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Heart and Vascular Institute

Cardiovascular Research

Go Red for Women Research Network

Go Red for Women is a special initiative created by the American Heart Association (AHA) to raise awareness and improve the heart health of women.

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Clearing misconceptionsHeart Disease in Women

  • The biggest health problem for women is not breast cancer, it is cardiovascular disease.
  • Approximately 44 million women in the United States are affected by cardiovascular disease.
  • Often referred to as a “man’s disease,” heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, killing 1 in 3 women each year.
  • The warning signs for women aren’t the same in men.
  • A lack of awareness and inclusive research has led to inaccurate perceptions of a disease that is often preventable.

group of women

Funded Research Network

For more than 60 years, AHA has supported and funded research for cardiovascular disease and stroke in the United States. AHA is currently funding six research networks including a Go Red for Women Research Network, which comprises five centers that will individually focus on specific areas of heart disease and stroke.

As one of the five AHA award recipients, Johns Hopkins will research a particular kind of heart disease called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The goal of the Johns Hopkins’ Center for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction is to understand the sex differences in HFpEF and to identify a personalized approach to treatment and prevention. The $3.7 million award will support research efforts over a four-year period.

Women Heart ProgramsCenter for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Johns Hopkins' Center for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction provides specialized care for patients diagnosed with this form of heart failure.

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Women’s Cardiovascular Health researchAHA Post-Doctoral Fellowship

The AHA Strategic Focused Research Network (SFRN) site at Johns Hopkins University is recruiting post-doctoral fellows for a 2-year training program in Women’s Cardiovascular Health research. 

The Johns Hopkins project entitled “Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Female Sex-Hormones and Cyclic GMP-PKG Modulation of Cardiac Disease and Metabolism” is investigating mechanisms for sex differences of this form of heart failure that is more common in older women compared to men.

Learn more about the fellowship
young doctor with patient

Learn More Women's Cardiovascular Health Center

The Johns Hopkins Women’s Cardiovascular Health Center provides education, comprehensive treatment and diagnostic services to prevent and manage heart disease in women.

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