Dr. Kathleen Zhang joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2019.
Dr. Zhang specializes in the cardiovascular care of patients with cancer and cardiac amyloidosis. Many cancer treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, targeted monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapy have cardiovascular toxicities that require directed therapy and/or long-term surveillance. With appropriate treatment and lifestyle changes, Dr. Zhang aims to optimize cancer therapy for her patients while also promoting cardiac and vascular health. Cardiac amyloidosis is a restrictive cardiomyopathy caused by abnormal deposition of proteins in heart tissue, most commonly due to light chain or transthyretin amyloidosis. Dr. Zhang works closely with amyloid specialists in Oncology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, and Neurology as well as ongoing clinical trials to deliver comprehensive, state-of-the-art care for patients with cardiac amyloidosis. Dr. Zhang also practices general cardiology and clinical echocardiography.
Dr. Zhang’s research interests focus on the diagnosis and management of patients with cancer therapy related cardiotoxicity as well as cardiac amyloidosis. Her research projects study the application of advanced cardiac imaging, novel biomarkers, and electronic health record-based data to improve clinical care for patients with cancer therapy related cardiotoxicity and cardiac amyloidosis. She is closely involved with several multi-center patient registries focusing on cardiotoxicity of cancer therapy and cardiac amyloidosis, as well as clinical trials of novel amyloid therapeutics that are enrolling at Washington University in St. Louis.