Cardiovascular disease along with subsequent heart failure is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The adult heart is composed of diverse cell types, including cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial and perivascular cells, which participate in repair processes. After a heart attack, the complex interactions among these cells are dramatically disturbed, often leading to excessive or detrimental cardiac fibrosis—a hallmark of heart failure. Cardiomyocyte function is known to be regulated by calcium channels, but much less is known about the role of calcium in fibroblast functioning and in modulating fibrosis. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has awarded Gaetano Santulli, M.D., Ph.D., a five-year, $2 million grant to study the roles played by calcium channels in regulating cardiac fibrosis. Dr. Santulli is an assistant professor of medicine and of molecular pharmacology at Einstein. (1R01HL146691-01A1)