Youhua Zhang specializes in cardiac electrophysiology, cardiac autonomic control, and heart failure research. He was a cardiologist at the Cardiovascular Institute and Fu Wai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Beijing, China) before joining the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, where he served as postdoctoral fellow to project staff and research assistant professor from 1999 to 2011. Zhang joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2011 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2015.
He has pioneered the use of cardiac selective vagal stimulation to control ventricular rate in atrial fibrillation. In addition, Zhang has demonstrated the beneficial therapeutic effects of chronic vagal nerve stimulation in heart failure. He has made several contributions to dual pathway atrioventricular (AV) node electrophysiology. He discovered and validated a new index of dual pathway AV nodal conduction, termed His electrogram alternans, also known as Zhang’s phenomenon.
He received his medical degree at Xinjiang Medical College, Urumqi, China, and Ph.D. in cardiology at Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Recent Projects and Research
- Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Remodeling in Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation
- Atrioventricular Node Dual Pathway Electrophysiology
Publications
- Delfiner MS, Nofi C, Li Y, Gerdes AM, Zhang Y. Failing Hearts Are More Vulnerable to Sympathetic, but not Vagal Stimulation Induced Atrial Fibrillation: Ameliorated with Dantrolene Treatment. Journal of Cardiac Failure. 2018;24(7):460-469. PMID: 29885493.
- Zhang Y. His electrogram alternans (Zhang's phenomenon) and a new model of dual pathway atrioventricular node conduction. Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology 2016;45(1):19-28. PMID: 26614299.
- Zhang Y, Dedkov EI, Lee B, Li Y, Pun K, Gerdes AM. Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy Attenuates Atrial Remodeling and Reduces Atrial Fibrillation Inducibility in a Rat Myocardial Infarction-Heart Failure Model. Journal of Cardiac Failure 2014;20(12):1012-9. PMID: 25305503.
- Zhang Y. Transverse Versus Longitudinal Electrical Propagation Within the Atrioventricular Node During Dual Pathway Conduction: Basis of Dual Pathway Electrophysiology and His Electrogram Alternans (Zhang's Phenomenon). International Journal of Cardiology. 2014;171(2):259-264. PMID:24387892.
- Zhang Y, Dedkov EI, Teplitsky D, Weltman NY, Pol CJ, Rajagopalan V, Lee B, Gerdes AM. Both Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism Increase Atrial Fibrillation Inducibility in Rats. Circulation Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2013;6(5):952-9. PMID:24036190.
Honors and Awards
- 1998 Clinical Achievement Award, Cardiovascular Institute and Fu Wai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- 2005 Innovator Award, The Cleveland Clinic
- 2008 Innovator Award, The Cleveland Clinic
Courses Taught at New York Tech
- Cardiovascular System