Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher Assistant Professor of Medicine (Research), Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Research)

Dr. Salmoirago-Blotcher is an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Research) in the Department of Medicine at the Brown University Alpert School of Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Research) in the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health at Brown University. She has a nearly twenty years’ experience as a clinical cardiologist in Italy and Israel. During her career as a cardiologist she realized that our efforts to treat cardiovascular disease could not be successful without promoting lasting and sustainable behavioral change. She thus decided to become a full-time researcher in the area of cardiovascular (CV) prevention and behavioral cardiology. She received a PhD in Clinical and Population Health Research from the University of Massachusetts and a NRSA post-doctoral training award in behavioral medicine. She is also a qualified instructor in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts).

Dr. Salmoirago-Blotcher research interests focus on two main areas. First, she interested in the role  of psychobehavioral factors in the development of CV disease in women. She has been the leading investigator on a project studying psychobehavioral triggers of stress (takotsubo) cardiomyopathy and led secondary analyses from the Women's Health Initiative looking at the role of religion, spirituality and optimism in the development of CV disease. Second, she is interested in exploring novel strategies for the promotion of behavioral change and the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Specifically, she studies the role of integrative medicine approaches (mindfulness training, mindful movement) in the promotion of cardiovascular health (physical activity, healthy dietary behaviors, and medication adherence). She has served as Principal Investigator on a pilot RCT (F32 AT005048) of mobile mindfulness training to improve psychological distress in patients with cardiac defibrillators;  on a project studying  the role of mindfulness training in the promotion of healthy behaviors in teenagers (R21HL119665); and on a study investigating the role of Tai Chi as an exercise alternative to traditional cardiac rehabilitation programs (R34AT007569). She is currently the PI of a study exploring synergistic effects of aerobic exercise and mindfulness training on cognitive function in older adults at risk of dementia (Norman Prince Neurosciences Institute) and the PI (with Dr. M.P. Carey, R34AT008930) of a study testing the feasibility of mobile mindfulness training to improve ART adherence and risky sex behaviors among people living with HIV.

Brown Affiliations

Research Areas

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