Newcastle University

Background

Consultant Cardiologist with major interest in heart failure, Freeman Hospital since July 2004.
Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle upon Tyne since 2004

Roles and Responsibilities

NHS Consultant with responsibility for advanced heart failure supporting heart transplant and ventricular assist device programmes at the Freeman Hospital

Qualifications

MB BCh (2.2 Hons): Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1986
MRCPI 1988
MD (NUI) 1998
FRCPI
FACC
Specialist Register in Cardiology 2004

Previous Positions

1997-2004 Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Heart Failure and Transplantation Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Training at: University of Pittsburgh and Johns Hopkins University and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin

Honours and Awards

Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, National Institutes of Health, 1999-2004

Research Interests

Congestive heart failure/cardiomyopathy.
Transgenic mouse models of cardiomyopathy and altered cardiac function
Magnetic resonance imaging
Myocardial calcium handling
Ventricular mechanics

Current Work

In-vivo cardiac pressure volume loops in mouse models of cardiomyopathy

Future Research

Magnetic resonance imaging of cardiac function and calcium handling with Mn2+ contrast enhancement

Research Roles

PI

Funding

Heart Research UK £80,000 (current funding)
Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (Stroke and Cardiovacular Aging themes)
Special Trustees £50,000
National Institutes of Health Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award $630,000
American Heart Association $80,000

• Macgowan GA, Parry G, Schueler S, Hasan A. The decline in heart transplantation in the UK. British Medical Journal 2011, 342, d2483.
• Bauer R, Blain A, Greally E, Bushby K, Lochmuller H, Laval S, Straub V, MacGowan GA. Intolerance to beta-blockade in a mouse model of delta-sarcoglycan-deficient muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy. European Journal of Heart Failure 2010, 12(11), 1163-1170.
• Botha P, MacGowan GA, Dark JH. Sildenafil Citrate Augments Myocardial Protection in Heart Transplantation. Transplantation 2010, 89(2), 169-177.
• Botha P, Parry G, Dark JH, MacGowan GA. Acute hemodynamic effects of intravenous sildenafil citrate in congestive heart failure: comparison of phosphodiesterase type-3 and -5 inhibition. Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation 2009, 28, 676-82.
• Bauer R, Straub V, Blain A, Bushby K, MacGowan GA. Contrasting effects of steroids and angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors in a mouse model of dystrophin-deficient cardiomyopathy. European Journal of Heart Failure 2009, 11(5), 463-471.
• MacGowan GA. Good news for mice with heart attacks: preventing acute myocardial injury by inhibiting apoptosis. Cardiovascular Research 2009, 81, 1-2.
• Kirk JA, MacGowan GA, Evans C, Smith SH, Warren CM, Mamidi R, Chandra M, Stewart AF, Solaro RJ, Shroff SG. Left ventricular and myocardial function in mice expressing constitutively pseudophosphorylated cardiac troponin I. Circulation Research 2009, 105, 1232-9.
• MacGowan GA, Neely D, Peaston R, Wrightson N, Parry G. Evaluation of NT-proBNP to predict outcomes in advanced heart failure. International Journal of Clinical Practice 2010, 64(7), 892-899.
• Bauer R, MacGowan GA, Blain A, Bushby K, Straub V. Steroid treatment causes deterioration of myocardial function in the δ-sarcoglycan-deficient mouse model for dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiovascular Research 2008, 79(4), 652-661.
• MacGowan GA, Kirk JA, Evans C, Shroff SG. Pressure-calcium relationships in perfused mouse hearts. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology 2006, 290(6), H2614-H2624.
• MacGowan GA, Rager J, Shroff SG, Mathier MA. In vivo α-adrenergic responses and troponin I phosphorylation: Anesthesia interactions. Journal of Applied Physiology 2005, 98(4), 1163-1170.
• MacGowan GA, Evans C, Hu TCC, Debrah D, Mullet S, Chen HH, McTiernan CF, Stewart AFR, Koretsky AP, Shroff SG. Troponin I protein kinase C phosphorylation sites and ventricular function. Cardiovascular Research 2004, 63(2), 245-255.
• MacGowan GA, Du C, Wieczorek DF, Koretsky AP. Compensatory changes in Ca(2+) and myocardial O(2) consumption in beta-tropomyosin transgenic hearts. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology 2001, 281(6), 2539-2548.
• MacGowan GA, Du C, Cowan DB, Stamm C, McGowan FX, Solaro RJ, Koretsky AP, Del Nido PJ. Ischemic dysfunction in transgenic mice expressing troponin I lacking protein kinase C phosphorylation sites. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology 2001, 280(2), 835-843.
• Hu TC, Pautler RG, MacGowan GA, Koretsky AP. Manganese-enhanced MRI of mouse heart during changes in inotropy. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2001, 46(5), 884-890.
• Hollingsworth KG, Hodgson T, Macgowan GA, Blamire AM, Newton JL. Impaired cardiac function in chronic fatigue syndrome measured using magnetic resonance cardiac tagging. Journal of Internal Medicine 2012, 271(3), 264-270.
• McDiarmid A, MacGowan GA, Parry G, Schueler S, Trenell MI, Jakovljevic DG. Left ventricular assist device implantation significantly improves everyday physical activity and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure. In: Annual Congress of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2012, Prague, Czech Republic. In Press.
• Hollingsworth KG, Blamire AM, Keavney BD, MacGowan GA. Left ventricular torsion, energetics, and diastolic function in normal human aging. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology 2012, 302(4), H885-H892.