2024 Sessions Planning Committee

Carolyn Ho, MD

Dr. Carolyn Yung Ho is the medical director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). A cardiovascular medicine specialist, she is also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS).  She received her medical degree from HMS. She then completed an internal medicine residency and a cardiology fellowship at BWH. Dr. Ho is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Ho’s clinical interests include cardiomyopathy, echocardiography, and cardiovascular genetics. The author of over 30 peer-reviewed publications, her research focuses on characterizing early phenotypes of sarcomere mutations in inherited cardiomyopathies and developing clinical trials to diminish the progression of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Her research has received support from the American College of Cardiology and National Institutes of Health.

Iacopo Olivotto, MD 

Dr. Olivotto is Full Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Florence and Chief of Cardiology at Meyer Children Hospital, as well as coordinator of the adult cardiomyopathy services at Careggi University Hospital, in Florence. Over the last three decades, his main clinical and research interests have includes various aspects of cardiomyopathies, with special focus on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and other genetic forms of cardiac disease. In recent years, he has pioneered the development of novel pharmacological treatments for patients with cardiomyopathies, including trial design for targeted drugs involving small molecules and gene therapies. He is a co-founder of the Share international registry for Cardiomyopathies and serves as the Regional expert for rare genetic heart diseases for the region of Tuscany, Italy.

Mariko Harper, MD, FACC

Dr. Harper serves as the Medical Director of The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Under her direction, she has created a regional center providing an individualized approach to the diagnosis, genetic testing, advanced cardiac imaging and medical/surgical management of patients with HCM. Dr. Harper has authored and published multiple peer reviewed articles and book chapters in a wide range of topics in cardiology. Following her passion for patient education and cardiovascular disease prevention, she is also one of the course directors for the "Food Is Medicine" continuing medical education lecture series at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Dr. Harper believes in patient-centered and patient-driven care. She emphasizes the importance of shared clinical decision making, with open dialogue between the patient and the entirety of the patient's multidisciplinary care team. Dr. Harper has been recognized as a Seattle Met Top Doctor in 2021 and 2022.

Michael Ayers, MD

Michael Ayers, MD, is a sports cardiologist caring for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients, a genetic condition causing thickening of the heart muscle. While hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the most common conditions diagnosed in competitive athletes, Ayers treats any cardiac symptoms or concerns, inherited cardiac conditions, or incidental cardiac findings in a broad spectrum of athletes, ranging from recreational runners and cyclists to professional athletes. Trained in advanced lipidology with a clinical focus on preventive cardiology, he also manages patients with a strong family history of premature heart attacks, cholesterol or lipid disorders, or high individual risk for cardiac events.

Olafunke O. Ajijola, Pharm.D, CPP

Dr. Ajijola is a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner who serves as a pharmacist specialist at Atrium Health - Sanger Health and Vascular Institute. She works as part of a multidisciplinary team serving patients in the Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant clinic. Dr. Ajijola oversees medication management, solves medication related problems while assessing for drug efficacy, safety, and cost effectiveness for patients with advanced heart failure, pulmonary arterial hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM), cardiac sarcoidosis, cardiac oncology, anticoagulation, and antiarrhythmics. She is an active member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Dr. Ajijola is well recognized for her unwavering commitment to improving health outcomes and promoting wellness within her community.

Omar Wever-Pinzon, MD, FACC

Dr. Wever-Pinzon is an Associate Professor of Medicine and is the Cardiac Director, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program Center of Excellence at University of Utah. He received his medical degree from the University of Panama. Dr. Wever-Pinzon completed his Internal Medicine Residency, followed by a fellowship in Advanced Cardiac Imaging at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center-University Hospital of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. In 2010, he joined the Cardiology Investigator track at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where he completed his training in Cardiovascular Disease. In 2015, he completed his training in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.  Dr. Wever-Pinzon's primary clinical and academic interests are focused on the development of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program at the University of Utah. The goals of this program are to improve the clinical management of patients with this unique condition and to advance the understanding of this inherited cardiac disease through collaborative research efforts.

Robyn Bryde, MD 

Robyn Bryde, MD completed cardiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic and is completing an advanced fellowship in Sports Cardiology and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy at Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ — under the direction of Matthew Martinez, MD. With this position, Dr. Bryde is involved in cutting-edge research trials studying novel therapies available to patients with HCM. Upon completion of the advanced fellowship, she plans to move to Boise, Idaho where she will bring her unique set of skills to the Mountain West.