Amparo C. Villablanca, M.D.
Frances Lazda Endowed Chair, Women's Cardiovascular Medicine
Chair, UC Systemwide Group for Inclusive Leadership for Women
Director, Women's Cardiovascular Medicine Program
Principal Investigator, UC Davis Center for Women's Cardiovascular and Brain Health
Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
To see if Amparo C. Villablanca is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Locations and Contact
Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center
Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center
4860 Y St.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Additional Numbers
Phone
Clinic Phone
Physician Referrals
Philosophy of Care
My philosophy of care is grounded in a patient-centered, culturally sensitive approach that respects each patient’s individual values, experiences, and goals. I integrate evidence-based, data-driven medicine with clinical care to improve health outcomes, address gender-based health disparities, and empower women and men to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Villablanca is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine and is a noninvasive cardiologist who provides comprehensive care for adults with a broad range of cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, valvular and structural heart disease, and cardiovascular disease prevention.
A recognized leader in women’s cardiovascular health, Dr. Villablanca directs the first women’s heart program in the United States. Her clinical practice focuses on cardiovascular conditions that are more common in women, may present differently in women, or are unique to women. Her areas of expertise in heart disease in women include angina with nonobstructive coronary arteries (ANOCA), coronary microvascular disease, pregnancy-associated cardiovascular conditions—including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and peripartum cardiomyopathy—as well as spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and autonomic dysfunction.
Dr. Villablanca also has expertise in preventive cardiology and cardiac critical care. She is committed to providing evidence-based, individualized care that addresses each patient’s cardiovascular health across the lifespan.
To learn more about her specialized clinic, please visit: UC Davis Women's Cardiovascular Medicine Program
Research/Academic Interests
Dr. Villablanca is a distinguished physician-scientist and the founding director of the UC Davis Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program, recognized as the first women’s heart program in the United States. Her translational research focuses on the sex-specific molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease, with particular emphasis on the relationship between vascular health and dementia risk, and the influence of biological sex on cardiovascular disease.
A leader in community-based participatory research, Dr. Villablanca also develops and evaluates preventive strategies designed to improve long-term cardiovascular outcomes among women at high risk for heart disease. Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and private foundations, and she has published extensively in the field of women’s cardiovascular health.
Dr. Villablanca is also committed to advancing women in academic medicine and the health sciences, with a particular focus on supporting women in leadership. Her contributions have been recognized by the NIH, which featured her as a “Woman Scientist in Action” (https://womeninscience.nih.gov/women_scientists/villablanca.asp) and by UC Davis Women in STEM (https://www.ucdavis.edu/academics/women-stem/). She also founded the UC Davis Women in Medicine and Health Sciences Program (WIHMS), the Schools of Health Leadership Programs, and chaired a University of California Health system-wide initiative focused on advancing inclusive leadership for women.
See information about Dr. Villablanca’s current research activities and funding
Division
Cardiovascular Medicine
Center/Program Affiliation
Undergraduate School
B.S., UCLA, Los Angeles CA 1979
Medical School
M.D., UC Davis School of Medicine, Davis CA 1983
Internship
Internal Medicine-Primary Care, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento CA 1983-1984
Residency
Internal Medicine-Primary Care, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento CA 1984-1986
Fellowship
Clinical Fellow-Cardiovascular Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento CA 1987-1990
Fellowship
Research Fellow-Interdisciplinary Clinical Research, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento CA 1986-1987
Castle Connoly Top Doctors, Exceptional Women in Medicine Award, 2019-2026,
American Doctor Society, Top 50 Doctors in America nominee, 2026,
Avant-Garde Health, Health Care Research All-Stars, 2025,
Women's Health Choice Award, Leadership Spotlight, America's Best Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities for Women, 2023,
International Women’s Day Award for leadership and contributions to gender equity. Committee for the Status of Women at Davis Administrative Advisory Sub-Committee, 2020,
Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award, UC Davis, 2011
The Hibbard E Williams, MD Extraordinary Lifetime Achievement Award, UC Davis, 2008
Heart of Gold Award, American Heart Association, 2007
Distinguished Alumna Award, UC Davis, 1999
See a full list of Dr. Villablanca's publications here
2020 Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, John Rutledge, Amparo Villablanca. Sex-Dependent Molecular Mechanisms of Lipotoxic Injury in Brain Microvasculature: Implications for Dementia. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.21(8146): 2-29.doi:10.3390/ijms21218146
2020 Amparo Villablanca and Gordon Wong. The NSTEMI Curbside Consultation. PSNet[internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, US Department of Health and Human Services. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/web-mm/nstemi-curbside-consultation.
