Institute for Bioethics logo
Institute for Bioethics logo
Ritu Thamman

Ritu Thamman, MD, FASE, FACC

Core Faculty

Professional Statement

Dr. Ritu Thamman is a cardiologist, educator, and scholar whose work bridges cardiovascular medicine, bioethics, health humanities, and digital innovation. As a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Core Faculty member in the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Bioethics, she has developed an academic portfolio centered on equity, professionalism, technology, and the human experience of illness.

Her teaching philosophy emphasizes reflective practice, empathy, and patient-centered care alongside scientific rigor. She has co-directed courses including Narrative and the Experience of Illness and On Being a Physician, and has led educational initiatives in culinary medicine, telehealth, physician well-being, and medical humanities for learners across all stages of training. Through workshops on narrative medicine, burnout prevention, and professionalism, she has helped trainees and faculty explore ethical dimensions of caregiving, communication, and clinician identity in modern medicine. Her commitment to mentorship and education was recognized with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Carl R. Fuhrman Clinical Educator of the Year Award.

Dr. Thamman’s research focuses on leveraging technology and community-based strategies to reduce disparities in cardiovascular care, particularly among women and historically marginalized populations. Her scholarship spans telemedicine, artificial intelligence, social determinants of health, and digital health ethics, including work examining the promises and risks of AI in cardiovascular medicine and the equitable implementation of emerging technologies. She has also contributed to interdisciplinary work in machine learning and echocardiographic ontology development, reflecting her interest in responsible innovation and the ethical use of data in medicine.

Nationally, Dr. Thamman has demonstrated substantial service leadership through the American Society of Echocardiography, the American College of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association. She founded ASE’s Women in Echo and ASE’s Twitter Journal Club, chaired national initiatives in telehealth and digital engagement, and has worked to advance inclusion, mentorship, and equitable access within cardiovascular medicine. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to integrating ethics, education, innovation, and advocacy to improve both patient care and the culture of medicine.

Appointments

  • Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine Department of Medicine School of Medicine
  • Core Faculty Institute for Bioethics

Education and Training

  • Cardiology Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2000
  • Internal Medicine Residency, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, 1994
  • MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 1991

Professional Interests in Bioethics

Representative Publications

  1. Prakash Upreti ….Ritu Thamman Gender disparities in TAVR outcomes meta-analysis JACC. 2026 April, 87 (Supplement)

  2. Maria J. Platanis, Karen Kane McDonnell, Sarah Slone, Ritu Thamman, Karen E.Wickersham. Perspectives of Interventional Cardiologists and Cardiothoracic Surgeons on the Late Diagnosis and Undertreatment of Women Diagnosed with Severe Symptomatic AorticStenosis medRxiv 2026.01.29.26345174; doi:https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.29.26345174

  3. Thamman R et al. Exposing Inequality: Environmental Injustice and Cardiovascular Health Disparities” JACC: Advances 4 (7), 101875

  4. Tobb K, Thamman R, Velarde G, Nixon J, Palaniappan,L, Bacong AM, Wadhera R, Brandt EJ. Addressing Unmet Needs in Cardiovascular Care: A Focus on Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ Efforts to Integrate Social Determinants of Health Into Health Care. JACC: Advances. Volume 4, Issue 6, Part 1, June 2025, 101813

  5. Thamman, R, Yong C, Tran A, Tobb K, Brandt K. Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cardiovascular Health Disparities: The Risk of Greasing the Slippery Slope. JACC: Advances. JACC Adv. 2023 Sep, 2 (7) 100578

    View publication

  6. Watson AR, Wah R, Thamman R. The Value of Remote Monitoring for the COVID-19 Pandemic. Telemed J E Health. 2020 Sep;26(9):1110-1112. PMID: 32384251.

Awards and Honors

  • AHA Paul Dudley White Scholar Award, 2020
  • UPSOM Carl R. Fuhrman Clinical Educator of the Year, 2021
  • Gerhard Hoghenkerke Honorary Lecture DGK German Echo Congress 2024
  • UPSOM PEC Award for Culinary Medicine CVD Prevention, 2024

Media