Global Health Forum

Art to Heart: Bridging Global Trends in Cardiac Health

August 21, 2010 at the USC Institute for Genetic Medicine Art Gallery

This art-framed, multi-disciplinary forum will explore cardiac health from global perspective to molecular scale. The
topics take us on a journey around the world to survey cardiovascular health issues in China, the Middle East, Africa,
Central and South America, and our own neighborhoods of greater Los Angeles.

The focus will be on the importance of sustainable systems bridging global communities to improve prevention,
detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease worldwide. This forum is one of the many events associated with
the Pattern Formation: Molecular Biology/Social Order exhibit organized by the USC Institute for Genetic Medicine
Art Gallery Advisory Council with its partners: CalTek.Net, Premiere Writers, The Society for the Arts in Healthcare,
SoCal Sister Cities, L.A./Nagoya Sister Cities Affiliation, URONIMO, USC Head and Neck Cancer Support Group, USC
Focus the Nation Chapter, USC Americans for Informed Democracy Chapter, Emergency USA, and Community
Healthcare Services Foundation.

Registration 12:30 – 1:00 PM Reception 5:30 – 7:00 PM

Presentations 1:00 – 5:30 PM

1:00 Brief Welcome and Introduction of Presentations

Global Climate Change: Far Reaching Effects
1:05 Dr. Kristie L. Ebi On Human Health
The Global Burden of CVD: Efforts in China to
1:30 Dr. Nathan D. Wong Combat this Problem
1:55 Dr. Vivian Mo and
Dr. Helga Van Herle Women’s Cardiovascular Center at USC

Everybody's Heart Beats: The Threat of Cardiovascular Disease in the

2:20 Luke Manley Eastern Mediterranean Region and Lower-Middle Income Countries
2:45 Dr. Mohammad
Pashmforoush Molecular Mechanism of Cardiac Arrhythmias

3:10 Dr. Cheryl A. Armstead Questions of Color: Skin Tone, Racism, & Cardiovascular Risk

3:35 Anna Gilmore The Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery in Sudan

4:00 Dr. Sheba K. Meymandi Chagas Disease in Los Angeles County

The Global Diabetes Epidemic - A Problem of the Poor in Developed
4:25 Dr. Francine Kaufman Nations and of the Rich in Developing Nations
4:50 Dr. Cheng-Ming Chuong
And The IGM Art Gallery Exhibit
Richard Yutaka Fukuhara Pattern Formation: Molecular Biology/Social Order
Closing Remarks:
5:15 PM Dr. Sheila Kar The Heart & The Body -- Vital Steps for
Nurturing Disease Prevention

5:30 – 7:00 PM RECEPTION in the IGM Art Gallery: Open to Presenters and Guests
 The USC Institute for Genetic Medicine Art Gallery
Presents the 2010 Global Health Forum:
Saturday AUGUST 21, 2010 12:30 PM

Art to Heart: Bridging Global Trends in Cardiac Health

This forum will explore topics that move from global to molecular in scale, in a fascinating survey of
cardiovascular health trends and medical responses in the unique contexts of China, the Middle East,
Africa, Central and South America, and in our own neighborhoods of greater Los Angeles. Focus will be
on the importance of sustainable systems as people cooperate across borders and across disciplines to
improve prevention, detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease in the global community.

EVENT CONTACT: Anna Gilmore gilmore@usc.edu 323-865-0439

FREE Admission – Please RSVP Online: http://www.tfaforms.com/172729
 Kristie L. Ebi is Executive Director of the Technical Support Unit for
Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability) of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Prior to this position,
she was an independent consultant. She has been conducting research on
the impacts of and adaptation to climate change for more than a dozen
years, including on extreme events, thermal stress, foodborne safety and
security, and vectorborne diseases. She has worked with the World Health
Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, USAID, and
others on implementing adaptation measures in low-income countries.
She facilitated adaptation assessments for the health sector for the states
of Maryland and Alaska. She was a lead author on the “Human Health” chapter of the IPCC Fourth
Assessment Report, and the “Human Health” chapter for the U.S. Synthesis and Assessment Product
“Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems.” She has
edited fours books on aspects of climate change and has more than 80 publications. Dr. Ebi’s scientific
training includes an M.S. in toxicology and a Ph.D. and a Masters of Public Health in epidemiology, and
two years of postgraduate research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Global Climate Change: Far Reaching Effects on Human Health