2021 Karla Fabiola Corral Jara, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, John Rutledge, and Amparo Villablanca, Christine Morand, Hagen Schroeter, and Dragan Milenkovic. Integrated multi-omic analyses of the genomic modifications by gut microbiome derived metabolites of epicatechin, 5-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone, in TNFalpha-stimulated primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells. Frontiers in Neuroscience.21(622640).
2021 Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, Jennifer Norman, John Rutledge, Amparo Villablanca. Inhibition of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase is Protective Against the Multiomic Effects of a High Glycemic Diet on Brain Microvascular Inflammation and Cognitive Dysfunction. Nutrients (special issue Nutrition for Brain Development).13(11), 3913; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13113913.
2022 Imo A. Ebong, Machelle D. Wilson, Duke Appiah, Erin Michos, MD, Susan Racette, Amparo Villablanca, Khadijah Breathett, Pamela L. Lutsey, Melissa Wellons, Karol E. Watson, Patty Chang, Alain G. Bertoni. The Relationship Between Age at Menopause, Obesity and Heart Failure: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Journal of the American Heart Association; 11(8).
2022 Karla Fabiola Corral-Jara, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, John Rutledge, Amparo Villablanca, Reedmond Fong, Hagen Schroeter, Javier I. Ottaviani, Dragan Milenkovic. Structurally related (–)-epicatechin metabolites and gut microbiota derived metabolites exert genomic modifications via VEGF signaling pathways in brain microvascular endothelial cells under lipotoxic conditions: integrated multi-omic study. J Proteomics; 263:104603.doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104603. Epub 2022 May 12.
2022 Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, Jennifer E. Norman, John Rutledge, and Amparo Villablanca. High Glycemia and Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase in Females: Differential Multiomics in Murine Brain Microvasculature. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, (Special Issue on Molecular Research in Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases), 23(21), 13044; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113044.
2022 Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, Jennifer E. Norman, John Rutledge, and Amparo Villablanca. The Brain’s Microvascular Response to High Glycemia and to Inhibition of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase is Sexually Dimorphic. Nutrients. Nutrition, Lipids and Cardiovascular Diseases section. Aug 23;14(17):3451.doi:10.3390/nu14173451.
2022 Jennifer E. Norman, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, John C. Rutledge, Amparo Villablanca. A high sucrose diet modifies brain oxylipins in a sex-dependent manner. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. Oct 8; 186:102506.doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2022.102506.
2023 Jennifer E. Norman, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, John C. Rutledge, Amparo Villablanca. Sex specific response of the brain free oxylipin profile to soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibition. Nutrients, special issue on Special Issue Nutrition, Lipids and Cardiovascular Diseases. 15, 1214. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15051214.
2023 Jennifer E. Norman, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, Amparo C. Villablanca. Sex modifies the impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on the murine whole brain metabolome. Metabolites.13,1012. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13091012.
2024 Amparo Villablanca, Brittany N. Dugger; Saivageethi Nuthikattu; Joohi Chauhan, Samson Cheung, Chen-Nee Chuah, Siedah L. Garrison, Dragan Milenkovic, Jennifer E. Norman, Luca Cerny Oliveira, Bridgette P. Smith, and Susan D. Brown. How Cy pres Promotes Transdisciplinary Convergence Science: An Academic Health Center for Women’s Cardiovascular and Brain Health. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. DOI:10.1017/cts.2023.705.
