SAHR Communications Committee
Objectives and Goals:
The Communications Committee (formerly Social Media Committee) of the Society for South Asian Heart Research (SAHR) is dedicated to sharing information related to SAHR with members and a broader audience through various tools and engagement platforms, including emails, social media, seminars, websites, in-person sessions, etc. The committee shares topics, events and opportunities relevant to the South Asian community of cardiovascular basic, translational, clinical and population researchers and scientists. It also sees that the SAHR governance, best practices, brand/image, etc. are unified across the platforms. The committee has the following objectives and goals:
1. Identify and create new content and share existing content relevant to the SAHR research community.
2. Promote and showcase SAHR activities in accordance with the society leadership, and increase engagement and support among target audiences such as trainees, faculty, donors and the public.
3. Support the SAHR community in the use of social media focusing on best practices and also highlighting accomplishments.
4. Communicate health challenges and potential solutions in, for, and to the South Asian and related communities and also the general public. This includes, but is not limited to, the increased prevalence and premature onset of cardiovascular and related diseases and associated morbidity and mortality.
5. Strengthen SAHR’s national and international reputation.
The Committee uses widely used platforms such as LinkedIn, X(Twitter)(@SouthAsianHeart), and Facebook for communications.
SAHR Scientist in Spotlight Program
In 2022, the Communications Committee conceptualized and began The SAHR Scientist in Spotlight initiative, which serves as a prominent platform dedicated to recognizing the exceptional accomplishments and achievements of distinguished researchers within the SAHR community.
By showcasing the work of such accomplished individuals, the program aims to celebrate and encourage interactions, discussions, and partnerships among researchers, both within the SAHR community and beyond. Spotlighting scientists also enables SAHR to inspire and nurture their ambitions. In addition, this initiative is driven by a mission to foster collaborations and knowledge-sharing among the scientific community.
The featured scientists under the SAHR Scientist in Spotlight series are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Dr. Devasena Ponnalagu, Research Scientist, Ohio State University
Dr. Dhanendra Tomar, Assistant Professor, Wake Forest School of Medicine
Dr. Prabhat Ranjan, Instructor, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Dr. Sangita Choudhury, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School (Boston Children’s Hospital)
Dr. Sumita Mishra, Instructor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Meet the Team
Chair:
Viswanathan (Vishwa) Rajagopalan, Ph.D., FCVS
Title: Associate Professor
Brief Bio:
Dr. Rajagopalan is currently an Associate Professor at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at A-State. Dr. Raj began undergraduate training at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (Madras Medical Mission) where India’s heart transplant program was pioneered. Having received comprehensive clinical training and professional experience in the diagnosis and management of adult and pediatric cardiovascular disorders, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska Medical Center focusing on cardiovascular sciences. He then completed post-doctoral training at the Stanford University Medical Center’s Pediatric Cardiology with an American Heart Association grant. His research activities involve the investigation of novel mechanisms and translational aspects of cardiovascular, endocrine and related disorders using established and cutting-edge advanced technologies. The areas include but are not limited to, thyroid, non-coding RNA, stem cells, etc. He has served or continues to serve as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review, The American Heart Association, The American Physiological Society, etc. Previously, Dr. Raj served as the Vice-Chair of the Society for South Asian Heart Research Early Career Seminar Series. Among others, he serves as the Vice-Chair of the American Physiological Society Translational Physiology Interest Group, served as a member of its Communications Committee, and serves as a member of the Communications Committee at the New York Institute of Technology. He also serves as an Associate Editor for Molecular Medicine.
Vice Chair:
Narasimman Gurusamy, M.Pharm, Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor
Brief Bio:
Dr. Narasimman Gurusamy is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University. He began his academic journey from the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University and Birla Institute of Technology in India. Further advancing his expertise, he achieved his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Japan. Pursuing excellence, Dr. Gurusamy completed several postdoctoral fellowships in the USA, honing his skills in molecular cardiology and stem cell biology at prestigious institutions including UConn Health Center, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Throughout his career, Dr. Gurusamy has made impactful contributions to cardiovascular biology. His pioneering research has unveiled the significant roles autophagy plays in cardiac protection. Dr. Gurusamy is a recipient of American Heart Association Career Development Award for the project on autologous induced-mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes therapy for myocardial injury. His current research endeavors concentrate on the epigenetic regulations governing cardiac disease progression and repair, especially focusing on the distinctive roles of non-coding RNAs. Dr. Gurusamy's dedication also extends to professional service, as he reviews grants for the American Heart Association, serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, and holds the position of Vice-Chair for the Communication Committee of SAHR.
Committee Members
Dhanendra Tomar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Email: dtomar@wakehealth.edu
Khaja Shameem Mohammed Abdul, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Email: khajashameem.mohammedabdul@hmri.org
Shubha Gururaja Rao, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
Email: s-gururajarao@onu.edu
Karthi Sreedevi, Ph.D
Post Doctoral Associate
Email: karthis89@vt.edu.edu
Amit Rai, Ph.D.
Post Doctoral Researcher
Email: amit.kumar.rai@temple.edu
Divya Sridharan, Ph.D.
Post Doctoral Researcher
Email: divya.Sridharan@osumc.edu
If you are interested in contributing, learning more about the Communications Committee, or having your content featured on SAHR’s social media, please email your request to the Committee Chair or Vice-Chair above. For general inquiries, please email SouthAsianHeart.Media@gmail.com.