Climate change is projected to have far-reaching effects on human health and well-being. Heatwaves
and other extreme weather events (e.g. floods, droughts, and windstorms) directly affect millions of
people and cause billions of dollars of damage annually. There is a growing consensus that the
frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will likely increase over coming decades as a
consequence of climate change, suggesting that the associated health impacts also could increase.
Indirectly, climate can affect health through affecting the number of people at risk of malnutrition, as
well as through alterations in the geographic range and intensity of transmission of vectorborne,
zoonotic, and food- and waterborne diseases, and changes in the prevalence of diseases associated with
air pollutants and aeroallergens. Additional climate change is projected to significantly increase the
number of people at risk of major causes of ill health, particularly malnutrition, diarrheal diseases,
malaria, and other vectorborne diseases.

Dr. Nathan D. Wong is Professor and Director of the Heart Disease Prevention
Program, Division of Cardiology at University of California, Irvine School of
Medicine and also Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology and UC Irvine and UCLA. He
holds PhD and MPH degrees in epidemiology from Yale University. Dr. Wong has
over 20 years experience as a cardiovascular epidemiologist, has edited or co-
edited four textbooks related to Preventive Cardiology, and has authored or co-
authored over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts in areas of preventive cardiology
including lipids, detection of atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and
hypertension, and serves on the editorial boards of several journals. He has been an investigator or
collaborator with large-scale cardiovascular disease studies, including the Framingham Heart Study and
Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Dr. Wong is also a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and
the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention and is currently President of the
American Society for Preventive Cardiology. He has also lectured nationally and internationally on his
research and on various topics in preventive cardiology. He is also on the board of directors for the non-
profit China California Heartwatch, which is involved in screening and management of hypertension and
cardiovascular disease in rural underserved regions of China.
 The Global Burden of CVD: Efforts in China to Combat this Problem
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the leading cause of mortality worldwide with the vast
majority of CVD deaths occurring among low- and middle-income countries. People in these regions
are often more exposed to significant risk factors such as tobacco smoking, but less exposed to
preventive efforts. The combination of both population-based and high-risk approaches are needed to
make significant progress towards reducing CVD associated morbidity and mortality. While acute care
and management of hospitalized patients with CVD has greatly improved, population-wide tobacco
control policies, and governmental policies aimed at restricting fat, sugar and salt intake and
increasing physical activity are needed to make further progress. In China, the population growth and
aging has been projected alone to result in more than a 50% increase in CVD in the next 20 years, with
an additional 23% increase (nearly 30 million CVD events and deaths) due to trends in risk factors.
Efforts by the World Health Organization, Chinese Society of Cardiology, and non-profit entities such
as the China California Heartwatch will help in these efforts.

Dr. Vivian Y. Mo completed her professional education in Texas. After

finishing her undergraduate degree in psychology from Rice University in
Houston, Dr. Mo attended medical school at the University of Texas -
Houston Health Science Center. Dr. Mo then completed her internship,
residency and a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Texas -
Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. While at USC, Dr. Mo has continued
her research in the fields of preventive cardiology, lipid disorders,
echocardiography and cardiovascular disease in women. She is a member
of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and
the American Society of Echocardiography.

