Amy Lin, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

CLINICAL INTERESTS
My clinical interests are in cardiology and cardio-oncology, which the care of cancer patients and preventing and managing cardiovascular issues that can arise from cancer therapies. My special interests include survivorship, including breast and prostate cancer, and clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential or CHIP (mutations in stem cells of the blood) leading to cardiovascular disease. At UCSF, I am part of the Cardio-Oncology and Immunology Program.

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests are in cardio-oncology, with focus on inflammation in cardiovascular disease and how CHIP can increase a patient’s risks for heart disease, heart failure and arrhythmias. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, or CHIP is an age-associated process, where mutations in a certain subset of genes, drives the selection and survival of clonal blood cell populations. CHIP is common, occurring in more than 10% of individuals over the age of 70 years, and as expected, is associated with the increased risk of blood cancers, including MDS, and leukemia. Emerging research has highlighted the association of CHIP and precursor disorders with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Individuals with CHIP have a 2-4-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, independent of traditional CVD risk factors, similar to the degree of risk conferred by smoking, hypertension, or elevated cholesterol. The genetic mutations underlying clonal hematopoiesis may contribute to an increase in inflammation and other processes that affect the health of heart tissue and blood vessels. My recent research work demonstrated individuals with CHIP are at increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation, associated with increased inflammasome activation.

Education
Post-Doctoral Fellow, 2022 - Cardiovascular Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Post-Doctoral Fellow, 2022 - Hematology and Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
Fellow, 2019 - Cardiovascular Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Resident, 2016 - Internal Medicine, University of Toronto
MD, 2012 - Medicine, University of Toronto
PhD, 2010 - School of Graduate Studies, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
Honors and Awards
  • American College of Cardiology (ACC) Merck Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 2021-2022
  • American Society of Hematology Research Training Award for Fellows, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2020-2021
  • John S. LaDue Memorial Fellowship, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 2018-2020
Websites
Publications