Dr. David John Patton

Dr. David Patton's main research interests are in non-invasive imaging of congenital heart disease (CHD) and in development of programs for transitional care of adolescents with CHD. CHD is the most common birth defect and with advances in care, the number of patients surviving with chronic CHD continues to increase. At present, more than 85% of patients with CHD reach adulthood. This spectrum of CHD, from the fetus to the adult, provides a unique, collaborative research model involving physiologists and other basic scientists, undergraduate and graduate students, nurses, adult and pediatric cardiologists, radiologists, and surgeons with the common goals of understanding disease and improving outcomes in a wide range of patients with CHD.

Current projects include imaging myocardial fibrosis in childhood cancer survivors, analyzing complex blood flow patterns in patients with CHD, and developing educational programs for adolescents with chronic CHD to better understand their heart problems.