Dr. Rita Redberg appointed Araxe Vilensky Endowed Chair

We are proud to announce Rita Redberg, MD, MSc was appointed the Araxe Vilensky Endowed Chair as of April 2020. This endowed chair was funded by a bequest from Mrs. Araxe Vilensky, a resident of the City and County of San Francisco and a patient of Kanu Chatterjee. The Chair was given in honor of Dr. Chatterjee and his contribution to cardiology research. 

As a physician and researcher, Dr. Redberg has a long history and proven record of research. Her research focuses on technology assessment and the evidence base and regulatory pathway for medical devices; She is the principal investigator for a study on a Greenwall Foundation Making a Difference grant on accelerated approvals of drugs and devices. Dr. Redberg is also the PI for an Arnold Ventures grant on high value care. She has published extensively on this subject. In addition, Dr. Redberg has a long record of public service related to health policy and has recently chaired the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee as well as served on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which advises Congress on Medicare payment policy.

"Because I’m an academic, I have a very strong belief that the best way to weigh risks and benefits is to have good evidence," said Dr. Redberg. "I have learned that we are often approving high-risk devices on the basis of little and sometimes no clinical data."

In another area of research, Dr. Redberg serves as principal investigator of the FAMRI Bland Lane Center of Excellence on Secondhand Smoke, which studies the long-term effects of secondhand smoke on non-smoking flight attendants.

Throughout her career, Dr. Redberg has been a leader in encouraging more women to become cardiologists. She co-founded an American Heart Association committee to increase the number of women entering the field, as well as the number of women in leadership positions.

Dr. Redberg joined the UCSF faculty in 1991. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology at Cornell University and medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed advanced fellowship training in non-invasive cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Center.  Learn more about Dr. Redberg in her faculty spotlight.