Rebecca Vanderpool
-
Assistant Professor of Medicine
-
Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

My research focuses on quantifying right ventricular-vascular coupling and pulmonary vascular stiffness in patients and animal models with pulmonary vascular disease. During my postdoctoral training in Belgium with Dr. Robert Naeije, MD, PhD, I established upper limit of normal of the increase in pulmonary artery pressure with exercise in normal patients. In collaboration with another group, we were able to show that subjects with pulmonary vascular disease will have decreased distensibility of the resistance vessels and an increase of pulmonary artery pressure outside of the limits of normal. During my postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh in the Vascular Medicine Institute, my research focused on quantifying the interaction between the right ventricle and pulmonary circulation using the ratio of stroke volume to end-systolic volume in the right ventricle. We were the first to investigate the association between RV-PA coupling and mortality and transplant in pulmonary hypertension patients. Through collaborations in the Vascular Medicine Institute, I quantified right ventricular function in animal models of pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension in the setting of left heart disease. As a new investigator at the University of Arizona, I am continuing the clinical research to quantify right ventricular function in patients with pulmonary vascular disease and investigate the effect of therapy on right ventricular function, RV-PA coupling, and pulmonary vascular stiffness in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Degrees
- Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- B.S. Biomedical Engineering
- University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Work Experience
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2013 - 2016)
- Free University of Brussels (ULB) (2011 - 2013)
- University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin (2005 - 2010)
- University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin (2004 - 2006)
Interests
Research
Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Ventricular Function, Pulmonary Vascular Mechanics, andExercise Physiology
Courses
Independent Study
BME 599 (Fall 2019)
PSIO 399 (Spring 2021)
PSIO 399 (Fall 2020)
Honors Independent Study
PSIO 399H (Spring 2018)
Directed Research
BIOC 492 (Spring 2018)
BME 492 (Spring 2021)
BME 492 (Spring 2020)
BME 492 (Fall 2019)
PSIO 492 (Spring 2020)
PSIO 492 (Fall 2019)
PSIO 492 (Spring 2019)
Honors Thesis
PSIO 498H (Spring 2020)
PSIO 498H (Fall 2019)
Rsrch Meth Biomed Engr
BME 597G (Fall 2019)
Selected Publications
Journals/Publications
- Richter, M. J., Badagliacca, R., Wan, J., Vanderpool, R., Dalmer, A., Ghofrani, H. A., Harth, S., Seeger, W., Gall, H., Naeije, R., & Tello, K. (2021). Right ventricular dyssynchrony: from load-independent right ventricular function to wall stress in severe pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulmonary circulation, 10(2), 2045894020925759.
- Romanoski, C. E., Qi, X., Sangam, S., Vanderpool, R. R., Stearman, R. S., Conklin, A., Gonzalez-Garay, M., Rischard, F., Ayon, R. J., Wang, J., Simonson, T., Babicheva, A., Shi, Y., Tang, H., Makino, A., Kanthi, Y., Geraci, M. W., Garcia, J. G., Yuan, J. X., & Desai, A. A. (2021). Transcriptomic profiles in pulmonary arterial hypertension associate with disease severity and identify novel candidate genes. Pulmonary circulation, 10(4), 2045894020968531.
- Shen, Y., Goncharov, D. A., Avolio, T., Ray, A., Okorie, E., DeLisser, H., Mora, A. L., Vanderpool, R., Kudryashova, T. V., & Goncharova, E. A. (2021). Differential effects of integrin-linked kinase inhibitor Cpd22 on severe pulmonary hypertension in male and female rats. Pulmonary circulation, 10(1), 2045894019898593.
- Babicheva, A., Ayon, R. J., Zhao, T., Ek Vitorin, J. F., Pohl, N. M., Yamamura, A., Yamamura, H., Quinton, B. A., Ba, M., Wu, L., Ravellette, K. S., Rahimi, S., Balistrieri, F., Harrington, A., Vanderpool, R. R., Thistlethwaite, P. A., Makino, A., & Yuan, J. X. (2020). MicroRNA-mediated downregulation of K channels in pulmonary arterial hypertension. American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology, 318(1), L10-L26.
- Badagliacca, R., Rischard, F., Papa, S., Kubba, S., Vanderpool, R., Yuan, J. X., Garcia, J. G., Airhart, S., Poscia, R., Pezzuto, B., Manzi, G., Miotti, C., Luongo, F., Scoccia, G., Sciomer, S., Torre, R., Fedele, F., & Vizza, C. D. (2020). Clinical implications of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension phenotypes defined by cluster analysis. The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation, 39(4), 310-320.
