Heart Failure & Transplant

Dr. Mosi Bennett is a partner and senior consulting cardiologist specializing in heart failure and transplantation at the Minneapolis Heart Institute®. Before joining the group in 2013, he trained in cardiovascular medicine and advanced heart failure at the Cleveland Clinic. He completed his internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received his bachelor's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and received his MD and PhD degrees in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

Dr. Bennett's cardiovascular research interests include the role of endomyocardial biopsy in the diagnosis and management of heart failure, the effect of mechanical support on gene expression in the heart, and the effectiveness of remote monitoring of heart failure patients. 

He has had the opportunity to work closely with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation as a mentor for the internship program, and as an investigator on multi-center clinical trials and investigator-initiated projects. As a heart failure cardiologist, he has been particularly interested in developing a robust heart failure research portfolio at the foundation in order to meet the needs of heart failure patients across the spectrum of severity of this chronic disease. It is equally important to him that the foundation works to address the disparities in health care, including inequities in participation in clinical trials and access to world-class care. 

Dr. Barry Cabuay is the director of pulmonary hypertension and co-director of advanced heart failure Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute® and researcher at MHIF. His special interests include heart failure, heart transplant, pulmonary hypertension and ventricular assist devices (VADs).

Peter Eckman, MD is a researcher at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation®, and cardiologist and heart failure section head at the Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed fellowships at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Eckman is board certified in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular medicine and internal medicine.

Dr. Eckman is proud to be a heart failure specialist and describes his philosophy of care as follows, “As a cardiologist, I am honored to have the opportunity to help patients feel better and live longer. I make it my priority to provide outstanding care and work hard to be accessible, thorough, honest, patient, and easy to understand. I will include your other doctors in your care plan and I respect each patient and their decisions.”

Julianne Feola, PhD, CCRP, serves as the Clinical Research Manager for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s Heart Failure and Electrophysiology team. Julianne has an extensive background in clinical research and her credentials as a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) make her an exceptional addition to the team.

Julianne previously worked at the University of MN where she served as a program manager within the University’s Medical School’s Research department. She earned a BS in Chemistry and Psychology from the State University of New York at Geneseo and went on to receive her MS and PhD in Neuroscience from University of Rochester in 2017.

Andrew Garner serves as a Research Coordinator on the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s Heart Failure and Electrophysiology team. He most recently graduated from North Dakota State University with a Masters in Exercise Science and Nutrition, and worked as the principal investigator and research coordinator on his thesis project to complete his degree. Prior to joining our team, Andrew worked as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist in Nuclear Medicine at CentraCare in St. Cloud and in Cardiac Rehab at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.

Dr. Nicholas Haglund is a cardiologist at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute and researcher at MHIF. His specialties and interests include advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, heart transplantation and left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), familial / genetic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloid cardiomyopathy and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Dr. Katarzyna Hryniewicz is a cardiologist at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute® and researcher at MHIF. Her specialties and interests include advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, internal medicine, heart failure, heart transplantation, ventricular assist devices (VADs), cardio-oncology and echocardiography.

Efrah serves as an Associate Research Coordinator III on the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s Heart Failure and Electrophysiology team. Most recently, Efrah was a Research Associate at Children’s Minnesota, and previously worked at Regions Hospital in the Emergency Department screening patients for eligibility in Neurology and Cardiology trials.

Efrah received a double bachelor’s from the University of St. Thomas in Biology of Global Health and Public Health, and she is currently working towards her Masters in Regulatory Science.

Dr. Carly Lodewyks is a cardiac surgeon at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute and researcher at MHIF. Her specialties and interests include cardiac surgery, heart failure, heart transplantion, ex vivo organ perfusion, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease.

Dr. David Miranda is an advanced heart failure cardiologist at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute® and researcher at MHIF. His passion is working with patients to build a plan that helps them regain a wonderful quality of life. His specialties and interests include advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, internal medicine, remote monitoring, critical care cardiology and cardio-oncology.

Rachel serves as a Clinical Research Coordinator II on the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s Heart Failure and Electrophysiology team. She brings with her over 5 years of research experience, beginning her career as a Research Coordinator at the University of Minnesota in Psychiatry & Mental/Behavioral Health and was most recently a Clinical Research Associate for EarliTec Diagnostics, a medical device company in the autism field. Rachel has also worked as a Mental Health Specialist at Meriter UnityPoint Health in Wisconsin.
 
Rachel graduated from St. Olaf College with a BA in Psychology and also holds a Clinical Research Associate Certification through ACRP.

Dr. Michael Samara is a member of the heart failure and transplant team at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute® and researcher at MHIF. His specialties and interests include advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, heart transplantation and ventricular assist devices (VADs). 

Dr. Benjamin Sun is a cardiac surgeon and researcher at Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and surgical director of heart failure at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. He specializes in complex aortic and mitral valve surgery, heart transplantation, aortic root and aortic arch surgery, mechanical support, artificial heart and congestive heart failure surgery.

Dr. Jay Traverse is a senior consulting cardiologist at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute and the director of research at MHIF. His special interests include interventional cardiology, stem cell therapy, biomaterials, and ischemia/reperfusion injury. He is also an associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.

Rebecca Uelmen, PhD serves as Senior Program Director of the Valve Science Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. In this role, she facilitates a multidisciplinary staff and physician team to advance research and education in valvular heart disease.

Dr. Uelmen brings nearly two decades of experience in cardiac research to MHIF, beginning her career as an academic researcher specializing in cardiac arrhythmias. During her seven-year tenure at Medtronic in the Structural Heart division, she led Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications teams focused on transcatheter and surgical heart valves. She is driven by a passion for utilizing evidence to advance treatment options and improve the lives of patients.

Dr. Uelmen holds a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor Degree in Biology from St. Catherine University.

Dr. Siu-Hin Wan is a heart failure cardiologist at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute and researcher at MHIF. His specialties and interests include advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, amyloid heart disease, sarcoid heart disease, diabetes and heart disease, echocardiography, cardiovascular hemodynamics, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and diastolic dysfunction.

Dr. Peter Zimbwa is a member of the heart failure and transplant team at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute and researcher at MHIF. His specialties and interests include advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease, heart transplantation, heart failure, ventricular assist devices (VADs), and pulmonary hypertension.