Heart patient-turned-"actor" Norman Miller gets a lot of funny looks at church on Sunday.
“I’ll see somebody looking and looking at me, and finally they’ll ask if it was me they just saw on TV.”
The answer is yes.
Miller, 72, is one of several real-life patients featured in “Invisible Connections,” a series of television commercials and advertisements. These highlight some of UF Health’s world-renowned researchers and the patients who benefit from their work, even if they have never met.
Miller, a North Jacksonville resident who had a heart attack last year, received two stents in his heart at UF Health Jacksonville. He also received an invitation to join a clinical trial looking into whether a specific blood-thinning medication would prevent him from having another heart attack.
Although Dominick Angiolillo, MD, a University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville associate professor and medical director of cardiovascular research, was not his personal doctor, Miller found out more about the study and decided to join. That meant he was given the medication without charge, and he regularly returned to be evaluated by the research team.
“I didn’t hesitate at all, and I participated in more (studies) after that. I felt like, if it could help someone else later on, I didn’t mind doing it,” Miller said.
He was selected for the study because he was at a high risk of having another heart attack. The study looked into which antiplatelet therapy would have the best results for Miller to prevent that, and Miller believes it’s helping.
“I’ve never had a single problem since my heart attack,” he said.
Thousands of people have participated in Angiolillo’s studies over the past decade, and most of them started by sitting down with the doctor himself.
“I am directly involved with the research that I lead, so I am very often the first one to speak with the patient. I try to meet with everybody, because these patients are dedicating their time and I personally thank them for their participation and address any questions they may have,” he said.
That time is especially precious in the U.S., where the Eurpoean-trained Angiolillo has found it much more difficult to find willing participants.
“There is often a mindset among patients not to be a part of research because they do not want to do anything ‘experimental.’ However, we conduct our research under the high regulatory standards of the University of Florida. Patient safety is our top priority. We’re working to advance healthcare and to this extent patient participation in research is key,” he said.
Miller said he never looked at joining a trial as a risky decision.
“People think they’re experimenting on you, but I say, ‘Oh, no. They’re just seeing which way is the best way.’ It’s like choosing which road to take. Both will get you there, but one might be better and faster.”
Since the commercial and advertisements began to air, Angiolillo said he has seen a positive difference. Finding study participants has become easier as more people take the time to understand what research and clinical trials involve.
Angiolillo’s research has had a profound impact on the treatment of heart conditions worldwide.
“Right here in our research lab, we’ve generated seminal data that has contributed to the approval of a number of antiplatelet drugs,” he said.
His research is regularly published in the world’s most prestigious medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association, among others.
One of Angiolillo’s studies uncovered a medication that serves as a “bridge” at a critical time for heart patients. When patients already have stents in their hearts, they require life-saving blood-thinning medication. But that medication puts patients at risk of severe bleeding during open heart surgery. So when a stented patient needs surgery, the only answer was to go several days without blood-thinning medication before the surgery. The medication Angiolillo tested, however, could temporarily replace standard blood thinner, simultaneously protecting the patient from a heart attack and preventing excessive bleeding during surgery.
Angiolillo is also one of the world’s leading researchers on the effects diabetes has on blood-thinning medication. Since Jacksonville has an extremely high diabetes population, it is the ideal place for that research.
In addition, Angiolillo is researching the role of genetics in heart conditions.
“We see patients having heart attacks at younger and younger ages. We’re looking at the impact of genetics and how genetics affect the way blood-thinning medications work.”
Angiolillo advises patients contemplating participation in research to consider all the medications we rely on today.
“We use certain medications and devices today because in the past we ‘tested’ them in research studies,” he said. “Even though it may have seemed crazy at the time, now they have become the standard of care, and better care.”
Miller’s advice? Do some homework. Find out what the study is about, think how it might benefit you and people in your condition in the future, and then decide.
“If you have an opportunity to get into clinical research, don’t be afraid of it,” he said.
Here is the commercial that features Miller and Angiolillo:
Featured Faculty
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Dominick J. Angiolillo, MD, PhD, FACC
Professor
Chief, Division of Cardiology; Medical Director, UF Health Cardiovascular Center; Medical Director, Cardiovascular Research Program; Program Director, Interventional Cardiology Fellowship; Program Director, General Cardiovascular Care Fellowship