Xinjiang Cai, MD, PhD
(he/him)
- Cardiology
About
Dr. Cai is a cardiologist and physician scientist at UCLA Health. He is passionate about improving Patient-Centered Clinical Care and Cardiovascular Health in patients and the general population. He is also enthusiastic about Basic and Translational Cardiovascular Research which will help improve patient care. He is a recipient of the K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.
He completed his Cardiology Fellowship in the Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to that, he received Internal Medicine Residency Training and served as a PGY-3 Chief Resident at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (VA) in New York.
Dr. Cai obtained his PhD degree in Cardiovascular Molecular Biology at the University of Calgary, Canada, followed by basic research and translational medicine training at Duke University Medical Center, NYU Medical Center, and Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. During his residency and fellowship training, he continued his passion on basic and translational research as a Research Fellow at the Cardiovascular Research Centers at Mount Sinai and UCLA.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certifications
Fellowship
Residency
Degrees
Recognitions
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, K08: Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, 06/01/2023-05/31/2028
- Tibor Fabian Research Award, University of California, Los Angeles, 2019-2023
- Fellow-in-training Travel Award, American College of Cardiology, 2019
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Locations
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Areas of Focus
Research
Interests
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Atherosclerosis
- Heart Failure
- Cellular Signaling
- Vascular Biology
- Vascular Calcification
- Cardiac Amyloidosis
Publications
Link to a complete list of publications
- *Cai X, White Q, Johnson WC, Hansen SL, Dardari ZA, Blaha M, Michos ED, Lima JA, deFilippi CR, Budoff MJ, Watson KE, McClelland RL, Yang EH. Baseline Cardiac Biomarker Levels as Predictors of Cancer Risk in the MESA Cohort. JACC Adv. 2025 Jun 16; 4(7):101884. (*Corresponding author) PMCID: PMC12213292
- Yang Y, Wu X, Zhao Y, Zhang D, Zhang L, Cai X, Ji J, Jing Z, Boström KI, Yao Y. Arterial-Lymphatic-Like Endothelial Cells Appear in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia 2 and Contribute to Vascular Leakage and Arteriovenous Malformations. Circulation. 2025 Feb 04; 151(5):299-317. PMCID: PMC11789604
- *Cai X, White Q, Wang DR, DeFilippi CR, Bertoni AG, Wu CO, Liu K, Lima JAC, Budoff MJ, Fonarow GC, Watson KE, McClelland RL, Yang EH. Cardiovascular Risks and Outcomes Among Chinese American Immigrants: Insights From the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Sep 17;13(18):e037114. (*Corresponding author) PMCID: PMC11935614
- Cai X, Zhao Y, Yang Y, Wu X, Zhang L, Ma JA, Ji J, Boström KI, Yao Y. GSK3β Inhibition Ameliorates Atherosclerotic Calcification. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 19;24(14):11638. PMCID: PMC10380320
- Cai X, Allison MA, Ambale-Venkatesh B, Jorgensen NW, Lima JAC, Muse ED, McClelland RL, Shea S, Lebeche D. (2022) Resistin and risks of incident heart failure subtypes and cardiac fibrosis: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. European Society of Cardiology: Heart Failure. 9, 3452-3460. PMCID: PMC9715803
- *Cai, X., Shahandeh, N., Ji, J., Finn, J.P., Fishbein, G.A., Biniwale, R.M., Ardehali, A., Sayah, D.M., Yang, E.H. (2022) Ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm: a rare complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement and thoracic surgery. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. 15, e014076. (*Corresponding author) PMCID: PMC9304754
- Yao, J., Ma, F., Zhang, L., Zhu, C., Jumabay, M., Yao, Z., Wang, L., Cai, X., Zhang, D., Qiao, X., Shivkumar, K., Pellegrini, M., Yao, Y., Wu, X., Bostrom, K.I. (2022) Single-cell RNA-seq identifies dynamic cardiac transition program from adipose derived cells induced by leukemia inhibitory factor. Stem Cells. 40, 932-948. PMCID: PMC9585902
- Marchant, J.S., Gunaratne, G.S., Cai, X., Slama, J.T., Patel, S. (2022) NAADP-binding proteins find their identity. Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 47, 235-249. PMCID: PMC8840967
- Li, Z.H., King, T.P., Ayong, L., Asady, B., Cai, X., Rahman, T., Vella, S.A., Patel, S., Moreno, S.N. (2021) A plastid two-pore channel essential for inter-organelle communication and growth of Toxoplasma gondii. Nature Communications. 12, 5802. PMCID: PMC8490419
- Yao, J., Wu, X., Qiao, X., Zhang, D., Zhang, L., Ma, J.A., Cai, X., Bostrom, K.I., Yao, Y. (2021) Shifting osteogenesis in vascular calcification. JCI Insight, 6, e143023. PMCID: PMC8262274
In the News
- Higher Cardiac Marker Levels Tied to Long-Term Cancer Risk
- Elevated Cardiac Biomarkers Associated With Increased Cancer Risk
- Cardiac biomarkers linked to future cancer risk, even without heart disease
- Chinese immigrants from LA fare worse in heart study than Chicagoans
- Study shows long term-effects of immigration on Chinese Americans' cardiovascular health
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
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Recognitions
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, K08: Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, 06/01/2023-05/31/2028
- Tibor Fabian Research Award, University of California, Los Angeles, 2019-2023
- Fellow-in-training Travel Award, American College of Cardiology, 2019
- PAGNY Research Day Award for an outstanding research presentation, 2017