- Karnes, J. H., Wiener, H. W., Schwantes-An, T. H., Natarajan, B., Sweatt, A. J., Chaturvedi, A., Arora, A., Batai, K., Nair, V., Steiner, H. E., Giles, J. B., Yu, J., Hosseini, M., Pauciulo, M. W., Lutz, K. A., Coleman, A. W., Feldman, J., Vanderpool, R., Tang, H., , Garcia, J. G., et al. (2020). Genetic Admixture and Survival in Diverse Populations with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.
- Naeije, R., Richter, M. J., Vanderpool, R., & Tello, K. (2020). When it all comes down to pressure: right ventricular ejection fraction at cardiac catheterisation. The European respiratory journal, 55(3).
- Richter, M. J., Fortuni, F., Wiegand, M. A., Dalmer, A., Vanderpool, R., Ghofrani, H. A., Naeije, R., Roller, F., Seeger, W., Sommer, N., Gall, H., Ghio, S., & Tello, K. (2020). Association of right atrial conduit phase with right ventricular lusitropic function in pulmonary hypertension. The international journal of cardiovascular imaging.
- Singh, I., Rahaghi, F. N., Naeije, R., Oliveira, R. K., Vanderpool, R. R., Waxman, A. B., & Systrom, D. M. (2020). Dynamic right ventricular-pulmonary arterial uncoupling during maximum incremental exercise in exercise pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulmonary circulation, 9(3), 2045894019862435.
- Sun, X., Sun, B. L., Babicheva, A., Vanderpool, R., Oita, R. C., Casanova, N., Tang, H., Gupta, A., Lynn, H., Gupta, G., Rischard, F., Sammani, S., Kempf, C. L., Moreno-Vinasco, L., Ahmed, M., Camp, S. M., Wang, J., Desai, A. A., Yuan, J. X., & Garcia, J. G. (2020). Direct Extracellular NAMPT Involvement in Pulmonary Hypertension and Vascular Remodeling. Transcriptional Regulation by SOX and HIF-2α. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 63(1), 92-103.
- Tang, W. H., Wilcox, J. D., Jacob, M. S., Rosenzweig, E. B., Borlaug, B. A., Frantz, R. P., Hassoun, P. M., Hemnes, A. R., Hill, N. S., Horn, E. M., Singh, H. S., Systrom, D. M., Tedford, R. J., Vanderpool, R. R., Waxman, A. B., Xiao, L., Leopold, J. A., & Rischard, F. P. (2020). Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation of Cardiovascular Physiology in Patients With Pulmonary Vascular Disease: Insights From the PVDOMICS Program. Circulation. Heart failure, 13(3), e006363.
- Tello, K., Dalmer, A., Vanderpool, R., Ghofrani, H. A., Naeije, R., Roller, F., Seeger, W., Wiegand, M., Gall, H., & Richter, M. J. (2020). Right ventricular function correlates of right atrial strain in pulmonary hypertension: a combined cardiac magnetic resonance and conductance catheter study. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 318(1), H156-H164.
- Tello, K., Richter, M. J., Yogeswaran, A., Ghofrani, H. A., Naeije, R., Vanderpool, R., Gall, H., Tedford, R. J., Seeger, W., & Lahm, T. (2020). Sex Differences in Right Ventricular-Pulmonary Arterial Coupling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 202(7), 1042-1046.
- Kiely, D. G., Levin, D., Hassoun, P., Ivy, D. D., Jone, P. N., Bwika, J., Kawut, S. M., Lordan, J., Lungu, A., Mazurek, J., Moledina, S., Olschewski, H., Peacock, A., Puri, G. D., Rahaghi, F., Schafer, M., Schiebler, M., Screaton, N., Tawhai, M., , Van Beek, E. J., et al. (2019). EXPRESS: Statement on imaging and pulmonary hypertension from the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI). Pulmonary circulation, 2045894019841990.
- Maestas, T., Hansen, L. M., Vanderpool, R. R., Desai, A. A., Airhart, S., Knapp, S. M., Cohen, A., Feldman, J., & Rischard, F. P. (2019). Right ventricular afterload predicts long-term transition from parenteral to oral treprostinil in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulmonary circulation, 8(4), 2045894018797270.
Poster Presentations
- Servin, F., Rosado, J. A., Janardhanan, R., Yuan, J., Rischard, F., & Vanderpool, R. (2018, Summer). Assessment of Pulmonary Arterial Structure and its Association with Right Ventricular Function in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference. Seven Springs, PA.
