Lingering COVID symptoms in young, competitive athletes rare, large study finds
For the few with cardiac symptoms upon return to exercise, experts urge clinical evaluation.
About Tim Churchill, MD
Timothy Churchill, MD, is a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Churchill specializes in evaluating and treating heart disease in athletes and physically active individuals. His clinical practice is focused on sports cardiology and cardiac ultrasound. He is a member of the Cardiovascular Performance Program, a program within the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center that provides clinical care and exercise testing for active individuals. He believes strongly in a patient-centered approach to care and sharing the process of medical decision-making with the patient.
Dr. Churchill's research interests center on the impact of exercise on the heart, and he has authored recent publications in JAMA Cardiology, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging.
Dr. Churchill received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and cardiology training including advanced fellowships in sports cardiology and echocardiography (heart ultrasound) at Massachusetts General Hospital.
When Dr. Churchill is not at Mass General, he enjoys spending time outside with his family. He is also a dedicated runner.
Departments, Centers, & Programs:
Clinical Interests:
- Aortic disease
- Athlete's heart
- Echocardiography
- Exercise physiology
- Exercise testing
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Sports Cardiology
- Valvular heart disease
Treats:
- Adult
Languages:
- Spanish
Locations
Mass General Heart Center
55 Fruit St.
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 866-644-8910
Medical Education
- MD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
- Residency, Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital
American Board Certifications
- Cardiovascular Disease, American Board of Internal Medicine
- Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna Health Inc.
- AllWays Health (NHP) - ACD
- AllWays Health (NHP) - PBO
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Blue Care 65
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Indemnity
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Managed Care
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Partners Plus
- BMC HealthNet Mass Health MCO/ACO
- Cigna (PAL #'s)
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Fallon Community HealthCare
- Great-West Healthcare (formally One Health Plan)
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan - ACD
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan - PBO
- Health Care Value Management (HCVM)
- Humana/Choice Care PPO
- Maine Community Health Options (MCHO)
- MassHealth
- Medicare
- Medicare - ACD
- Medicare ACO - ACD
- Medicare ACO - PBO
- OSW - Connecticut
- OSW - Maine
- OSW - New Hampshire
- OSW - New York
- OSW - Rhode Island
- OSW - Vermont
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
- Railroad Medicare
- Railroad Medicare - ACD
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- Unicare
- United Healthcare (non-HMO) - ACD
- United Healthcare (non-HMO) - PBO
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Research
Dr. Churchill conducts research as a member of the Cardiovascular Performance Program research group and is focused on studying cardiovascular adaptations to exercise as they apply to health, disease, and human performance. He also maintains an active program studying clinical outcomes and physiology of valvular heart disease.
Publications
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Guseh JS and Churchill TW, et al. An Expanded Repertoire of Intensity-Dependent Exercise-Responsive Plasma Proteins Tied to Loci of Human Disease Risk. Scientific Reports. 2020.
Churchill TW, et al. Echocardiographic Features of COVID-19 Illness and Association with Cardiac Biomarkers. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. 2020
Churchill TW, et al. Training-Associated Changes in Ventricular Volumes and Function in Elite Female Runners. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. 2020
Churchill TW, et al. Association of Ascending Aortic Dilatation and Long-Term Endurance Exercise Among Older Masters-Level Athletes. JAMA Cardiology. 2020Churchill TW, et al. Exercise-induced cardiac remodeling during adolescence. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2019
Churchill TW, et al. Diagnostic Yield of Customized Exercise Provocation Following Routine Testing. American Journal of Cardiology. 2019
Churchill TW, et al. Weight Gain and Health Affliction Among Former National Football League Players. American Journal of Medicine. 2018.
https://www.massgeneral.org/news/press-release/Study-finds-long-term-endurance-exercise-is-associated-with-enlarged-aortahttps://www.massgeneral.org/news/press-release/improved-care-heart-valve-disease