Dr. Helga Van Herle completed her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of
California, Los Angeles and obtained her Masters of Science in Bioengineering at Columbia University.
She attended medical school at the University of California at Los
Angeles. Subsequently she completed her internship and residency in
internal medicine at Cornell-The New York Hospital in Manhattan. She
completed her cardiology fellowship at University of California, Los
Angeles, where she also did graduate research in Bioengineering. Prior
to her recent move to the University of Southern California, she was an
Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the
University of California, Los Angeles. She is a member of the American
Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Her
research interests include the prevention and treatment of
cardiovascular disease in women, cardiac evaluation of solid organ transplant candidates and the use
of data mining techniques for the evaluation of medical data sets. She has co authored several papers
in the area of data mining of medical data in prominent peer reviewed journals of computer science.

Women’s Cardiovascular Center at USC

The Women’s Cardiovascular Center (WCVC), which opened in late 2009, was established to assure
that the unique needs of women are recognized and met in the prevention, detection and treatment of
cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the number one killer in women, regardless of race or
ethnicity, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined.
 Understanding the risks first hand, Doctors of USC physicians, Leslie A. Saxon, chief of the division of
cardiovascular medicine and professor of medicine-clinical scholar at the Keck School, Vivian Y. Mo,
director of Women’s Cardiovascular Center and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck
School, and Helga Van Herle, associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School, formed the
all-woman, multidisciplinary team of health care professionals centered around the female patient with
the goal of preventing heart disease. As part of the USC Cardiovascular Thoracic Institute, the mission
of the WCVC is to provide open, expert and personalized comprehensive cardiovascular education and
care to women of all ages.

The WCVC is comprised of physicians and nurse practitioners that provide comprehensive cardiac care,
such as preventive cardiology and treating established cardiac disease problems. These include, but
are not limited to, hypertension, high cholesterol, valvular disease, coronary artery disease, heart
failure and arrhythmias. A patient’s initial visit will include an extensive review of their medical history,
a thorough physical exam and a screening for risk factors. The Women's Cardiovascular Center is
located on the fourth floor of the Health Consultation Center II in the Cardiovascular Thoracic Institute.
For more information please call (323) 442-6278 or email wcvc@cvti.usc.edu.

Luke Manley grew up in and around Boston, Massachusetts before

moving north to attend the University of Maine at Orono for his
undergraduate degree. After living briefly in Portland, Oregon he is
now working as a Research Phlebotomist and Grants Manager for the
Psychiatry Department at the University of Southern California. His
passion lies in travel and working internationally, especially in the
Middle-East. He has spent time in Turkey, researching the Turkish
Healthcare system and recently returned from Syria, Palestine, and
Tunisia, assisting with the MedCHAMPS project, which is studying
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In the Fall he will be moving
to Atlanta, Georgia for an internship with the Carter Center and then to Washington, D.C. to pursue a
PhD and begin his career in International Relations.

Everybody's Heart Beats: The Threat of Cardiovascular Disease in the

Eastern Mediterranean Region and Lower-Middle Income Countries.
There are a great number of health challenges that compound the immense political, economic, and
social hurdles that are already faced by lower-middle income countries in the process of development.
As these nations transition they tend to see a replacement of previously dominant infectious disease
with steadily rising rates of the non-communicable diseases commonly associated with the world’s
high-income countries. Lower-middle income countries are impacted by this emergence of NCDs
particularly hard as their social service infrastructure is often not equipped to respond to such threats.
However, efforts from global organizations such as the UN and WHO are beginning to provide the
knowledge, opportunity, and funding to these countries and regions who are most in need of
assistance in tackling such challenges. Addressing these issues early and vigorously will allow these
countries to develop in a healthy and responsible way and even offer future leadership in the fight to
eliminate the threat of non-communicable disease. The presentation will involve a slideshow giving an
overview of the extent of the problem, possible solutions, and ways to get involved and help.
Additionally, there will also be some short video presentations allowing you to meet some of the
public health workers who are working on the front lines of CVD research in the Middle-East.
 Dr. Mohammad Pashmforoush is a graduate of University of Chicago Medical
School and did his residency at University of Washington Hospitals. He did his
cardiovascular research and clinical training at UCSD and UCSF and joined USC
in September 2005. His research is focused on the genetics of cardiovascular
disease and stem cell biology.

