Dr. Havisha P.

At WashU in St Louis, Dr. Pedamallu studied computational biology and healthcare management, laying the foundation for her training at the intersection of clinical medicine, population health, and health systems research. During medical school, Dr. Pedamallu developed a robust research portfolio centered on cardiometabolic disease, women’s health, and disparities in cardiovascular prevention. Her work leveraged large longitudinal cohorts and national datasets, including CARDIA, MASALA, MESA, PRAMS, and CDC WONDER, and applied advanced epidemiologic and biostatistical methods to study inequities in cardiac rehabilitation utilization, subclinical cardiovascular disease, and early cardiometabolic risk factor progression.

Dr. Pedamallu’s scholarly work has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications, including first-author papers and invited commentaries in JAMA Internal Medicine, with additional manuscripts under review in leading cardiovascular journals. She has presented her research at national and international conferences, including the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, where her work has highlighted persistent gender-, race-, and insurance-based inequities in cardiovascular risk assessment and recovery. With expertise in cardiovascular epidemiology, health equity, and translational outcomes research, her work focuses on understanding how social disadvantage, sex-specific biology, and life course exposures shape long-term cardiovascular health, with the goal of informing earlier, more equitable prevention and care. Her research is motivated by the gap between guideline-based prevention and real-world access, especially among women and underserved populations.

In addition to her academic work, Dr. Pedamallu is deeply committed to mentorship and community engagement. She was a Schweitzer Fellow, through which she designed and implemented a community-based health education program focused on improving cardiovascular and chronic disease health literacy among South Asian immigrant communities. This experience reinforced her commitment to culturally informed care and community-partnered approaches to prevention.

Dr. Pedamallu has mentored undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and medical trainees through all stages of the research process, from study design and data analysis to abstract preparation and manuscript development. She has supported students through the research process in areas such as behavioral & social sciences in health, epidemiology, genetics, genomics, health policy, health economics, public health, and health services and outcome research.

Students who Dr. Pedamallu has coached have been accepted to programs at Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois, Tulane University, and George Washington University. Her mentorship style is structured, supportive, and highly individualized, emphasizing clarity, rigor, and trainee ownership while helping mentees connect research experiences to broader clinical and career goals.