Cardiology.org : People

Core Lab Team/ Clinical Exercise Consortium/ AAAstop

Team Member	Email	Position
Rick Dewey Jeremiah Ray		Medical School Scholar Medical School Scholar
Leon Hsu	leon.hsu@va.gov	Research Assistant
Mary McElrath RN, MSN	mary.mcelrath@va.gov	Study Coordinator
Joshua Abella, MD	joshabella.md99@gmail.com	Research Associate/Coordinator
Ricardo De Oliveira, PhD	ricardod@stanford.edu; ricardobrandaorj@gmail.com	Postdoctoral Fellow
Holly Richards BA, MA		Research Assistant
Heather Hayes BS, MA		Research Assistant
Sandra Mandic, PhD	smandic@stanford.edu	Postdoctoral Fellow
Neela Penumarthy, BA		Research Assistant

Mary McElrath RN, MSN
Mary is a clinical study coordinator at the PAVAH for the SCCOR grant, Project IV "Evaluation of Exercise Therapy for Small AAA". She received her undergraduate nursing degree from Sonoma State University and her graduate degree in cardiovascular nursing from the Catholic University of America. Her nursing career has been multi-faceted, working in critical care nursing, management, education and research. She worked with the Stanford Cardiac Rehabilitaiton Program as a research nurse in the Multifit Trial which is now the model for cardiac rehabilitation at all Kaiser facilities. Following this, she worked as a clinical study coordinator in clinical drug trials. Prior to joining us, she worked in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation at El Camino Hospital and the Cardiac Therapy Foundation of the Mid Peninsula. Her expertise is in organization issues, patient counseling and risk factor management.
Contact information: (650)493-5000 x 65317, mary.mcelrath@va.gov

Josh Abella, MD
Josh is an EKG/Research Supervisor for the Department of Cardiology. Josh received his medical degree from the Philippines and has spent the last 6 years involved in clinical research at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Josh has extensive experience with clinical trials related to exercise and cardiovascular disease. He has served as a coordinator for the Cardiac Resynchronization Study and Pain Medication Study for ELAN Pharmaceuticals, Cardiac Gene Therapy Study for BERLEZ Laboratory, and PREMIER Q1 and TRIUMPH Studies. In addition, Josh is a co-author for numerous articles related to epidemiological and outcomes research and has presented at several conferences. Furthermore, Josh is actively involved in the SCORR Research Study for the Department of Cardiology and the CHARM Study for the Spinal Cord Injury Center. When Josh is not busy at work, he enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family.
Contact information: joshabella.md99@gmail.com

Heather Hayes BS, MA
Heather is a Clinical Research Associate at the PAVAH for the SCCOR grant, Project IV "Evaluation of Exercise Therapy for Small AAA." Heather graduated with highest academic honors in 2005 from San Francisco State University with her Master's degree in Kinesiology, concentrating in Exercise Science. Following graduation, Heather spent two years as a lecturer at SFSU teaching Exercise Physiology, Health and Wellness, Fitness Management and overseeing the Internship Program. Heather has previously worked as a medical writer and editor for a healthcare website, as part of the editorial staff for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and as an Exercise Physiologist at corporate fitness centers for both JPMorgan Chase and LucasFilm, Ltd. After graduating from Saint Mary's College with her undergraduate degree in Health and Human Performance, Heather worked for two years at the Eugene DuPont Preventive Medicine and Rehabilitation Institute in Wilmington, Delaware in both their Cardiac Rehabilitation and Preventive Medicine clinics.
Contact information: (650) 493-5000 x66749

Holly Richards BA, MA
Holly is a Clinical Research Associate at the Palo Alto VA Hospital. Her primary involvement is in clinical exercise physiology for the SCCOR grant, Project IV "Evaluation of Exercise Therapy for Small AAA." Holly earned her undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo with a major in Kinesiology, an emphasis in Sports Psychology, and a Psychology minor. She also received her graduate degree in Kinesiology (concentration in Health Promotion and Exercise Physiology) at Cal Poly. While completing her Masters degree, she was a teaching assistant for an Electrocardiography Lab, Basketball and Aquatics classes. She also spent time as an intern in the French Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. As a Research Associate for the PAVAHCS, Holly is most recently involved in the clinical exercise testing of patients, as well as monitoring and oversight of exercise sessions and training for study participants. Outside of work, Holly enjoys mountain biking, being outdoors, playing basketball, and spending time with family and friends.
Contact information: (650) 493-5000 x66749

Leon Hsu, BA
Leon is a Clinical Research Associate at the Palo Alto VA Hospital. He completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University where he majored in Human Biology. Since 2005, Leon has been actively involved in exercise and cardiovascular research in both the Spinal Cord Injury Center and the Department of Cardiology. He is currently involved in the SCCOR project on exercise and abdominal aneurysms. In addition, Leon has worked as a teaching assistant for an Exercise Physiology course at Stanford University. Leon also hopes to attend medical school in the near future. In his free time, Leon enjoys reading the news, running, and trying out new restaurants.
Contact Information: (650) 493-5000 x66748, leon.hsu@va.gov

Neela Penumarthy, BA
Neela is a Clinical Research Assistant in the Department of Cardiology at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, where she assists with cardiopulmonary and exercise testing in conjunction with AAA Stop. A recent ('06) graduate of Stanford University where she earned a B.A. in Human Biology, Neela hopes to enter medical school soon. In her spare time she enjoys dogs, travel, and celebrity gossip.
Contact information: (650) 493-5000 x65962

Ricardo Oliveira, PhD
Ricardo is a postdoctoral student at Stanford School of Medicine and also a research fellow involved in clinical study at the PAVAH for the SCCOR grant, Project IV "Evaluation of Exercise Therapy for Small AAA". He received his graduate degree in Physical Education from Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil and his MA and PhD degrees in Exercise Physiology from Gama Filho University, Brazil. His career has been multi-faceted, and he's worked in the exercise prescription, education and research fields. He has been teaching Exercise Physiology for postgraduate programs – UNESA/CLINIMEX. He's worked as an Exercise Physiologist in a cardiac rehabilitation center - AMIL Group, Brazil and as an Assistant Professor at Rio de Janeiro State University. His expertise is in exercise prescription and physiology with a focus on autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular diseases. In his free time, Ricardo enjoys listening music, working out, and going out with friends for dinner.
Contact information: ricardod@stanford.edu; ricardobrandaorj@gmail.com

Sandra Mandic, PhD
Sandra is a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford School of Medicine working in the Department of Cardiology at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital. She received her undergraduate degree in Physical Education from University of Novi Sad (Novi Sad, Serbia) and her Masters and PhD degrees in Exercise Physiology from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada). Sandra’s PhD research focused on cardiac rehabilitation in heart failure patients. Her training and professional experiences encompass clinical exercise physiology, multidisciplinary research training in cardiovascular medicine, research project coordination, and teaching undergraduate courses. Outside of work, Sandra enjoys outdoor activities, basketball, traveling, languages, and intercultural settings.
Contact information: smandic@stanford.edu