Dr. Kathy Jenkins directs the Cardiology Clinical Research and Regulatory Group, which conducts studies examining variation in outcomes for patients with congenital heart disease and evaluating new therapeutic modalities to treat congenital heart defects. Dr. Jenkins has identified myofibroblastic proliferation as the putative cause for progressive pulmonary vein stenosis, and is running a novel treatment protocol with chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, she is currently seeking FDA approval for a feasibility study investigating the use of a contrast agent during magnetic resonance lymphangiography to evaluate lymphatic disease in high-risk patients. Dr. Jenkins works closely with multi-disciplinary investigators, interventional cardiologists, device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, industry sponsors, and regulatory bodies such as the FDA to ensure that clinical trials are conducted properly.
Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Kimberlee Gauvreau developed the Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) method to allow for meaningful comparisons of congenital heart surgery outcomes, and have extended this work in measure development to other cardiac and non-cardiac conditions. Dr. Jenkins also serves as the primary research mentor for junior faculty, and provides guidance about research study design and implementation to students, fellows, and faculty.
About Kathy Jenkins
Kathy Jenkins received her MD from Harvard Medical School and her MPH from Harvard School of Public Health. She completed an internship, residency, and fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital.
- Sadr IM, Tan PE, Kieran MW, Jenkins KJ. Mechanism of pulmonary vein stenosis in infants with normally connected veins. Am J Cardiol. 2000;86(5):577-9, A10.
- Jenkins KJ, Gauvreau K, Newburger JW, Spray T, Moller JH, Iezzoni LI. Consensus-based method for risk adjustment for surgery for congenital heart disease. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2002;123(1):110-8.
- Bergersen L, Gauvreau K, Lock JE, Jenkins KJ. A risk adjusted model for comparing adverse outcomes among practitioners in pediatric and congenital cardiac catheterization. Congenit Heart Dis. 2008;3(4):230-40.
- Rehman M, Jenkins KJ, Juraszek AL, Connor JA, Gauvreau K, Muneeb M, Sena LM, Colan SD, Saia T, Kieran MW. A prospective phase II trial of vinblastine and methotrexate in multivessel intraluminal pulmonary vein stenosis in infants and children. Congenit Heart Dis. 2011;6(6):608-23.
- Balasubramanian S, Rehman M, Gauvreau K, Jenkins KJ. Bilateral disease and early age at presentation are associated with shorter survival in patients with congenital heart disease and intraluminal pulmonary vein stenosis. Congenit Heart Dis. 2012;7(4):378-86.
- Ringel RE, Gauvreau K, Moses H, Jenkins KJ. Coarctation of the Aorta Stent Trial (COAST): study design and rationale. Am Heart J. 2012;164(1):7-13.
- Ringel RE, Vincent J, Jenkins KJ, Gauvreau K, Moses H, Lofgren K, Usmani K. Acute outcome of stent therapy for coarctation of the aorta: results of the coarctation of the aorta stent trial (COAST). Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2013;82(4):504-10.
- Jenkins KJ, Castañeda AR, Cherian KM, Couser CA, Dale EK, Gauvreau K, Hickey PA, Koch Kupiec J, Forbes Morrow D, Novick WM, Rangel SJ, Zheleva B, Christenson JT. Reducing Mortality and Infections after Congenital Heart Surgery in the Developing World. Pediatrics. 2014 (in press).