- Burnett School College of Medicine Faculty News Philanthropy
College of Medicine cardiovascular researcher and professor Dr. Dinender Singla has been named the AdventHealth Chair in Cardiovascular Research. As chair, Dr. Singla will serve as a bridge to connect cardiovascular research between UCF and AdventHealth (formerly Florida Hospital) as well as other research institutes.
“It’s an incredible honor to have been named the AdventHealth Chair,” said Dr. Singla, who joined the UCF faculty in 2007. “The endowment will open doors for research at the College of Medicine and I intend to use this position to expand our cardiovascular research projects and opportunities through this partnership.”
An endowed chair is the highest academic award that a university can bestow on a faculty member, and it lasts as long as the university exists. The cardiovascular chair position was made possible through an approximately $2 million donation from AdventHealth made in 2011. The position was formerly held by UCF professor emeritus Dr. Sampath Parthasarathy who retired earlier this year.
Dr. Singla, who leads the Metabolic and Cardiovascular research division at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, has focused much of his recent research on exploring ways to reduce heart damage in patients who have had chemotherapy. He is also examining how a protein naturally occurring in the body — bone morphogenetic protein — can be used to prevent muscle damage in diabetic patients.
“Dr. Singla is well deserving of this award, as he exemplifies outstanding scholarship, high productivity and strong integrity,” said Dr. Griffith Parks, interim associate dean for research and director of the Burnett School. “We are certainly eager to see what novel projects and collaborations he develops over the coming years.”
Dr. Singla has received more than $10 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health, making him the highest NIH-funded researcher at the College of Medicine. He has published more than 85 articles in peer-reviewed journals and received numerous research honors and awards. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, American Physiological society, and of the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences.