As a clinical research trialist, Dr. Piña’s research interests include transition of care in heart failure patients, quality improvement and the role of natriuretic peptide–guided management for patients hospitalized for heart failure, biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis in chronic heart failure, and heart failure differences by sex. She has been actively involved in gender, racial and ethnic issues in the health care delivery and written on the intersection of race/ethnicity and heart failure. Along with Dr. Pam Douglas, Dr. Piña led the Diversity section of the new Ethics and Professionalism paper. She is the author/co-author of more than 300 publications. She is currently the past Chair of the FIT committee of the AHA and currently on the Board of Directors National AHA.

In 2017, Dr Piña received the Wenger Award for Excellence in Research, which honors those who make extraordinary contributions to the advancement of women’s heart health in underserved communities. In 2020, she received the Laennec Master Clinician Award from the American Heart Association. In 2021, Dr. Piña will receive the Distinguished Service Award from the American Heart Association, Council on Clinical Cardiology. This spring, Dr. Piña will be awarded the Bernadine Healy Award for pursuit of woman’s heart health and the inclusion of women in clinical trials.