Cleveland Clinic

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It can take shape in any of a number of specific diseases that affect the heart itself and/or the blood vessel system, especially the veins and arteries leading to and from the heart. Cleveland Clinic is recognized as the world leader in diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease and has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for cardiac care by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1995. Take this opportunity to learn more about the latest treaments and diagnostic tests for cardiovascular disease and have your questions answered in a secure online setting with Dr. Steven Nissen and Dr. Mark Angel from the Cleveland Clinic.

Steven Nissen, MD, is the Chairman of the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine located on the main campus of Cleveland Clinic. He was appointed in 2006. Prior to this, he served nine years as Vice-Chairman of the Department of Cardiology and five years as Medical Director of the Cleveland Clinic Cardiovascular Coordinating Center (C5), an organization that directs multicenter clinical trials. Dr. Nissen’s research during the last two decades has focused on the application of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging for the assessment of progression and regression of coronary atherosclerosis. He has served as International Principal Investigator for several large IVUS multi-center atherosclerosis trials.

As a physician/scientist, Dr. Nissen consults for many pharmaceutical companies on the development of new therapies for cardiovascular disease, but maintains his longstanding personal policy of requiring companies to donate all related honoraria directly to charity. Dr. Nissen is also known for his role in public policy discussions, particularly in the area of drug safety. He has testified in both the Senate and the House of Representatives on this issue as well as the need to reform the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Dr. Nissen was selected for the Outstanding Scientist Award by the Cleveland Clinic in 2004. He received the Outstanding Teacher Award, presented by the Fellows of Cardiovascular Medicine, on three occasions. Dr. Nissen also received Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cardiovascular Research from the Gill Heart Institute of the University of Kentucky in 2004. In 2007, Dr. Steven Nissen was named by TIME Magazine as "one of the 100 most influential people in the world" by SmartMoney Magazine as one of the "country’s 30 most powerful forces in business and finance."

Mark Angel, MD, is an interventional cardiologist in the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. He practices at Cleveland Clinic Fairview and Lakewood hospitals and the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center in Avon, Ohio.

Dr. Angel is board-certified in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. His specialty is the non-surgical treatment of coronary artery disease, with particular emphasis on complex coronary intervention using radial artery based access. Dr. Angel is a member of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.