- Bernardo, R., Bernardo, R., Wickstrom, K., Wickstrom, K., Desai, A., Desai, A., Nair, V., Nair, V., Vanderpool, R., Vanderpool, R. R., Rischard, F., & Rischard, F. (2017, September). Echocardiographic measures of right ventricular function poorly correlate with changes in contractility and coupling in treatment naïve patients with pulmonary artery hypertension before and after therapy.. European Respiratory Society Congress. Milan, Italy: European Respiratory Society.
- Rosado-Toro, J. A., Avery, R., Altbach, M. I., Rischard, F., & Vanderpool, R. R. (2017, November). Feasibility of MRI-RHC based pressure volume loops in control and PAH patients. AHA Annual Conference. Anahaim, CA: American Heart Association.
- Bernardo, R., Bernardo, R., Wickstrom, K., Wickstrom, K., Desai, A., Desai, A., Nair, V., Nair, V., Vanderpool, R. R., Vanderpool, R., Rischard, F., & Rischard, F. (2017, September). Echocardiographic measures of right ventricular function poorly correlate with changes in contractility and coupling in treatment naïve patients with pulmonary artery hypertension before and after therapy.. European Respiratory Society Congress. Milan, Italy: European Respiratory Society.
- Rosado-Toro, J. A., Avery, R., Altbach, M. I., Rischard, F., & Vanderpool, R. R. (2017, November). Feasibility of MRI-RHC based pressure volume loops in control and PAH patients. AHA Annual Conference. Anahaim, CA: American Heart Association.
- Servin, F., Rosado, J. A., Janardhanan, R., Yuan, J., Rischard, F., & Vanderpool, R. (2018, Summer). Assessment of Pulmonary Arterial Structure and its Association with Right Ventricular Function in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference. Seven Springs, PA.
Presentations
- Seckeler, M., Rischard, F., & Vanderpool, R. (2020, September). Long-term hemodynamic benefits after ‘treat-to-close’ for intracardiac shunts and pulmonary hypertension. European Respiratory Society International Congress 2020. Vienna, Austria.
- Vanderpool, R. R. (2017, August). Diastolic Right Ventricular Function in Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. China Heart Congress (CHC) 2017. Beijing, China: Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases of China (NCCD).
- Vanderpool, R., Knapp, S. M., Honkanen, I., Wickstrom, K., Desai, A., Bernardo, R., & Rischard, F. (2017, January). Feasibility of determining right ventricular diastolic stiffness from a standard right heart catheterization. Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute Annual Conference. MIami, FL: Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute.
- Vanderpool, R., Knapp, S. M., Honkanen, I., Wickstrom, K., Desai, A., Bernardo, R., & Rischard, F. (2017, May). Resting right ventricular diastolic function and pulmonary arterial compliance associate with right ventricular contractile reserve in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.. American Thoracic Society Conference. Washington, D.C.: American Thoracic Society.
- Seckeler, M., Rischard, F., & Vanderpool, R. (2020, September). Long-term hemodynamic benefits after ‘treat-to-close’ for intracardiac shunts and pulmonary hypertension. European Respiratory Society International Congress 2020. Vienna, Austria.
- Vanderpool, R. R. (2017, August). Diastolic Right Ventricular Function in Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. China Heart Congress (CHC) 2017. Beijing, China: Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases of China (NCCD).
- Vanderpool, R., Knapp, S. M., Honkanen, I., Wickstrom, K., Desai, A., Bernardo, R., & Rischard, F. (2017, January). Feasibility of determining right ventricular diastolic stiffness from a standard right heart catheterization. Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute Annual Conference. MIami, FL: Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute.
- Vanderpool, R., Knapp, S. M., Honkanen, I., Wickstrom, K., Desai, A., Bernardo, R., & Rischard, F. (2017, May). Resting right ventricular diastolic function and pulmonary arterial compliance associate with right ventricular contractile reserve in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.. American Thoracic Society Conference. Washington, D.C.: American Thoracic Society.
Awards
- Max Harry Weil Award for Resuscitation Science
- American Heart Association - Sponsored by the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Resuscitation (3CPR), Fall 2018
- Early Career Research Achievement Award
- American Thoracic Society - Assembly on Pulmonary Circulation, Spring 2018
- Abstract Scholarship
- American Thoracic Society, Spring 2017
- Certificate of Achievement in 2016
- PVRI - Committee for Young Clinicians and Scientists, Spring 2017
- PVRI Best Clinical Abstract
- Pulmonary Vascular Research Institue, Spring 2017