Thorsten Martin Leucker, M.D., Ph.D.

Headshot of Thorsten Martin Leucker
  • Director, Cardiology Fellowship Program
  • Associate Professor of Medicine

Languages: English, German

Expertise

Acute Coronary Care, Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), Aortic Aneurysms, Atherosclerosis, Atrial Tachycardia, Bradycardia, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Cardiac Imaging, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Cardiomyopathy, Cardiovascular Risk Stratification, Carotid Artery Disease, Chest Pain, Circulatory Support Devices, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Care Unit, Coronary Endothelial Function, Critical Care Cardiology, Echocardiography and Nuclear Cardiology, High Blood Pressure (Hypertension), High Cholesterol, Hyperlipidemia, Myocardial Infarction, Premature Coronary Artery Disease, Preventive Cardiology, Stress-induced Cardiomyopathy, Tachycardias, Valvular Heart Disease, Vascular Medicine ...read more

Research Interests

Acute coronary syndrome; Vascular inflammation; Endothelial cell function; Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging; HIV associated cardiovascular disease; Vascular function in the elderly; Diabetes associated cardiovascular disease ...read more

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Main Phone

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

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Locations

Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center)

Appointment Phone: 410-502-0469
601 N. Caroline St.
7th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21287
Fax: 410-367-2224
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center) - Google Maps

Background

Dr. Thorsten M. Leucker is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Basic and Translational Vascular Biology Research within the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.

His clinical work focuses on cardiac critical care and Dr. Leucker attends regularly in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit (CCU) at Johns Hopkins Hospital. While attending in the CCU, Dr. Leucker manages the care of cardiac patients with critical heart disease and teaches and mentors residents and fellows in the treatment of these patients as well as the mechanisms responsible for cardiac disease and strategies to decrease the likelihood of future events. In addition, Dr. Leucker is a core faculty member with the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, attends in the Advanced Lipid Disorders Clinic and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology.

Dr. Leucker earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees awarded summa cum laude from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Bonn, Germany. He trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and received Cardiology training at Johns Hopkins.  He was chosen to serve as the Henry R. Kravis & Marie-Josée Chief Cardiology Fellow during his final year of fellowship and was awarded the Howard S. Silverman Research Award for originality and creativity in medical research and the Stanley L. Blumenthal, M.D. Cardiology Research Award in Clinical Research. Additionally, he was recognized with numerous Young Investigator awards by several chapters of the American College of Cardiology, and by the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. 

Dr. Leucker is a physician-scientist and runs a basic vascular laboratory at Johns Hopkins as well as several translational clinical trials to better understand the impact of vascular inflammation in patients with acute coronary syndrome. In his basic laboratory, he investigates the impact of pro-inflammatory mediators on basic endothelial cell function. In addition, Dr. Leucker is the principal investigator on several intra- and extra-mural research grants investigating underlying mechanisms of pro-inflammatory disease states, such as diabetes, HIV infection and aging, on vascular and myocardial dysfunction. To test endothelial cell function and assess vascular inflammation in patients, he uses imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 

Dr. Leucker has published more than 50 articles and book chapters and has been a referee for numerous journals including Circulation, Circulation Research, Hypertension, and American Journal of Physiology- Heart and Circulatory Physiology. He is a review editorial board member for Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, Striated Muscle Physiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology.

Dr. Leucker is a professional member of the National Lipid Association (NLA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and American Heart Association (AHA), and Member of the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB).

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Titles

  • Director, Cardiology Fellowship Program
  • Director of Basic and Translational Vascular Biology Research within the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease
  • Associate Professor of Medicine

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • MD; Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitaet Bonn (2008)

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine; University of Louisville Hospital (2014)

Fellowships

  • Cardiovascular Disease; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2018)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Cardiovascular Disease) (2017)
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) (2014)

Additional Training

Diplomate, American Board of Clinical Lipidology

Research & Publications

Clinical Trial Keywords

Acute coronary syndrome

Clinical Trials

Evolocumab in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study.

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

Ziogos E, Vavuranakis MA, Harb T, Foran PL, Blaha MJ, Jones SR, Lai S, Gerstenblith G, Leucker TM. Lipoprotein(a) concentrations in acute myocardial infarction patients are not indicative of levels at six month follow-up. Eur Heart J Open. 2023 Apr 5;3(2):oead035. doi: 10.1093/ehjopen/oead035. PMID: 37095769; PMCID: PMC10122422

Vaught AJ, Boyer T, Ziogos E, Amat-Codina N, Minhas A, Darwin K, Debrosse A, Fedarko N, Burd I, Baschat A, Sharma G, Hays AG, Zakaria S, Leucker TM. The role of proprotein convertase subtillisin/kexin type 9 in placental salvage and lipid metabolism in women with preeclampsia. Placenta. 2023 Feb;132:1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2022.12.008. Epub 2022 Dec 24. PMID: 36603351

Leucker TM, Blaha MJ, Jones SR, Vavuranakis MA, Williams MS, Lai H, Schindler TH, Latina J, Schulman SP, Gerstenblith G. Effect of Evolocumab on Atherogenic Lipoproteins During the Peri- and Early Postinfarction Period: A Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial. Circulation. 2020 Jul 28;142(4):419-421. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.046320. Epub 2020 Jul 27. PMID: 32718248.

Leucker TM, Gerstenblith G, Schär M, Brown TT, Jones SR, Afework Y, Weiss RG, Hays AG. Evolocumab, a PCSK9-Monoclonal Antibody, Rapidly Reverses Coronary Artery Endothelial Dysfunction in People Living With HIV and People With Dyslipidemia. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Jul 21;9(14):e016263. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.120.016263. Epub 2020 Jul 17. PMID: 32674634.

Leucker TM, Weiss RG, Schär M, Bonanno G, Mathews L, Jones SR, Brown TT, Moore R, Afework Y, Gerstenblith G, Hays AG. Coronary Endothelial Dysfunction Is Associated With Elevated Serum PCSK9 Levels in People With HIV Independent of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018 Oct 2;7(19):e009996. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.009996. PMID: 30371326; PMCID: PMC6404863.

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • 1st Place Northwestern Cardiovascular Young Investigator's Forum- Junior Faculty Category, Basic Science, 2018
  • Howard S. Silverman Award, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, 2016
  • Fellow of the American Heart Association
  • Fellow of the American College of Cardiology
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