Molecular Mechanism of Cardiac arrhythmias

Our research is focused on specific molecules that guide the cardiac stem cell
progenitors to become pacemaker cells. The pace maker cells are responsible
for the regular and rhythmic beating of the heart. How and when specific
cardiac stem cell receive instructive signals to become pace maker cells is not well understood. Our research
is aimed at identifying some of key pathways the lead the formation of specialized cardiac cells.

Dr Cheryl A. Armstead MS(R), Ph.D. is a tenured Associate Professor

in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina
Psychology Department, Clinical-Community Program, South
Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Program/SCCDCN. With
training in cancer disparities, cardiovascular psycho-physiology, and
minority health, she has experience in the areas of social inequities
(racism, SES), community-based participatory research, sociocultural
influences on health disparities, and CBPR. As a well-respected
member of the local African-American community, Dr. Armstead
contributes over 15 years of bio-behavioral research experience
among African Americans in South Carolina. She was an awardee of
the National Cancer Institute's Comprehensive Minority Biomedical
Branch Diversity Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in
Health-Related Research. She is conducting research community stress, psychosocial risk research,
and health equity analyses in African American communities. This spring she is beginning a study on
The "Effects of housing foreclosure on Circadian Blood Pressure and Cytokine Regulation" with Drs.
Burch and Hebert.

Questions of Color: Skin Tone, Racism, & Cardiovascular Risk

An examination of relationships between racism and cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stress;
hostility and stress reactivity; socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease, health promotion.

Research statement: One aspect of my research concerns the relationship between psychological
processes and cardiovascular responses. The psychological processes under investigation include
exposure to racism, hostility, modes of anger expression, and styles of coping. These
characteristics are examined for their relationship to stress-induced increases in blood pressure,
cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance. A second aspect focuses on the role of
constitutional factors in cardiovascular reactivity to stress. Recent studies have focused on race,
gender and socioeconomic status. Our stressors include discussions of racism, discussions of
anger experiences, racism film stressors, and naturalistic stressors. Finally, we are beginning new
research on the psychophysiology of coping.
 Anna Gilmore works as a Project Specialist for the USC Department of
Preventive Medicine of KSOM. She has pursued interests in the sciences, as
well as fascination with the transformative power of the arts and of narrative.
She earned a BA in English from University of Florida 1989 while working as a
research laboratory technician and teaching English as a Second Language.
Her current work for Preventive Medicine includes project development and
participant enrollment in studies of cancer epidemiology. In recent years she
has volunteered efforts toward cultural and educational events to bring public
attention to the urgent need for medical assistance for civilian communities in war zones to relieve
human suffering caused by wars. In 2008, she and colleagues co-founded EMERGENCY USA-Life
Support for Civilian Victims of War and Poverty , an independent U.S. nonprofit whose mission is to
increase public awareness and raise funds for permanent infrastructure to provide medical care,
rehabilitation and relief efforts for victims of wars, poverty and natural disasters.

The Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery in Sudan

Designed by architect Raul Pantaleo, the Salam Center represents a model of sustainability and
functionality uniquely suited to the challenge of operating a surgical center of excellence in a
developing nation, in extremes of climate and in a cultural crossroads. Decades of wars in Sudan have
resulted in 4 to 5 million people being displaced and a severe lack of healthcare services for the
majority of people in the region. Meanwhile, the burden of cardiovascular disease is increasing rapidly
in Africa and is now a public health problem throughout--overtaking infectious diseases as the leading
cause of death. The Salam (Peace) Center, which was built and is operated by the international Italian-
based NGO, EMERGENCY, is a response to the need for cardiac surgical care. It offers specialized,
first-world standard cardiac care to children and adults with acquired or congenital heart conditions.
The Salam Center forms the hub of a regional network of pediatric medical centers equipped to provide
much-needed primary care to patients under the age of 14 while hosting cardiac screening clinics for
adults and children. The activities and details of this center of excellence have provided a means of
leveraging cooperation between the health ministries of the nine countries surrounding Sudan.

