Paradigm, Keynote Speaker, 3rd International Conference on Psychoneurocardiology, Heart & Mind: Psychogenic Cardiovascular Disease, Prato, Italy, 9/5/12
- Stress Cardiomyopathy: A Syndrome of Catecholamine Mediated Myocardial Stunning, Presentation, 10th Symposium on Catecholamines and other Neurotransmitters in Stress, Smolenice, Slovakia, 6/26/11
- Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: What have we learned?, Chair, Plenary Session, World Congress of Cardiology, Melbourne, Australia, 5/7/14
Locations
- Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
- 601 North Caroline Street, Suite 7200, Baltimore, MD 21287
- phone: 443-997-0270
- fax: 410-614-1168
Expertise
Education
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Cardiology, 1998Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Cardiology, 1995Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Residency, Internal Medicine, 1993Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Medical Education, MD, 1990Board Certifications
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
American Board of Internal Medicine, 2012Cardiovascular Disease
American Board of Internal Medicine, 2012Insurance
- Aetna
- CareFirst
- Cigna
- First Health
- Geisinger Health Plan
- HealthSmart/Accel
- Humana
- Johns Hopkins Health Plans
- MultiPlan
- Pennsylvania's Preferred Health Networks (PPHN)
- Point Comfort Underwriters
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- UnitedHealthcare
- Veteran Affairs Community Care Network (Optum-VACCN)
Ratings & Reviews
5 out of 5
66 ratings, 34 reviewsThe Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 3/18/2025
Great
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 2/11/2025
I felt very comfortable talking with Dr. Wittstein and learned lots of helpful information about my condition from him-very grateful!
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 2/5/2025
Dr. Wittstein is the best physician I have interacted with over my lifetime, I wish more doctors took his approach to patients.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 1/22/2025
The doctor is a great doctor. I always feel in good hang. He explains everything in great detail.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 1/22/2025
Have a 21 year relationship with my case mgr. Dr. Wittstein and he has always been OUTSTANDING!
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 1/21/2025
Dr. WHITTSTEIN IS Excellent.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 1/21/2025
Dr. Whittstein is an excellent cardiologist. He shows true concern with me as his patient.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 12/18/2024
There are no words sufficient to express how wonderful my visit with Dr Wittstein was. He is simply the consummate physician: empathetic, incredibly knowledgeable, passionate about what he does, active listener, etc, etc
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 12/10/2024
Great Doctor. Very compassionate
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 11/27/2024
JH is the best caregiver for me in my commuting area
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 11/20/2024
Dr. Wittstein was very nice. He listened intently and explained everything in a way my mom and I could understand it. Dr. Wittstein also sent me home with literature about my condition. It was a great visit.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 11/19/2024
Dr. Wittstein always provides professional, friendly and accurate care. I am confident that he is making the right decisions for my heart condition to continue to improve.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 11/6/2024
Excellent as always!
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 10/15/2024
Dr. Wittstein was very professional and answered my questions in great detailhe spent an hour with me and I felt like I had a very good grasp of my heath issue
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/17/2024
Dr. Wittstein has always been an excellent provider..He is very accessible and he always takes tomens to listen to my concerns and address them.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/17/2024
Dr Wittstein is the very best of all. He show compassion, listens, include your concerns meds he wish to subscribe for you and most of all is concerned for your opinions and concerns. He carefully explains everything in layman's terms. He is a great doctor.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/10/2024
I always receive thorough care and treated with respect
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/10/2024
Very good and caring
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/3/2024
I see Dr. Wittstein regularly regarding my congestive heart failure. He is knowledgeable, asks questions, listens and has good feedback and information about my condition and treatments/medications. Consults other specialists regarding my eligibility for Watchman procedure and other procedures.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 8/21/2024
Extremely informative. Answers allOf our questions and then some
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/30/2024
I've know him for 22 years and I am in his debt for my heart health.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/17/2024
Dr Wittstein was by far the best Dr visit I have ever had. He spent lots of time explaining what was going on
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/2/2024
He is courteous, caring and knowledgeabl.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/25/2024
Professional, thorough, personable. I'm glad he's my doctor
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/25/2024
Does a wonderful job taking his time with each patient
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/25/2024
Caring and thorough
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/5/2024
Dr. Wittstein is the best.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/5/2024
This visit was excellent ,,,
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/14/2024
Excellent! I couldn't imagine trying to find a better provider!!!
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/14/2024
Dr.Wittstein is one of the outstanding physician havee encounter.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/8/2024
Dr. Wittstein is the best. He listens and provides excellent feedback.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/7/2024
Dr Wittstein is extremely great with my care.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/7/2024
Explained very well, listened carefully Very personable
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 4/19/2024
I have waited for months to get the answers this provider gave me. He explained things in a way that was easily understandable. I had a feeling of hope and reassurance when I left the visit.