Renowned cardiologist Dr. James Thomas joins Northwestern Medicine's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute

CHICAGO, Aug. 1, 2014 -- Northwestern Medicine is pleased to welcome James D. Thomas, MD, the new director of the Center for Heart Valve Disease at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.

An expert in cardiovascular imaging with a unique background in space medicine, Thomas will begin seeing patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in August. He is also a professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"I'm excited and eager to lead and grow a program already renowned for world-class heart valve care," Thomas said. "Combining leading-edge patient care and research, we will constantly be working and innovating toward the successful resolution of the most complex cases of heart valve disease."

Thomas joins the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, where heart valve surgery and other complex heart operations have risen nearly 600 percent in the past 10 years, from the Cleveland Clinic. In Cleveland, he was the Charles and Lorriane Moore Chair in Cardiovascular Imaging, and, at Case Western Reserve University, a professor of medicine and biomedical engineering.

"With the addition of Dr. Thomas to our team, the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute now is the premier resource for treatment of the many complex iterations of heart valve disease," said Patrick McCarthy, MD, director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and the Heller-Sacks Professor of Surgery at Feinberg. "He is an outstanding physician: conservative when appropriate, but proactive for patients who need surgery or non-surgical interventions. He has an outstanding technical skill set in imaging, but more importantly, excellent judgment about the best approach for an individual patient that he can easily explain in layman's terms."

McCarthy and Thomas worked closely together for 12 years at the Cleveland Clinic.

"Many patients who traveled to Cleveland to see him will be happy to find that he is now closer to home," said McCarthy.

Thomas' clinical interests include valvular heart disease and diastolic dysfunction, an abnormal filling of the heart. The author of more than 500 peer reviewed publications, his research focuses on cardiac mechanics, application of new echo technology and space physiology.

He also serves as a lead scientist for ultrasound with NASA, researching the impact of space travel on the heart and the body's cardiovascular functions.

"As we continue to grow our cardiovascular medicine program, it is important to accentuate and nurture our inherent strengths," said Clyde Yancy, MD, chief of cardiology and associate director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. "Jim will help us fulfill our quest to offer the best care, perform the best science and create the best educational tools in heart valve disease. With him on board, we will seek and attain a position of world class leadership in this area."

Thomas received his bachelor's and medical degrees from Harvard University, and completed his residency in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He attended the University of Vermont for a clinical fellowship in Cardiology before completing a research fellowship in echocardiography at Massachusetts General Hospital.

After his fellowships, Thomas became an instructor and later assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He joined the Cleveland Clinic in 1992 as director of Cardiovascular Imaging and later as professor of medicine at Cleveland Clinic Health Sciences Center of The Ohio State University School of Medicine.

Thomas is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American Society of Echocardiography, the American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology.

A past-president of the American Society of Echocardiography, he is a recipient of the Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award from the American Society of Echocardiography and was honored as the Edler Lecturer at last year's ASE Scientific Sessions.

To make an appointment with Dr. Thomas, call (312) NM-HEART or visit heart.nm.org.

Northwestern Medicine's cardiology and heart surgery program, the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, ranked 13th nationally in the 2014-15 U.S. News and World Report "Best Hospitals" list released in July 2014. For the seventh consecutive year, the report ranked BCVI the top heart program in Chicago, Illinois and the Midwest.

About Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine is the collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of healthcare.  It encompasses the research, teaching and patient care activities of the academic medical center. Sharing a commitment to superior quality, academic excellence and patient safety, the organizations within Northwestern Medicine comprise more than 9,000 clinical and administrative staff, 3,100 medical and science faculty and 700 students. The entities involved in Northwestern Medicine remain separate organizations. Northwestern Medicine is a trademark of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and is used by Northwestern University.

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial is one of the country's premier academic medical center hospitals and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital has 1,705 affiliated physicians and 6,769 employees.  Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.

Northwestern Memorial has nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence. Northwestern Memorial ranks 10th in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report 2014-15 Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. The hospital is recognized in 14 of 16 clinical specialties rated by U.S. News and is No. 1 in Illinois andChicago in U.S. News' 2013-14 state and metro rankings, respectively. For 14 years running, Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 15 consecutive years.