Dr. Sheba K. Meymandi is the director of the Center of Excellence for Chagas
Disease at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, which opened in 2007 as the first
U.S. clinic for the diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease. The Center has
since diagnosed and treated over 50 patients and conducts free comprehensive
mobile medical evaluations in a grassroots effort to educate about the disease
and to detect cases early. It also performs important clinical research into rates
of prevalence, conduction abnormalities, pregnant women, and congenital
transmission. Such research aims in part to identify potential markers for those
at risk of sudden death due to Chagas.

Dr. Meymandi is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA’s David Geffen School

of Medicine, the Associate Program Director of the UCLA Cardiovascular
Disease Fellowship Program and the Director of Cardiovascular Research and Invasive Cardiology at
Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. She graduated from George Washington University School of
Medicine and a Bachelor’s in Psychobiology from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the UCLA-San Fernando Valley Program.
 Chagas Disease in Los Angeles County
Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, causes the most important
parasitic disease burden in Latin America, where an estimated 8 million persons are infected.
Chronic CD results in symptomatic cardiac and/or gastrointestinal disease in 10-30% of
infected persons, and each year roughly 20,000 deaths are attributed to the illness in the
endemic countries. Recent studies have shown that in large part due to population flows, the
prevalence of Chagas disease in non-endemic countries is on the rise. Approximately 17
million persons born in the countries in which CD is endemic currently reside in the U.S. and
roughly 300,000 of these immigrants are thought to have chronic CD. Our studies
demonstrate a substantial prevalence of CD in Latin American immigrants in Los Angeles
County and suggests that similar numbers of persons with CD are present in other
communities in which immigrants from Chagas-endemic countries have settled. Serologic
screening of immigrants at geographic risk for CD should be performed so that appropriate
monitoring and treatment can be carried out.

Dr. Francine R. Kaufman, M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice
President of Global Clinical, Medical and Health Affairs for Medtronic
Diabetes (Northridge, CA). She is a Distinguished Professor Emerita
of Pediatrics and Communications at the Keck School of Medicine
and the Annenberg School of Communications of the University of
Southern California. From 1998-2009, she was head of the Center
for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Childrens Hospital
Los Angeles.

Dr. Kaufman has published more than 200 scientific articles and
authored of 30 books or book chapters. In 2008, she edited the 5th
edition of the ADA’s The Medical Management of Type 1 Diabetes.
In 2005 her book, Diabesity, was published by Bantam. She was
study chair of the NIH-funded TODAY and HEALTHY trials, and a PI
of TrialNet.

Dr. Kaufman was national president of the American Diabetes Association in 2002-03. She served as
chair of the Youth Consultative Section of the International Diabetes Federation and the National
Diabetes Education Program. In 2005, she was elected to the Institute of Medicine. In 2007, she was
Co-Chair of the Diabetes Work Group for the Department of Health Services of the State of California. Dr.
Kaufman filmed a documentary for Discovery Health on the global diabetes epidemic in 2007-08. In
2009, she was appointed to the Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health Diabetes Branch.

The Global Diabetes Epidemic –

A problem of the poor in developed nations and of the rich in developing nations
To discuss the increasing prevalence of diabetes and its antecedent obesity across the globe,
how it differentially affects developed and developing nations, and what measures are being put
in place to make a difference.
 Dr. Cheng-Ming Chuong received his M.D. from Taiwan University in 1978.
He then obtained his Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University in 1983. He
moved to the University of Southern California in 1987 and has worked on
the development and re-generation of ectodermal organ stem cells. He is
currently a professor of pathology and also serves as the Chair of the
Graduate Committee in the Department of Pathology. Also the course co-
coordinator of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at USC, Dr. Chuong has
been invited to give many lectures in international conferences and
prestigious universities and received many honors including the award for
creativity in research by USC. Recently, he was elected to the prestigious Academia Sinica, the National
Academy equivalent of Taiwan. Dr. Chuong has published more than 150 papers on the biology of the
integument in top journals, including multiple research papers and commentaries in Nature and Science.
He has published two books (Molecular Basis of Epithelial Appendage Morphogenesis; Fossil Birds of China)
and two journal special issues (Development and Evolution of Amniote Integuments; Pattern Formation).

