Dr. Forman is a geriatrician and cardiologist, who has been a thought leader in the rapidly expanding field of Geriatric Cardiology. He has a portfolio of research exploring the dimensions of aging that impact the understanding of and management of cardiovascular disease in older adults. Dr. Forman’s research is oriented both to cellular mechanisms that underlie incidence and distinctiveness of cardiovascular disease in older adults, as well as optimization of cardiovascular therapeutics in older adults. His cellular translational work focuses particularly on mitochondrial energetics in skeletal muscle in older adults with cardiovascular disease and the utility of nitrites, metformin and other novel therapies to enhance physical function. He is also studying new approaches to cardiac rehabilitation and prehabilitation to enhance clinical outcomes of older adults with cardiovascular disease in the context of multimorbidity, sarcopenia, frailty, cognitive impairments, and other geriatric complexities.
Dr. Forman has an interest in maintaining/restoring physical function in older cardiovascular patients with related expertise in exercise training and novel adjuctive therapies. He is one of the leading experts in Geriatric Cardiology, and an expert in cardiac rehabilitation, including novel telehealth technologies.
Dr. Forman has an interest in developing the field of Geriatric Cardiology, in which precepts of geriatrics (e.g., multimorbidity, frailty, polypharmacy) are integrated with mainstream cardiology as a key step towards improved care of the older cardiovascular patient.
- MD, George Washington University School of Medicine, 1986
- Residency, St Elizabeth's Hospital Center of Boston
- Fellowship, Geriatric Medicine, Harvard University, 1992
- Fellowship, Cardiovascular Medicine, Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard University, 1994
Education & Training
Forman DE, Arena R, Boxer R, Dolansky MA, Eng JJ, Fleg JL, Haykowsky M, Jahangir A, Kaminsky LA, Kitzman DW, Lewis EF, Myers J, Reeves GR, Shen WK; American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research; and Stroke Council. Prioritizing Functional Capacity as a Principal End Point for Therapies Oriented to Older Adults With Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017 Apr 18;135(16):e894-e918. PMID: 28336790.
Forman DE, Maurer MS, Boyd C, Brindis R, Salive ME, Horne FM, Bell SP, Fulmer T, Reuben DB, Zieman S, Rich MW. Multimorbidity in Older Adults With Cardiovascular Disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018 May 15;71(19):2149-2161. PMID: 29747836.
Schopfer DW, Whooley MA, Allsup K, Pabst M, Shen H, Tarasovsky G, Duvernoy CS, Forman DE. Effects of Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation on Time to Enrollment and Functional Status in Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Oct 20;9(19):e016456. PMID: 32954885.
Lutz AH, Delligatti A, Allsup K, Afilalo J, Forman DE. Cardiac Rehabilitation Is Associated With Improved Physical Function in Frail Older Adults With Cardiovascular Disease. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2020 Sep;40(5):310-318. PMID: 32804797.
Forman DE, Clare R, Kitzman DW, Ellis SJ, Fleg JL, Chiara T, Fletcher G, Kraus WE; HF-ACTION Investigators. Relationship of age and exercise performance in patients with heart failure: the HF-ACTION study. Am Heart J. 2009 Oct;158(4 Suppl):S6-S15. PMID: 19782790.
Forman DE, Fleg JL, Kitzman DW, Brawner CA, Swank AM, McKelvie RS, Clare RM, Ellis SJ, Dunlap ME, Bittner V. 6-min walk test provides prognostic utility comparable to cardiopulmonary exercise testing in ambulatory outpatients with systolic heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012 Dec 25;60(25):2653-61. PMID: 23177293.
Forman DE, Santanasto AJ, Boudreau R, Harris T, Kanaya AM, Satterfield S, Simonsick EM, Butler J, Kizer JR, Newman AB. Impact of Incident Heart Failure on Body Composition Over Time in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study Population. Circ Heart Fail. 2017 Sep;10(9):e003915. PMID: 28899988.
Tucker WJ, Haykowsky MJ, Seo Y, Stehling E, Forman DE. Impaired Exercise Tolerance in Heart Failure: Role of Skeletal Muscle Morphology and Function. Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2018 Dec;15(6):323-331. PMID: 30178183.
Forman DE, Daniels KM, Cahalin LP, Zavin A, Allsup K, Cao P, Santhanam M, Joseph J, Arena R, Lazzari A, Schulze PC, Lecker SH. Analysis of skeletal muscle gene expression patterns and the impact of functional capacity in patients with systolic heart failure. J Card Fail. 2014 Jun;20(6):422-30. PMID: 24704539.
Lecker SH, Zavin A, Cao P, Arena R, Allsup K, Daniels KM, Joseph J, Schulze PC, Forman DE. Expression of the irisin precursor FNDC5 in skeletal muscle correlates with aerobic exercise performance in patients with heart failure. Circ Heart Fail. 2012 Nov;5(6):812-8. PMID: 23001918.
- Leadership Award, Inaugural Chair, Geriatric Cardiology Section, Amercian College of Cardiology, 2014
- VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System Outstanding Contribution to Science (Medical), 2016
- Chair, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Older Populations Committee, American Heart Association, 2017
- Tenure, University of Pittsburgh, 2017
- American College of Cardiology (ACC) Commendation as Co-Director of the NIA-ACC-AGS program Diagnostic Testing In Older Adults With Cardiovascular Disease, 2018
- Meyers Visiting Professor of Geriatric Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, 2019
- Best Doctors of Pittsburgh (Cardiology and Geriatrics), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Pitt Integrated Clinical and Geroscience Research Training Program, T32 AG021885, PI, 2003-2029 (PI: 2024-2029).
Transition to Cardiac Rehabilitation (T2C) to Address Barriers of Multimorbidity and Frailty, VA Merit Award, PI, 2024-2027.
PRagmatic EValuation of evENTs And Benefits of Lipid-lowering in oldEr Adults (PREVENTABLE), U19 AG065188, Co-Investigator, 2020-2026.
