Dr. Ponrathi Athilingam to become fellow of HFSA

Ponrathi Athilingam, PhD, assistant professor at USF College of Nursing, was recently elected a fellow of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA).

Dr. Athilingam received this honor for her outstanding credentials, achievements and contributions to heart failure medicine. She will officially be recognized at the HFSA 20th Annual Scientific Meeting on Sept. 17 at the Gaylord Palms Hotel & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

HFSA is an organization dedicated to heart function, heart failure, and congestive heart failure research and patient care. The organization offers fellowships to heart failure experts who have made extensive contributions to the society.

As an acute nurse practitioner, Dr. Athilingam has explored cognitive impairment among heart-failure patients for decades. Her work has received many recognitions including the Katharine Donohoe Scholarly Practitioner Award from the University of Rochester, and the Service for Humanity Leadership Award.

She was recently accepted into the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program for inventing HeartMapp, a smartphone application for heart failure. This opportunity allows Dr. Athilingam to receive real-world, hands-on experience to transition the mobile app out of the laboratory and into a commercially feasible product.

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