George “Rick” Stouffer has been contributing to research at Carolina for 25 years.
George “Rick” Stouffer has worked for UNC-Chapel Hill in a variety of roles, most recently as Ernest and Hazel Craige Distinguished Professor of Medicine, chief of cardiology, and co-director of the McAllister Heart Institute.
What brought you to Carolina?
Three things: Marschall Runge was taking over as chairman of medicine, the reputation of the Division of Cardiology, and the formation of the Carolina Cardiovascular Biology Center (which later became part of the McAllister Heart Institute). There was an effort by the UNC School of Medicine to expand its presence in vascular biology research, which fit well with the ongoing work in my laboratory. Carolina had a well-deserved reputation for being a great place to perform basic science investigative studies and, of course, Chapel Hill is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
How has your role here changed over the years?
I started out as a faculty member dividing my time between interventional cardiology and my laboratory research exploring the mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis — the buildup of fat, cholesterol, and other substances — in the blood vessels, which can reduce blood flow to various organs like the heart, brain, and kidneys. The wall of an artery has various cell types, and one of the most important is smooth muscle cells. But uncontrolled growth of smooth muscle cells can lead to the development of plaque in the artery wall. My laboratory was looking at factors that activate smooth muscle cells in the artery and stimulate them to grow. I was fortunate to be of the first interventional cardiologists in the country to get an R01 award from the National Institutes of Health to conduct this work at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Impact Report
George “Rick” Stouffer helped build the UNC Division of Cardiology and the McCallister Heart Institute. Today, the division has outpatient clinics in 12 counties across the state, and the institute serves as a major center of cardiovascular research, providing new diagnostic tools and therapies to advance the care of patients with heart, blood, and circulation diseases.
Heart disease is consistently one of the leading causes of death in North Carolina and the United States, according to the American Heart Association.
In 2001, I became director of the cardiac catheterization lab at UNC Medical Center and continued in that role for 15 years. This is a clinical area where we do various types of vascular imaging and procedures to treat atherosclerotic disease, such as vascular stent insertion to improve blood flow, balloon angioplasties to open blocked or narrow arteries, and atherectomy to remove plaque buildup. The field of interventional cardiology has evolved rapidly, and heart valves can now be implanted in the lab. As director, I oversaw the faculty and the interventional cardiology training program and worked with the hospital on staffing levels, buying supplies, and managing patient flow. I still do a lot of work in the lab and enjoy working with the patients and trainees.
I took over as chief of cardiology in 2013 and became co-director of the McAlllister Heart Institute (MHI) in 2017. It’s a good combination to hold both of those positions as it helps me recruit physician scientists to the university. MHI is the home of much of the basic science research in cardiovascular disease and includes investigators from many departments and schools at UNC-Chapel Hill.
One of our main goals at MHI is to change the negative impact of cardiovascular disease in North Carolina. Many families have dealt with the tragedy of premature death from cardiovascular disease, and we want to reduce this scourge in NC. To do this, you have to start at the basic science level and incorporate translational and clinical research. And you have to deliver a lot of clinical care. We strive to do this for all North Carolinians to prevent the intergenerational transfer of heart disease — when your grandparents and parents have suffered or died from heart disease. We want to change the arc so that doesn’t mean that you have the same fate.
What’s kept you at Carolina?
UNC-Chapel Hill is a gem. It has a great patient population, wonderful colleagues, and a robust and collaborative atmosphere for research. I am also a strong believer in the mission of the health care system to serve as a safety net hospital — which enables us to treat patients regardless of their socioeconomic status — and to train the next generation of physicians for North Carolina. The majority of the faculty here believe it’s important to provide health care to everyone, and that’s part of the mission of UNC Hospitals.
My job is very rewarding. I love taking care of the people of North Carolina and have had many positive and rewarding interactions with patients and their families. I’ve been fortunate to receive many thank you notes and gifts, have had patients dedicate books to me, and have had many enjoyable encounters when I run into patients or their families outside the hospital.
What contribution are you most proud of?
Building the Division of Cardiology and the McAllister Heart Institute. When I came here in 1999, the cardiology faculty was relatively small and based solely in Chapel Hill. Fast-forward 25 years, and our faculty is much bigger. We provide care in at least five hospitals and have clinics in 12 counties. We’ve embraced this idea of outreach and taking care of more people.
At MHI, we’ve added scientists, obtained more funding, and are doing more research. It takes a long time from basic science discovery to clinical use, but we’ve had several patents come out of the institute and have a lot of collaborative projects. At UNC-Chapel Hill there is a strong belief in team science. Each person is important, but it is by working together that we will move the field forward. It’s the culture of Carolina.
What is a uniquely Carolina experience you’ve had?
Carolina is more outwardly focused than other places I’ve been. Twice a year we send cardiology teams to Leon, Nicaragua, where they see patients and perform interventional cardiology procedures in a collaboration with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua León, the UNC Office of Global Health Education, and Project Health for Leon. We also have an outreach partnership with Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi to provide virtual cardiology lectures.
Rooted recognizes long-standing members of the UNC-Chapel Hill community who have aided in the advancement of research by staying at Carolina. They are crucial to the UNC Research enterprise, experts in their fields, and loyal Tar Heels. Know someone we should feature? Nominate a researcher.