Stephanie Nakano, MD

My clinical focus is on the care of children and young adults with decreased heart function (including those with cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, single ventricle congenital heart disease, and following heart transplantation) as well as those with general pediatric cardiology conditions.

As a physician caring for children with heart failure, some of whom have required heart transplantation, I am continually faced with fundamental knowledge gaps that place limits on both quality and quantity of their lives. These barriers are particularly evident in pediatric patients with complex congenital heart disease, including single ventricle heart disease. Thus, I am motivated to improve outcomes for single ventricle patients by connecting the clinical and basic science domains as a physician-scientist. Leading a research team that works primarily with patient-derived samples, we aim to define alterations and adaptations that co-exist in single ventricle patients, extending beyond their cardiac anatomy. Our two primary goals are to understand (1) inherent cardiomyocyte abnormalities and (2) immune dysregulation in single ventricle patients, both of which may predispose a subset of single ventricle patients to early heart failure.