For over 50 years, the Texas Heart Institute's (THI) success has been based on the talent of a comparatively small number of individuals who believe that good minds, sound ideas and hard work are what it takes to save lives. The Women’s Center embraces this longstanding tradition put in place by THI’s founder, Dr. Denton Cooley. The Center has successfully built a collaborative research model within the Institute and across the Texas Medical Center that includes research and training projects with UT School of Public Health, Baylor College of Medicine, UT School of Nursing, MD Anderson and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School. The Women’s Center also has a large network of loyal volunteers and advisors who support the education mission and are dedicated to helping serve women across Houston and far beyond.
The Team
James T. Willerson, MD (THI's President)
Stephanie Coulter, MD (Women's Center Director)
Karla Campos, MD (Research Associate)
Dr. Campos is a physician/researcher originally from Costa Rica. She received her medical degree at Universidad de Iberoamerica in Costa Rica, and completed an internship in medicine and general surgery at Hospital Mexico and Hospital Nacional De Ninos in San Jose. She worked at the National Children's Hospital in Costa Rica in the pediatric surgery field where she was dedicated to treating pediatric burn victims. While providing critical care education to burn victims and their families that were transported to the Texas Medical Center, she realized the importance of education to improvement in care. She is now a cardiology research associate at the THI and active in multiple research areas such as echocardiography, valvular heart disease, the relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease, and the development of the digital Echocardiography Heart Atlas. Dr. Campos believes education is fundamental for a healthy lifestyle and that it is her duty as a physician to teach the right path for preventing disease. She is certain that we can make a difference in our communities by making people aware of how to have a healthy heart.
Keri Kimler Sprung (Special Assistant)
Keri is a special assistant to the Office of the President, Regenerative Medicine Research Laboratories, and the Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health at THI. As a liaison within and outside THI, she promotes education and awareness of THI's programs, develops relationships and successful partnerships locally and nationally for important outreach initiatives including: WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, The Baker Institute, Center for Houston’s Future, Elnita McClain Foundation, LHI Houston, Neighborhood Center’s Inc, Breakthrough Houston, Girl Scouts and Houston ISD. She is a passionate advocate for stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and strives to synchronize and coordinate this diverse multidisciplinary community through her volunteer work as a strategic advisor to several non-profits including the Texans for Cures (formerly Texans for Stem Cell Research) and the Genetics Policy Institute. She enjoys inspiring students and mentors high school students locally, and she also loves the opera, symphony, ballet and practicing yoga.