Dr. Chuong directs the Laboratory of Tissue Development and Engineering in the Department of Pathology,
USC. The laboratory studies how stem cells are guided to form special tissues and organs of specific size and
shape. Using the ectoderm organ as a Rosetta stone, his laboratory learns from nature how to mold stem cells
into different ectodermal organs during development, evolution and stem cell engineering. His laboratory has
promoted the concept of "topobiology" on how the principles help lay down the spatial patterns of ectodermal
organs. He is also one of the leaders of regenerative biology, and pioneered studies on how the macro-
environment can affect the regenerative activity of stem cells in vivo. His laboratory carries out multi-
disciplinary research by collaborating with robotic engineers, mathematical biologists and paleontologists,
thus providing new understanding at a systemic level.

Artist Statement: Patterns reflect order embedded in randomness. They

may appear as spatial arrangements or temporal series, and the
elements may be identical or form with variations. Patterns exist in the
physical world as well as in living systems. The process which
generates this order is termed pattern formation. In the physical world,
patterns can be generated by physical-chemical processes which occur
moment by moment (as clouds) or accumulate over millions of years
(as geological layers). In the biological world, patterns can range from
simple to complex, forming the basic building blocks of life. Here we
use feathers and flowers to demonstrate patterns in animals and
plants. Indeed the ability to form organized patterns is a fundamental
ability of multi-cellular organisms. When injured, many organisms
strive to regenerate and rebuild patterns.

Scientists have been working to learn the principles that can pattern stem cells. We like to explore the origin of
patterns, how the genetic code is translated into biological forms, and how complex phenotypes are selected
over an evolutionary time span. Further, the ability to create and appreciate patterns begins in the minds of
early humans. Humans are fascinated by patterns, maybe because patterns can give us the feeling of order
and beauty. It is time for us to reflect and re-integrate our appreciation of the patterns in nature. This exhibit
allows us to further explore, with our art colleagues, similar patterning in social systems. We hope that new
insights will emerge by integrating the concepts of this exhibition, and to appreciate that we need to live
harmoniously with nature. -Cheng-Ming Chuong
 Richard Yutaka Fukuhara was born in 1944 in Minidoka, Idaho, one
of the ten United States internment camps. His family returned to
Long Beach after the war. At 16 Fukuhara began studying
photography in high school. He continued making photographs
through college and during his two years, 1966-68, in the U.S.
Army. In 1969, he began receiving assignments from design studios
and advertising agencies. The following year, he opened Fukuhara
Studio in Long Beach. In the fall of 1972, his first solo exhibition,
“The Art of Photography,” opened at The Long Beach Museum of Art.
Fukuhara’s images have appeared in numerous publications
including Nikon World, IEEE Magazine, West Magazine, Westways, Studio Photographer, Life Magazine,
Southland Magazine, and Sinar Magazine. In 1982, he and his family (Mom, brothers Trace, Victor and
Larry, and sisters Aki and Sandi held a “Fukuhara Family Art Exhibition” at the Mokichi Okada
Association Gallery, Long Beach. Fukuhara returned to The Long Beach Museum of Art in 1987 with his
series, “West Meets East.’’ That year his work was part of The American Society of Media Photographers
International Traveling Exhibition. In 1992, Richard was featured on ABC News with Peter Jennings. In
1995 he was featured on KTTV’s “Making It.” In March 2008, Fukuhara’s series “Tapestries of
Downtown America, Los Angeles” showcased at Los Angeles City Hall’s Bridge Gallery. The following
year, with the support from the Los Angeles Nagoya Sister City Affiliation, “Tapestries, Los Angeles”
was exhibited in Nagoya, Japan, in celebration of the Los Angeles-Nagoya 50 Year Sister City Affiliation
at the Annual Nagoya Festival. The Nagoya city officials, impressed with Fukuhara’s “Tapestries,”
requested his return to exhibit “Tapestries of Nagoya” at the Nagoya City Museum in October 2010.
The images exhibited at IGM Gallery were created from the1980s to the present. Fukuhara states, “My
images are introspection beyond the depths of paper and chemicals. I feel we travel through time and
space, moving so swiftly that we only view the surface of our existence. A leaf, flower, feather, rock,
shell, and eatables have common shapes and forms with depths beyond the universe.”

