Center for
Global Health

Scholar

Languages: English (native)

BIO STATEMENT

Dr. Ambrose is a cardiologist with additional training in advanced cardiovascular imaging and women's health, and has a strong interest in improving global cardiovascular health. She is the Director of Penn Cardiology International, the University of Pennsylvania Cardiology Division's International Outreach Section, where she leads efforts to advance cardiovascular health worldwide. Her work centers on building relationships with mutually aligned institutions to create sustainable programs and infrastructure aimed at delivering excellent cardiovascular care, with active collaborations spanning research, education, training, and clinical activity.

Her current initiatives focus on improving healthcare in East Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean, where she collaborates with various institutions to develop advanced cardiology programs. She is also engaged in educating physicians and other healthcare providers on echocardiography and cardiovascular disease through both in-person and virtual curricula.

RECENT GLOBAL HEALTH PROJECTS

1. Teaching echocardiography to physicians and health care allies through an annual curriculum that includes in person didactic and hands on teaching and virtual teaching in Kenya.

2. Teaching echocardiography to physicians and health care allies through an annual curriculum that includes in person didactic and hands on teaching and virtual teaching in India.

3.  Dr Ambrose directs the Penn Cardiology International (PCIL), which is HUP’s cardiovascular medicine division’s global outreach section. One of PCIL’s current initiatives concentrates on improving healthcare in the Caribbean region, via collaboration with Jamaica’s Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC). HIC is a regional cardiovascular medicine center of excellence which has been improving the quality of cardiovascular healthcare in the Caribbean. HIC provides higher level management of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) through utilization of suitable, affordable technology and innovation. Currently, PCIL provides a monthly series of continuing medical education (CME) teleconferences to HIC. This teleconference seeks to improve HIC’s immediate delivery of heart failure care, with a long-term goal to create an advanced heart failure program. In the future, PCIL hopes to increase engagement of Penn cardiologists and trainees at HIC, and to develop relationships with other Caribbean institutions.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Cardiovascular Disease Care Beyond the Cardiologist: An Overview of the Rollout of Transthoracic Echocardiography Training and Services in Kenya. Muriuki D, Ambrose M, Ahmed H, Foster M, Nguchu H, Goldberg L, Samia B. Glob Heart. 2025 May 30;20(1):50.
https://globalheartjournal.com/articles/10.5334/gh.1437

Haynes NA, Saint-Joy V, Swain J, Ezekwesili A, Vernet FV, Dawson C, Laneau D, Tierney A, Shea JA, Ambrose MS. Implementation of a virtual international cardiology curriculum to address the deficit of cardiovascular education in Haiti: a pilot study. BMJ Open. 2021 Jun 21;11(6):e048690.
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/6/e048690.long

Zhao H, O'Quinn R, Ambrose M, Jagasia D, Ky B, Wald J, Ferrari VA, Kirkpatrick JN, Han Y. Contrast-Enhanced Echocardiography Has the Greatest Impact in Patients with Reduced Ejection Fractions. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2018 Mar;31(3):289-296. doi: 10.1016/j.echo.2017.09.003. Epub 2017 Oct 27. PubMed PMID: 29111122.

Tamariz L, Agarwal S, Soliman EZ, Chamberlain AM, Prineas R, Folsom AR, Ambrose M, Alonso A. Association of serum uric acid with incident atrial fibrillation (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities [ARIC] study). Am J Cardiol. 2011 Nov 1;108(9):1272-6. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.06.043. Epub 2011 Aug 17. PubMed PMID: 21855838; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3404126.

Last Updated: 03 August 2026