When Bhavana Sivakumar, PhD, sought a scientific fellowship last spring, she was looking for an environment where she could grow scientifically and align her work more closely to her long-term research interests in cardiovascular translational research. Her search led her to the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center (CIRC) at Indiana University School of Medicine in May 2025.
She was particularly interested in the cardiovascular imaging research that Rohan Dharmakumar, PhD, executive director of the Medical Imaging Research Institute, had been doing in recent years regarding structural damage caused after heart attacks — or myocardial infarction.
“I came across one of Dr. Dharmakumar’s articles on hemorrhagic myocardial infarction in JACC: Advances,” Sivakumar explained. “One line in particular — ‘not all MIs are the same’ — immediately caught my attention. That statement stayed with me because the paper challenged assumptions that many people in the field had long believed and laid the foundation for asking new mechanistic and clinically relevant questions about myocardial infarction.”
She said Dharmakumar’s research stood out because it encompassed both cutting-edge cardiovascular imaging and important biological questions in heart disease. After reading more about his research program, Sivakumar said she became even more interested in the possibility of working with him.
“Dr. Dharmakumar’s research was highly relevant to my background in cardiovascular biology, and I felt training under his mentorship would be a meaningful next step in my postdoctoral journey,” she said. “I saw it as an opportunity not only to deepen my scientific expertise but also to elevate the kind of research I want to pursue in the future.”
Exploring pathways to new therapies
Sivakumar’s current research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which an iron-containing molecule called heme contributes to tissue injury after a hemorrhagic myocardial infarction, a severe heart attack where blood seeps through damaged capillaries onto dying heart tissue after blood flow is restored to a damaged artery. Her goal is to help scientists identify strategies that could reduce or prevent this damage. Through her research and those of her collaborators, they hope to identify pharmacological agents that may help mitigate heme-mediated injury.
“This is an important area of study because hemorrhagic myocardial infarction can lead to worsened cardiac injury and poor recovery, and there is still much to learn about the biological processes involved,” she said. “Free heme can become highly toxic in injured tissue because it promotes oxidative damage, inflammatory signaling and dysfunction in surrounding cells,” Sivakumar said about the iron-containing molecule. “In hemorrhagic MI, this may contribute to greater tissue injury and adverse remodeling of the heart muscle.”
Sivakumar said her interest remains in cardiovascular translational research, where she can help make an impact on biological research and novel therapeutic approaches. She said she is fascinated by the complexity of heart disease and understands how critical it is for researchers to better understand the disease and treat it. Sivakumar is also interested in seeing how cardiovascular imaging plays a role in showing various stages of structural changes to the heart muscle and how it impacts outcomes.
“What interests me most about cardiovascular imaging research is its ability to connect fundamental biology with clinical relevance,” Sivakumar said. “Imaging allows us to visualize disease processes in ways that are highly informative, and it provides a bridge between what is happening at the molecular and cellular level and what clinicians observe in patients. I find that especially exciting because it opens the door to more accurate diagnosis, better risk assessment and potentially more targeted therapies.”
Learning from mentors and peers
Sivakumar currently collaborates with Shing Fai Chan, PhD, assistant research professor of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at CIRC, which is a part of the Medical Imaging Research Institute at IU School of Medicine. Chan’s research focuses on investigating time-dependent signaling events that follow a heart attack by employing tools in molecular biology and cardiovascular biology.
“Bhavana is a dedicated and collaborative professional who brings both scientific rigor and positive team spirit to our work environment,” Chan said. “She approaches challenges thoughtfully, pairing strong analytical skills with a genuine commitment to advancing meaningful research.”
He said while Sivakumar’s current research is not linked to a particular grant, it aligns with their broader research in hemorrhagic processes and remains highly relevant to the team’s research goals.
She is currently developing preliminary data that she hopes can support future grant applications and publications.
“She combines a strong foundation in translational research with a clear awareness of clinical relevance, using systematic approaches to study disease processes and identify promising therapeutic options,” Chan emphasized.
While at Indiana University, Sivakumar said she wants to make the most of this training period and set herself up for success.
“For me, the most important thing is to make the most of this training period by developing strong scientific skills, producing rigorous research and preparing for the next stage of my career,” she said. “These include strengthening my expertise in molecular biology, deepening my understanding of cardiovascular disease mechanisms, learning how to design impactful research studies, and gaining experience in grant writing, scientific communication and collaborative problem solving.”
Sivakumar said she hopes what she learns at CIRC will help her contribute to writing competitive research grants and publishing findings that add value to the field. In the short term, she plans to apply for an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship and hopes to later work as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, where she can make an impact on patient care. She said she ultimately hopes to be part of efforts that move discoveries from the laboratory toward practical treatments that improve human health.
“Interacting with researchers in the same field, hearing about their scientific journeys and seeing their achievements inspires me to keep moving forward,” Sivakumar said. “Their work shows me what is possible through dedication and persistence, and that has continued to motivate me throughout my career.”
Sivakumar said her collaboration with Chan has been valuable. “Our collaboration has been an important part of my training experience,” she said. “Being able to learn from mentors with different areas of expertise has broadened my perspective and contributed greatly to my scientific and professional growth.”
She also said she appreciates the time Dharmakumar devotes to fellows.
“I have been fortunate to learn from supportive mentors during my time here, especially Dr. Dharmakumar, whose guidance has been very important to my development as a postdoctoral fellow,” Sivakumar said. “His mentorship has helped me think more deeply about scientific questions, approach research with greater rigor, and better understand the translational importance of our work.”
Developing an early interest in science
Sivakumar’s interest in scientific research began in high school and grew more as she worked in a lab during college at Bharathiar University and earned a doctoral degree in cardiovascular toxicity and pharmacology from Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy in India. She described the lab as a place where she spent much of her time working, thinking, learning and growing as a scientist.
“I was fascinated by the life of a scientist — the curiosity, the imagination and the possibility of discovering something new,” Sivakumar said. “Being in that environment felt natural to me.”
The lab also became a place where she learned perseverance.
“As I started doing experiments, both successful and unsuccessful, I began to understand the true nature of research,” Sivakumar said. “In the beginning, failed experiments were stressful, but over time I learned to see troubleshooting as part of the scientific process. It started to feel less frustrating and more like solving a mystery. That change in perspective made research much more enjoyable for me.”
