Howard J. Eisen, MD

Expert Publications

• Noninvasive detection of cardiac transplant rejection using electronic monitoring.
• Tolerability of extended duration intravenous milrinone in patients hospitalized for advanced heart failure and the usefulness of uptitration of oral angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
• Comparison of oxygen therapy with nasal continuous positive airway pressure on Cheyne-Stokes respiration during sleep in congestive heart failure.
• Quantitative assessment of cell adhesion molecule gene expression in endomyocardial biopsy specimens from cardiac transplant recipients using competitive polymerase chain reaction.
• Feasibility of photopheresis to reduce the occurrence of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: a clinical pilot study.
• Letter: Disulfiram hepatotoxicity.
• Allograft inflammatory factor-1 expression correlates with cardiac rejection and development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.
• Effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure on oxygen body stores in patients with Cheyne-Stokes respiration and congestive heart failure.
• Hypertension in heart transplant recipients: more than just cyclosporine.
• Adverse outcomes from the use of older donor hearts in cardiac transplant recipients: the pros and cons of expanded donor criteria.
• Early growth responsive gene (Egr)-1 expression correlates with cardiac allograft rejection.
• Effect of older donor age on risk for mortality after heart transplantation.
• Expression of the FAST-1 transcription factor in coronary artery transplant vasculopathy and activated vascular smooth muscle cells.
• Three-year results of a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of mycophenolate mofetil versus azathioprine in cardiac transplant recipients.
• Safety and feasibility of autologous myoblast transplantation in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy: four-year follow-up.

Media Releases

Get to know Cardiologist Dr. Howard J. Eisen, who serves patients in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

A respected voice and leader in the field of cardiology, Dr. Eisen specializes in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels and the cardiovascular system. He is the Medical Director of the Cardiac Transplant, Mechanical Circulatory Support, and Advanced Heart Failure Programs at Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute IO Silver Clinic in Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

For advanced care for heart and vascular conditions, doctors and patients from across the region and nation turn to the Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute IO Silver Clinic. A part of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, it is a national model for comprehensive care, research, and medical education. The Center offers the region’s only heart transplant center and Joint Commission-accredited programs in advanced heart failure and implanting ventricular assist devices as a long-term treatment or as a bridge to heart transplant.

Alongside his clinical role at Penn State, Dr. Eisen is a Professor of Medicine (tenured) at the Penn State College of Medicine, an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Transplantation, a Deputy Editor of Clinical Transplantation (the journal), a Senior Editorial Consultant of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, and a member of the Editorial Board of JACC-Heart Failure and the Journal of Cardiac Failure. 

He was inspired to pursue a career in medicine because he had several family members with heart disease and wanted to help in any way he could. He began his career as a student at Cornell University, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology in 1977. He then went on to earn his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1981. Wanting to further his education, he completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 and 1984, respectively. This was followed by a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Washington University, Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis in 1987.

In relation to his areas of expertise, Dr. Eisen is affiliated with several professional organizations, including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the American Society of Transplantation, the European Society of Cardiology, the Heart Failure Society of America, and the Association of University Cardiologists. 

With unsurpassed professional skills, he is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, & advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The ABIM is a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world.

Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with the disorders of the heart, as well as the circulatory system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease, and electrophysiology. Cardiologists are doctors who diagnose, assess, and treat patients with diseases and defects of the heart and blood vessels (the cardiovascular system).

At the top of his field, Dr. Eisen has conducted numerous publications and presentations, including journal articles, books and book chapters, abstracts / posters, lectures, and more. 

Likewise, the doctor has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including: Louis R. Dinon Teaching Award (presented by Medical Student Body – University of Pennsylvania – 1989); Henry Christian Award for Excellence in Research, American Federation for Clinical Research-Immunology (First Author and Senior Investigator – 1993);  Listed as one of “Top Doctors” in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Magazine (1996 – present); Listed in Best Doctors in America (1998 – present); American Heart Association Southeastern Pennsylvania All- Around Champion Award (2003); and selected to be on Forbes’ Cardiologists Honor Roll (one of 27 in the nation and the only one in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania – 2017), among others. 

Outside of practicing medicine, Dr. Eisen enjoys reading, rowing, running, and listening to classical music.

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