Dan Tong, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Dan (Amanda) Tong, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a member of its Division of Cardiology. As a physician-scientist, her research and clinical interests are focused on cardiovascular conditions that are tightly associated with metabolic diseases, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF).  

Dr. Tong received her MD degree from the Tongji Medical College in China and PhD from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She completed internal medicine residency training at the University of Iowa, followed by a fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center, training in cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Tong’s research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of HFpEF and AF. Her investigations have resulted in 26 publications in peer-reviewed journals and contributions to one book chapter. Additionally, she has presented her findings at scientific conferences throughout the United States and around the world.

Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Cardiovascular Medicine, she joined the UT Southwestern Faculty in 2021.

Dr. Tong is active in several professional societies, including the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Tong’s interests outside of medicine include her family, cooking, and reading.

Personal Quote: “Why I chose to come to UTSW --- stimulating and nurturing environment.”

Medical School

Tongii Medical University (2001)

Residency

Tongii Medical University (2003), Internal Medicine

Graduate School

University of Western Ontario Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (2008), Pharmacology

Fellowship

Children's Hospital of Boston (2013)

Residency

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (2016), Internal Medicine

Fellowship

UT Southwestern Medical Center (2021), Cardiovascular Medicine

• Molecular mechanisms of Atrial Fibrillation
• Molecular mechanisms of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF)
• Novel therapies for HFpEF

Featured Publications

NAD⁺ Repletion Reverses Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Tong D, Schiattarella GG, Jiang N, Altamirano F, Szweda PA, Elnwasany A, Lee DI, Yoo H, Kass DA, Szweda LI, Lavandero S, Verdin E, Gillette TG, Hill JA, Circ Res 2021 May 128 11 1629-1641

Xbp1s-FoxO1 axis governs lipid accumulation and contractile performance in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Schiattarella GG, Altamirano F, Kim SY, Tong D, Ferdous A, Piristine H, Dasgupta S, Wang X, French KM, Villalobos E, Spurgin SB, Waldman M, Jiang N, May HI, Hill TM, Luo Y, Yoo H, Zaha VG, Lavandero S, Gillette TG, Hill JA, Nat Commun 2021 03 12 1 1684

Metabolic Imaging in Cardio-oncology.

Tong D, Zaha VG, J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2020 06 13 3 357-366

Can HFpEF and HFrEF Coexist?

Schiattarella GG, Tong D, Hill JA, Circulation 2020 03 141 9 709-711

Female Sex Is Protective in a Preclinical Model of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Tong D, Schiattarella GG, Jiang N, May HI, Lavandero S, Gillette TG, Hill JA, Circulation 2019 11 140 21 1769-1771

Polycystin-1 Assembles With Kv Channels to Govern Cardiomyocyte Repolarization and Contractility.

Altamirano F, Schiattarella GG, French KM, Kim SY, Engelberger F, Kyrychenko S, Villalobos E, Tong D, Schneider JW, Ramirez-Sarmiento CA, Lavandero S, Gillette TG, Hill JA, Circulation 2019 09 140 11 921-936

Nitrosative stress drives heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Schiattarella GG, Altamirano F, Tong D, French KM, Villalobos E, Kim SY, Luo X, Jiang N, May HI, Wang ZV, Hill TM, Mammen PPA, Huang J, Lee DI, Hahn VS, Sharma K, Kass DA, Lavandero S, Gillette TG, Hill JA, Nature 2019 04 568 7752 351-356

Ventricular Phenotyping Reviews.

Schiattarella GG, Tong D, Hill JA, Circulation 2018 08 138 8 749-750

Down Syndrome Critical Region 1 Gene, Rcan1, Helps Maintain a More Fused Mitochondrial Network.

Parra V, Altamirano F, Hernández-Fuentes CP, Tong D, Kyrychenko V, Rotter D, Pedrozo Z, Hill JA, Eisner V, Lavandero S, Schneider JW, Rothermel BA, Circ Res 2018 03 122 6 e20-e33

SWELL1 is a regulator of adipocyte size, insulin signalling and glucose homeostasis.

Zhang Y, Xie L, Gunasekar SK, Tong D, Mishra A, Gibson WJ, Wang C, Fidler T, Marthaler B, Klingelhutz A, Abel ED, Samuel I, Smith JK, Cao L, Sah R, Nat Cell Biol 2017 05 19 5 504-517

 Featured Books

Isolation and patch-clamp of primary adipocytes. In Methods Molecular Biology

Zhang Y, Tong D, Mishra A, Xie L, Samuel I, Smith JK, Sah R. (2017). Totowa, New Jersey, Humana Press

• NIH K08 Award
  Principal Investigator (2022)
• American Heart Association Career Development Award
  (2021-2024)

• American College of Cardiology (2016)
• American Heart Association (2016)