Hoops and the heart—this player has a long history
THI founder Dr. Denton A. Cooley, who played in the first NCAA tournament for the Texas Longhorns, was recently featured in the Houston Chronicle Sunday Profile: "A smooth operator on and off the court". Cooley earned the nickname "Buckwheat" from his coach at the University of Texas, Jack Gray, who would not let the 6-foot-4 sophomore forward eat buckwheat pancakes before an NCAA Tournament game.
With a lifelong love of the game, Dr. Cooley will be following the "March Madness" and remembering his high-school, college, and city league playing days.
Tips from Dr. Cooley for taking care of your heart at every age can be found in the Healthy Heart Guide on this website.
"Don't miss the layup!" for your heart's health
Hakeem Olajuwon, who was the NCAA Tournament's most valuable player while playing for the Houston Cougars, has some things to say about heart health and THI's Center for Coronary Artery Anomalies (CCAA).
See Hakeem's video on the CCAA welcome page.
Screening young students for heart abnormalities
Currently under way is a THI research program that involves voluntary screenings of 10,000 Houston area middle-school students for certain difficult-to-detect, congenital heart abnormalities that are thought to predispose young people to Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).
These tragic events recurrently grab headlines, especially when SCD strikes young athletes during sports competitions or training.
Learn more about the Houston MRI Screening Study.
Online forum answers question about sudden cardiac death
Should young athletes have chest x-rays or echocardiograms done before they play sports? [Click on the question to see the full response.]
Dr. James T. Willerson's detailed response to this recent question focuses on one of the major activities of the Center for Coronary Artery Anomalies, seeking ways to prevent sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
THI is a playmaker in the battle against heart disease.
Learn more from our Summary of Programs.
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