Priscilla Hsue, M.D.

She is not only taking a lead role in fighting heart disease in her lab, but at the same time helps guide research policies of the Western States Affiliate. Dr. Hsue is co-chair of one of the Affiliate Peer Review committees and is a member of the Region III Consortium Steering Committee which directs research policy for the Western States and South Central Affiliates.

Dr. Hsue grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where her parents and most other residents were scientists doing research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. “I got interested in research while I was in high school,” she explains, “and it continued during college and medical school as well.”

Trained in Internal Medicine in the Molecular Medicine Training Program at UCSF and in Cardiovascular Medicine, Dr. Hsue has had a long term interest in heart disease. She served as Chief Cardiology Fellow during her training period and she has been on the faculty in the Department of Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital since 2002.

In March, 2004, she started the HIV Cardiology Clinic at the Positive Health Program at Ward 86, which is one of the first subspecialty clinics of its kind in the nation.

She explains, “When I started training in cardiology, I noticed that a lot of young men who were HIV-infected were presenting with heart attacks. This observation led me to my current research of HIV-related cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Hsue notes that although most people think of things like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cigarette smoking as some of the classic risk factors of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis is being increasingly recognized to be a disease of the immune system and inflammation.

“Individuals with HIV infection have an altered immune system and are exposed to chronic inflammation which may predispose them to cardiovascular disease,” she explains.  “In addition, they also have a lot of traditional risk factors – especially cigarette smoking.  And antiretroviral medication has also been associated with increased cardiovascular risk.”

Dr. Hsue’s work is an exciting milestone – an example of research which did not exist until very recently that is destined to save countless lives in the future.    She notes: “It’s estimated that by the year 2013, over 50 percent of HIV patients will be aged 50 years and older.  This means that chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease will continue to increase in importance.  This is an issue that cardiologists should be aware of as they will likely be taking care of more HIV patients in the future.”

	Dr. Hsue and her        husband Alex Monto

Dr. Hsue is also dedicated to continuing her role as a leader in the American Heart Association’s research activities.   She and her husband Alex Monto live in San Francisco with their French bulldog Sophie and are awaiting the arrival of their first child later this year.