Gary L. Schaer, MD

Gary L. Schaer, MD, is professor of medicine and director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He is a graduate of Yale University School of Medicine and was a medical resident at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He completed a cardiology fellowship at Georgetown University and a critical care medicine fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Before joining the Section of Cardiology at Rush University Medical Center in July 1989, he was an assistant professor of medicine and director of the Cardiovascular Research Laboratory at Georgetown University.

Dr. Schaer’s research interests focus on evaluating new interventional and drug therapies for patients with coronary and peripheral arterial disease. Dr. Schaer’s RIHVR (Rush Interventional Heart and Vascular Research) Group is currently enrolling patients into drug and device trials, including several important gene and stem-cell-based therapies. Dr. Schaer also supervises a catheterization research laboratory suite in the Cohn research building, where new approaches are developed and tested. 

Dr. Schaer has authored or coauthored more than 200 original articles, book chapters, editorials and abstracts.  He is a sought after lecturer on topics in interventional heart and vascular disease in Chicago, the United States and internationally.

Dr. Schaer's Current Clinical Trials

Champion Platform: Drug Treatment Study: Champion drug treatment (Cangrelor) in combination with usual care opposed to usual care alone, in those patients needing coronary angioplasty or stenting.

Antiplatelet Trial for NSTEMI or STEMI Acute Coronary Syndromes: Investigational study of an antiplatelet treatment for patients with NSTEMI or STEMI acute coronary syndromes

Stem Cell Research Trial for Patients with Heart Disease and Severe Anginal Chest Pain: The purpose of the ACT34-CMI Trial (Autologous Cellular Therapy with CD34+ Cells in Chronic Myocardial Ischemia) is to evaluate the effect of autologous (from the patient’s own body) CD34+ stem cell therapy on the frequency of episodes of chest pain (angina) in patients with severe coronary artery disease who have not adequately responded to conventional therapy (angioplasty, stenting, bypass and/or medical therapy). This is the first Phase-II trial in the United States of adult stem cells for patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.

Gene Transfer Therapy Study (WALK Trial): Phase II gene transfer therapy study using an investigational drug to stimulate blood vessel growth in the legs of patients with intermittent claudication.