EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Cardiology Fellowship, University of Washington (Chief Fellow), Seattle, WA, 1994-1997.

Internship and Residency, University of Virginia (Chief Resident), Charlottesville, VA, 1990-1993.

M.D., University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 1990.

B.A., Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 1986.

April Stempien-Otero M.D., F.A.C.C.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Craig Tall Family Endowed Professorship 
    in Heart Failure Research
Attending Physician, University of Washington

BOARD CERTIFICATION

American Board of Internal Medicine, 1994, 2007.

American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases, 1997, 2007.

AREAS OF CLINICAL EXPERTISE

Congestive heart failure and cardiac transplantation

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS

Role of macrophages in cardiac fibrosis and remodeling

Injection of bone marrow subsets into the heart at LVAD placement to modify human cardiac matrix

Cellular basis of protease-mediated cardiac fibrosis

SPECIAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2002, Mentored Physician Scientist Award, NIH

2002-present, Best Doctors in America

2003-2004, Vice President, Executive Board, American Heart Association, Metro King County

2006, CME Teacher of the Year, University of Washington School of Medicine

1997, ATVB Merit Award, American Heart Association Annual Meeting

1996, Fellowship Award, American Heart Association, Washington Affiliate

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Moriwaki, H, Stempien-Otero, A, Kremen, M, Cozen, AE, Dichek, DA, Overexpression of uronkinase by macrophages or deficiency of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 causes cardiac fibrosis in mice, Circ. Res. 941-8, 2004.

Stempien-Otero A, Plawman A, Meznarich J, Dyamenahalli T, Otsuka G, Dichek DA, Mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis induced by urokinase plasminogen Activator, J. Biol. Chem. 281:15345–15351, 2006.

Kremen M, Krishnan R, Emery I, Hu JH, Slezicki KI, Wu A, Qian K, Du L, Plawman A, Stempien-Otero A, Dichek DA. Plasminogen mediates the atherogenic effects of macrophage-expressed urokinase and accelerates atherosclerosis in apoE-knockout mice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105:17109-17114, 2008.

Minami E, Castellani C, Malchodi L, Deem J, Bertko K, Meznarich J, Dishmon M, Murry CE, Stempien-Otero A. The role of macrophage-derived urokinase plasminogen activator in myocardial infarct repair Urokinase attenuates ventricular remodeling. J. Mol. Cell. Cardio. Sep;49(3):516-24, 2010.