WACO CARDIOLOGY ASSOCIATES
Click here to read the original article from the Waco Tribune-Herald.
By Mike Copeland
June 5, 2026
Waco Cardiology Associates, headquartered just off Sanger Avenue at State Highway 6, serves as a cardiology research center. Alongside the regular courses of patient care, its dozen physicians participate in trials relating to heart failure, cardiovascular disease, weight-loss drugs and a host of other maladies and medical treatments.
“We had 350 people enrolled, and probably have 200 to 250 people actively enrolled,” said Dr. Donald Cross, principal investigator at Waco Cardiology.
Waco Cardiology’s research assets now belong to Iterative Health, a Massachusetts company with an international presence. Iterative Health announced last month it bought cardiology research sites in Waco, Port Arthur and Beaumont, all previously operated by NextStage Clinical Research.
Nothing against NextStage, said Cross, but Iterative Health represents advancement in the pecking order. He said it can give Waco Cardiology exposure to more and different trials. A drug company wanting studies on a new weight-loss drug and its impact on the heart and lungs may turn to Iterative Health for answers, for example, and Cross said Waco could find itself among 10 or 15 research sites producing test results.
The goal is to “contribute to cardiovascular research at a scale worthy of the patients who trust us with their care,” Cross said in a press release.
Jonathan Ng, founder and CEO of Iterative Health, said he became impressed with Waco Cardiology’s track record and acted accordingly.
“Dr. Cross has built something exceptional in Waco — a premier cardiovascular research site with deep community roots and a proven record of bringing cutting-edge medicine to patients who need it most,” Ng said.
Cross said the healthcare industry is shifting away from viewing academic medical centers as the dominant force in medical trials to “a model built around embedding research within community care settings.”
“Cardiovascular disease affects nearly half of all U.S. adults, but trial access remains uneven across communities, and these Texas markets reflect exactly that gap,” an Iterative Health spokesperson said by email. “The NextStage sites bring established patient communities, deep ties to local provider groups, and experienced research teams already operating in the market Iterative Health is trying to reach.”
Trials at Waco Cardiology take place in a designated area at the same address patients visit to receive standard care, Cross said. Patients pay nothing for the testing and treatment they receive during trials. In fact, most receive stipends for their participation, Cross said. He stressed that trial-related testing should not be confused with a treatment regimen patients follow when visiting their doctors or other professionals at Waco Cardiology.
All physicians affiliated with Waco Cardiology may refer patients to clinical trials and enjoy access to the testing area. But four doctors, including Cross, see more day-to-day exposure to what’s going on there.
“Every trial has different protocols,” Cross said. “Some involve research related to a specific medical procedure, or pharmaceuticals, or performance. Maybe you take a 6-minute walk, with testing afterward. These trials run the gamut of cardio. I’m there along with three clinical coordinators. I’m the primary investigator, responsible for ensuring things are done correctly.”
The goal is producing useful data for the contracting party.
“Trials last a minimum of six months. Some can run three to five years,” Cross said. “Most who get involved say they personally may not see the benefits, but they believe their children or grandchildren will.”
Waco Cardiology Associates was founded in 1971 by Dr. Charles Shoultz Jr., with Dr. Michael Wayne Falcone joining the team a year later. Shoultz and Falcone performed Waco’s first heart catheterization in March 1973. Other local firsts achieved by Waco Cardiology doctors include coronary angioplasty in 1982, coronary stent in 1993, drug-eluting coronary stent in 2003, and first use of the fixed cardiac PET scanner in 2014, according to a McLennan County Medical Society rundown.
Initially based at Providence Health Center, a predecessor to Ascension Providence, and later operating out of offices at the Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, now Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center, Waco Cardiology Associates moved in 2004 to a remodeled former grocery store on Sanger Avenue near Loop 340. It now has eight offices in the region.