Cara Pellegrini

Cara Pellegrini, MD is a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, Department of Cardiology. Her research focuses on cardiovascular electrophysiology, arrhythmia management, implantable devices, and metabolic influences on heart diseases. She has held roles including Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship (UCSF, 2009) and Cardiology Fellowship (UCSF, 2007), and completed clinical research training (UCSF, 2007).

Education:

• MD in Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (2001)
• BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University (1997)

Research Interests: Dr. Pellegrini investigates arrhythmia mechanisms, implantable device optimization, metabolic pathways in atrial fibrillation, and disparities in cardiac care. Her work integrates clinical data with machine learning for predictive models, such as using ECG patterns to forecast atrial fibrillation in veterans. She also contributes to guideline development, co-authoring 2018 ACC/AHA/HRS guidelines on bradycardia management.

Publications Trends: Her 15 most recent articles (2021–2025) emphasize device-related issues (e.g., ICD programming, catheter entrapment), metabolic-cardiac interactions, and procedural safety (e.g., lead extraction). Over half address arrhythmia management, with growing focus on AI applications in cardiology.

Awards:

• Emerging Faculty Leadership Academy Awardee (ACC, 2019)
• Joel Karliner Teaching Award (UCSF, 2019)
• CORO Leadership Collaborative Selectee (2017)

Grants/Advising: Lead investigator on AHA-funded metabolic-cardiac studies. Advises fellows on clinical research methodologies and participates in multi-institutional trials on exercise therapy for atrial fibrillation recurrence reduction.

Teams/Labs: Collaborates with UCSF’s Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab and Geriatric Cardiology Group, focusing on aging-related arrhythmias and device innovation.