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Stephanie Nakano, MD

Provider's Specialties

Cardiology - Pediatric
Pediatrics

Provider's location(s)

Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora

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Patient ratings

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The Heart Institute

(720)777-6820

Insurance plans accepted

We participate with most major health insurance plans and national transplant networks.

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My care philosophy

Pediatric heart diseases are not simply adult heart problems in children. My goals are to help families navigate through this unique world of pediatric heart disease, and expand our understanding of these conditions in order to have effective pediatric-focused treatments for the future.

Get to know Stephanie Nakano, MD

Departments and Programs

Conditions Treated

Cardiomyopathy
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)
Heart Failure
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Languages spoken

English

Experience and background

My clinical focus is on the care of children and young adults with decreased heart function (including those with cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, single ventricle congenital heart disease, and following heart transplantation) as well as those with general pediatric cardiology conditions.

Undergraduate 2003

University of California–Los Angeles (CA)

Medical Education 2007

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Residency 2010

Children's Hospital-Oakland Program

Fellowship 2014

University of Colorado (Children's Hospital Colorado) Program

Website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1tOEn1TCQhGAz/bibliography/47502989/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending

For Patients:
My research interests are focused on identifying why some children with single ventricle heart disease do well with surgical palliation while others are prone to heart failure. Increasing our understanding of heart failure in this population is essential to improving outcomes for the future.

For Referring Providers:
As a physician caring for children with heart failure, some of whom have required heart transplantation, I am continually faced with fundamental knowledge gaps that place limits on both quality and quantity of their lives. These barriers are particularly evident in pediatric patients with complex congenital heart disease, including single ventricle heart disease. Thus, I am motivated to improve outcomes for single ventricle patients by connecting the clinical and basic science domains as a physician-scientist. Leading a research team that works primarily with patient-derived samples, we aim to define alterations and adaptations that co-exist in single ventricle patients, extending beyond their cardiac anatomy. Our two primary goals are to understand (1) inherent cardiomyocyte abnormalities and (2) immune dysregulation in single ventricle patients, both of which may predispose a subset of single ventricle patients to early heart failure.