2024 Dragan Milenkovic, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Jennifer E. Norman, Amparo Villablanca. The global genomic profile of hippocampal endothelial cells in female diabetic mice is associated with cognitive dysfunction via alterations in cell adhesion and vascular permeability. AJP, Heart and Circulatory Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00251.2024.
2024 Jennifer Norman, Dragan Milenkovic, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, and Amparo C. Villablanca. The Brain Metabolome is Modified by Obesity in a Sex-Dependent Manner. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS), Special Issue Molecular Insights in Obesity and Metabolism, 25(6), 3475; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063475/.
2024 Dragan Milenkovic, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Jennifer Norman and Amparo Villablanca. Single nuclei transcriptomics reveals obesity-induced endothelial and neurovascular dysfunction: implications for cognitive decline. IJMS (Intl J of Molecular Sciences). 25(20), 11169; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011169.
2024 Luca Cerny Oliveira, Joohi Chauhan, Ajinkya Chaudhari, Samson Cheung, Vihakumar Patel, Amparo Villablanca, Lee-Way Jin, Charles DeCarli, Chen-Nee Chuah, and Brittany N. Dugger. A Machine Learning Approach to Automate Microinfarct Screening in Hematoxylin and Eosin-stained Human Brain Tissues. J of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology (JNEN), 1-12. doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlae120.
2024 Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, Jennifer E. Norman, Amparo C. Villablanca. Single nuclei transcriptomics in diabetic mice reveals altered brain hippocampal endothelial function, permeability and behavior. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA): Molecular Basis of Disease. 2024 Feb;1870(2):166970. doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2023.166970.
2025 Rosemary Timmons, Amparo C. Villablanca, and Collin Ellis. Perceived bias and perinatal health care quality: implications for practice and policy. J Women’s Health. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2024.0930.
2025 Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Jennifer E. Norman, Dragan Milenkovic, Amparo Villablanca. Sex differences in the single nuclei (snRNA) hippocampal neurovascular unit transcriptomic response to type 2 diabetes American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology (Sex as a Biological Variable article category). https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00193.2025. With editorial commentary: file:///C:/Users/Amparo%20Villablanca/Downloads/de-campos-zani-ussher-2025-the-neurovascular-unit-in-type-2-diabetes-a-tale-of-two-sexes.pdf
2025 Jennifer E. Norman, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Dragan Milenkovic, Amparo C. Villablanca. Cell- and Sex-Specificity in the Transcriptomic Response of the Hippocampal Neurovascular Unit to Obesity. Nature Communications Biology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-09112-6.
2025 Villablanca A, Smith BP, Wickman BE, Garrison SL, Norman JE, Milenkovic D, Nuthikattu S, Brown SD. From Basic Science to Prevention – The Imperative for a Convergence Science Approach for Cardio- and Cerebrovascular Risk Reduction in Females with Diabetes. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 9(1):e240. doi:10.1017/cts.2025.10169.
2025 Emilio Balbuena, Jennifer M. Rutkowsky, Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Amparo C Villablanca and Dragan Milenkovic. Nutrigenomic Influence of Curcumin on Male C57BL/6J Murine Hippocampal Microvasculature Under Hyperglycemia. Frontiers in Nutrition 12:1736964 (special issue on Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds: Preventing and Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases and Disorders). Doi.10.3389/fnut.2025.1736964.
2026 Joohi Chauhan, Audrey Fan, Shino Magaki, Amparo Villablanca, Harry Vinters, Sen-ching Cheung, Chen-Nee Chuah, and Brittany N. Dugger. Deep Learning Methods for Detection of Stroke for Neuropathology: Lessons learned From In Vivo Imaging to Digital Pathology. Journal of Clinical Translational Science.