Artist Statement: In our present state we travel through time and space at mach+one velocity. Our
staccato intake of precious oxygen seldom fills our lungs to capacity. The aperture of our mind’s eye
snaps fleeting images of the world around us.

My computer manipulated photographic images of pattern formations, “Tapestries” were created to

make us halt, fill our lungs with oxygen, open our mind’s eye and explore. “Tapestries” is a collection
of images that transforms civic landmarks into kaleidoscope
patterns of colors, textures, and forms. Using a palette of historical
structures, modern skyscrapers, alleyways, fire escapes, street
lamps, and archways, “Tapestries” stimulates the senses with
stunning mosaics representing everyday life in metropolitan areas.
Featured are “Tapestries of Los Angeles” and “Tapestries of
Nagoya.” The originals of “Tapestries of Los Angeles,” ranging in
size from 36”x36” to 40”x87,” were featured at the Los Angeles City
Hall’s Bridge Gallery in March-April 2008, and in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2009 to help celebrate the
Los Angeles-Nagoya Sister City 50 Year Affiliation. “Tapestries of Nagoya,” sizes ranging from 38”x42”
to 40”x78” will be showcased at the Nagoya City Museum in October, 2010.
- Richard Yutaka Fukuhara
 Sheila Kar, MD, FACC is Clinical Chief of the Division of Cardiology at the
Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the
David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA). Professionally, Dr. Kar is a member of the American College of
Cardiology and its District Council for legislature; the American College of
Echocardiology; the American Heart Association; the American Medical
Women’s Association; and the Indian Medical Association, among many
others.

Dr. Kar serves on a number of committees at Cedars-Sinai, including the

Heart Failure Committee, the Cardiology Performance Improvement
Committee and the Medicine Performance Improvement Committee. She also
is a member of the Council of Women’s Health at Cedars-Sinai and a Council
Member for the Western Regional Summit for Cardiovascular Care in Women Actively involved in community
health education, Dr. Kar founded the Sheila Kar Health Foundation in 2007. In addition, she is an active
member of the D.A.R.E. America Board of Directors, the D.A.R.E. International Board of Directors and its
Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Kar has presented locally, nationally and internationally, and been published extensively in peer-
reviewed journals. Her presentations have covered such topics as heart disease in women, preventing
coronary artery disease, advancements in diagnosing cardiovascular disease; ethnic disparities in heart
disease; addictions and the heart; and the effects of stress and obesity on the heart. Her articles have
been published in journals that include Circulation, Primary Cardiology, Annals of Pharmacotherapy,
American Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, American
Heart Journal and the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. Additionally, Dr. Kar has written
chapters for textbooks on echocardiography and synchronized coronary venous retroperfusion during
angioplasty.

Dr. Kar earned her medical degree from the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical School of the University of
Calcutta. She did post-doctoral work in cardiology at the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education
& Research (IPGMER) and the Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) Hospital. (SSKM Hospital has a more
than 300-year history of serving the citizens of Calcutta.) She completed residencies in both internal
medicine and cardiology at the IPGMER. In 1985, she came to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA as
a Clinical Research Fellow in cardiology. She subsequently repeated her residencies in internal medicine
and cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Closing Remarks of the Event Given by Dr. Sheila Kar:

The Heart & The Body -- Vital Steps for Nurturing Disease Prevention
The IGM Art Gallery Thanks Our Partners: