Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute Announces New Institute for Women’s Cardiovascular Research

Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute and Saint Luke's Foundation today announced the creation of Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Institute for Women’s Cardiovascular Research. The Institute is the first of its kind, dedicated to studying the unique aspects of heart conditions in women with the goal of narrowing the sex-specific research gaps both in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in women in the U.S., causing 1 in every 3 deaths each year and more deaths than all forms of cancer combined. Yet historically, women have been underrepresented in cardiovascular research because of barriers in enrollment, and the belief that heart disease was a “man’s disease.” Today, the percentage of women enrolled in drug and device studies is still around 30%, on average.

“We have far more questions than research-supported answers about heart conditions that are unique to or more prevalent in women,” said Tracy Stevens, MD, Medical Director of Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Women’s Heart Center. “Women with heart conditions may have different symptoms, signs, and clinical presentation than men, but today’s treatment is still largely based off research predominantly performed in middle-aged men. Our team is focused on transformational research and advancing knowledge in this arena.”

Founded in 1994, Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Women’s Heart Center is recognized as the first women’s heart center of its kind in the U.S. to take a proactive role in publicly addressing the unique aspects and challenges related to women’s heart health. 

With the support of a $10 million endowed fund from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation, the Institute for Women’s Cardiovascular Research will build upon the Women’s Heart Center’s work with an expanded team of dedicated clinician-investigators and initiatives to support discoveries in women’s cardiovascular health.  

“Over the past 30 years, the Women’s Heart Center has gained local and national recognition for its pioneering efforts in women’s heart disease,” said Mikhail Kosiborod, MD, Vice President of Research at Saint Luke’s Health System. “The new Institute’s research will be instrumental in addressing important knowledge gaps, attracting top talent, and fostering the careers of promising investigators in this field, with the ultimate goal of bringing new treatments, better quality of care, and outcomes to women with heart disease. The Institute’s work will have the potential to improve the health of our community and have a positive impact nationally and around the globe.”

The Institute will focus on defining novel research to address heart conditions uniquely affecting women across their lifespan, including congenital heart disease; heart disease in pregnancy; spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD); cardio-oncology; autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular disease; “broken heart syndrome,” also known as stress cardiomyopathy; cardiometabolic disease; myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries; microvascular angina; and diastolic heart failure or dysfunction. 

About Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute
Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute is part of Saint Luke’s Health System, which serves the West Region of BJC Health System, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States. The Heart Institute, a teaching affiliate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, is one of the most distinguished cardiovascular programs in the country. Its legacy of innovation began more than 40 years ago when it opened as the nation’s first freestanding heart hospital. Since then, the nearly 200 board-certified specialists and cardiovascular experts have earned a global reputation for excellence in the treatment of heart disease, including interventional cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, imaging, heart failure, transplant, heart disease prevention, cardio-oncology, cardiometabolic disease, women’s heart disease, electrophysiology, outcomes research, and health economics by being the third hospital in the U.S. to achieve Comprehensive Cardiac Center certification from The Joint Commission. 

In 2023, the Heart Institute completed its 1,000th heart transplant, making it one of only 23 advanced programs to have reached this milestone.