Established in 2014, the University of Colorado Cardio-Oncology program is the first of its kind in the state and is committed to providing optimal cardiovascular care to patients with cancer and survivors of childhood and adult cancer. The program offers a variety of faculty expertise, clinical services, educational outreach, and multidisciplinary research. We manage the full spectrum of cardiac care of patients with cancer; from cardiac risk stratification and attenuation prior to treatment, to management of toxicities during treatment, through long-term cardiovascular care in cancer survivorship.
The University of Colorado Cancer Center in metro Denver is one of only 72 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, the only such center within the state, and is the primary referral center for the region. This means that in addition to working with highly trained oncologists in their diseases of expertise, as cardio-oncologists we are involved in groundbreaking oncology research and clinical trials as a routine part of our patients’ care.
Our cardio-oncology program emphasizes multidisciplinary and collaborative care, working closely with oncology, rheumatology, cardiac imaging, cardiac electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, and referring providers throughout the region. In addition to our clinical program, we are involved in several single-center and multi-institutional trials, as well as basic and translational cardio-oncology studies.
Our comprehensive cardio-oncology program provides services for patients at the many phases of their cancer treatment journey:
• Cardiac care of patients with existing cardiovascular health issues such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure, or arrhythmias who have newly diagnosed cancer. Our cardio-oncologists work closely with the oncologists to facilitate safe and personalized medical and surgical treatment for each patient and their cancer.
• Management of cardiovascular side effects experienced as part of cancer therapy. These side effects can occur as part of traditional chemotherapy, immunotherapies, and novel targeted therapies. Our multidisciplinary team works to identify and treat these adverse effects, allowing our patients to safely and quickly continue with treatment of their cancer.
• As the number of cancer survivors continues to grow, we work closely with patients to address specific areas of risk based on the patients’ health history and cancer treatment, making recommendations for ongoing heart and vascular health beyond cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• Radiation-related heart disease
• Cardiomyopathies from anthracyclines and HER2-targeted therapies
• Immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis and pericarditis
• Cardiac considerations in stem cell transplant, CART, and emerging immune therapies
• Pericardial effusion monitoring and management
• Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor cardiotoxicities
• Cardiovascular management of patients on long-term tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)
• Carcinoid heart disease
• Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminant potential (CHIP)
Our research program follows the same multidisciplinary approach that is the hallmark of our clinical efforts. We participate and lead both single-site and multicenter prospective trials in the areas of immune checkpoint myocarditis, immunotherapy-related coronary disease, exercise-based studies in cancer patients and survivors, and use of cardiometabolic drugs in high-risk survivor populations.
In addition to basic and translational collaborations examining the cardiovascular sequelae of cancer therapies, we are also interested in the shared pathways and disease crosstalk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. These research efforts involve lab-based use of animal and cell culture models, patient samples, and computational techniques.
The cardio-oncology program provides ongoing educational opportunities for cardiology and hematology/oncology fellowships each year through formal didactics and ongoing multidisciplinary care. Our program also hosts annual patient and provider educational symposia covering different areas of interest.
Meet Our Team
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Lavanya Kondapalli, MD Dr. Lavanya Kondapalli is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and Director of the Cardio-Oncology at the University of Colorado since 2014. Dr. Kondapalli completed medical school and internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago. She completed cardiology and cardio-oncology fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 and was recruited to the University of Colorado to build the cardio-oncology program. Dr. Kondapalli has built a robust, collaborative program in cardio-oncology rooted in providing comprehensive cardiovascular care to cardio-oncology patients and committed to cardio-oncology research. Dr. Kondapalli serves on the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Cardio-Oncology Council and International Cardio-Oncology Society Education Committee. Dr. Kondapalli leads content production for the cardio-oncology section of ACC’s CardioSmart, a patient-centered website.
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Nicole Prabhu, MD Dr. Nicole Prabhu is an Assistant Professor of Cardiology at CUSOM and practices at Anschutz Medical Center and the Lowry clinic. Dr. Prabhu completed her internal medicine residency at Rush University in Chicago where she also served as chief resident. She completed her cardiology fellowship at the University of Chicago before moving to Colorado to start her career in academic medicine. She is passionate about cardio-oncology and has given numerous talks at the Chicago City Wide Cardio-Oncology Rounds during her time in Chicago. She is also interested in imaging, prevention, and women's health all of which help her provide comprehensive care to her cancer patients. |
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Raymundo Quintana, MD Dr. Raymundo Quintana is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado and a cardiologist specializing in advanced cardiovascular imaging. His clinical focus lies at the intersection of cardio-oncology and cardiovascular imaging. He is actively involved in multiple clinical trials and prospective studies, including the use of Computed Tomography Angiography for advanced atherosclerotic plaque analysis in cardiovascular risk prediction. Dr. Quintana is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and a member of the 2024-2025 ACC Clinical Trials Research program. Dr. Quintana completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Texas in Houston and fellowships in cardiovascular disease and advanced cardiovascular imaging at Emory University. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Science at the University of Colorado.
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Caitlin Bell, MD Dr. Caitlin Bell is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Bell completed medical school at Vanderbilt University. As part of the Translational Investigator Program at Stanford University she completed internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship with a focus on cardio-oncology clinical practice and research. After her post-doctoral fellowship in the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute as a Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Awardee, she came to the University of Colorado to build a basic and translational research program in cardio-oncology. Dr. Bell’s work predominantly focuses on the mechanisms of interaction between cardiovascular disease and cancer, and how this knowledge could improve care for cancer patients and survivors.
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Julie Michalek, ANP-C Julie Michalek is a nurse practitioner with a Master’s in Nursing from the University of Colorado School of Nursing, earned in 2004. Since graduation, she has specialized in cardiac care at the University of Colorado Cardiac and Vascular Center. Julie is passionate about survivorship, prevention, and patient education, working to empower her patients with the knowledge and tools they need for long-term health and wellness. |