CHAI (Cardiovascular Health in Asian Indians) Collaborative
The Cardiovascular Health of Asian Indians (CHAI) Collaborative will facilitate collaboration of experts — epidemiologists, statisticians, and geneticists — to identify genetic markers of heightened atherosclerosis in South Asians.
33%
of heart attacks in people of South Asian descent occur under age 45
40 secs
Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack
400%
People of South Asian descent have 4x the risk of atherosclerosis
Background
South Asians (from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) make up one quarter of the world’s population, and are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States. Although native South Asians share genetic and cultural risk factors with South Asians abroad, South Asians in the United States can differ in socioeconomic status, education, healthcare behaviors, attitudes, and health insurance, which can affect their risk and the treatment and outcomes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). South Asians have higher proportional mortality rates from ASCVD compared with other Asian groups and non-Hispanic whites, in contrast to the finding that Asian Americans (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese) aggregated as a group are at lower risk of ASCVD, largely because of the lower risk observed in East Asian populations. Further, given that South Asians form close to 80% of the minority races in the United States, it is essential to identify the basis for this elevated risk.
Cardiovascular Science India Tour
Featuring world-class researchers from the U.S., the goal of this tour is to disseminate research methodology training to health care providers in India who want to conduct meaningful research that “makes a dent” in health care delivery and lives of less privileged people in several pockets of the country, both urban and rural.
Read about the 2019 Tour in Circulation
Read about the 2019 tour in Circulation, an American Heart Association Journal, published January 21, 2020 in Vol 141, Issue 3.
Project Steering Committee
Matthew Jay Budoff, MD, FACC, FAHA
Matthew Jay Budoff, MD, FACC, FAHA, is a Professor of Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and the Endowed Chair of Preventive Cardiology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Samir Kapadia, MD
Samir Kapadia, MD, is the Chairman of the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
Khurram Nasir, MD
Dr. Khurram Nasir is the Chief of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Wellness; he serves as the Co-Director for the Center for Outcomes Research at Houston Methodist.
Riya Pulicharam, MD
Dr Riya Pulicharam is currently the Chief Medical Officer for Harmonize Health. Prior to her current role at Harmonize Health, she spent almost 20 years as the National Medical Director for Population Health at HealthCare Partners, Davita Medical Group and Optum Health.
Salim S. Virani, MD, Ph.D.
Salim S. Virani, MD, Ph.D., is a tenured Professor in the Sections of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
CHAI Collaborative In The News
Dr. Kalra discusses the CHAI initiative with Dr. Amit Goyal of CardioNerds
As part of a special bonus segment at the end of CardioNerds episode 98, we talk to Dr. Ankur Kalra, podcast host of Parallax by Ankur Kalra, and founder of the non-profit startup, makeadent.org for a discussion about the CHAI (Cardiovascular Health in Asian Indians) Collaborative, an initiative that aims to identify genetic markers of heightened atherosclerosis in South Asians.
South Asian Cardiovascular Health: Lessons Learned from the National Lipid Association Scientific Statement
Expert analysis from Anandita Kulkarni, MD; G. B. John Mancini, MD, FACC; Prakash C. Deedwania, MD, FACC; Jaideep Patel, MD
