Below is a list of five cardiology leaders in the U.S. who have made a positive impact on their organizations and the profession.
Editor’s note: This is not a list of top cardiologists, but rather a list highlighting professional accomplishments. Becker’s does not endorse any physicians featured on this list.
This is not an exhaustive list. To nominate a physician for future lists, please contact Sophie Eydis at seydis@beckershealthcare.com.
- Mintu Turakhia, MD. Stanford (Calif.) Health Care: Dr. Turakhia is an internationally recognized cardiac electrophysiologist and leader in digital health, AI and outcomes research. He is the founding director of Stanford’s Center for Digital Health and has led landmark, large-scale clinical trials integrating wearables and AI into cardiovascular care, including serving as co-principal investigator of the Apple Heart Study. In industry, Dr. Turakhia served as chief medical and scientific officer at iRhythm Technologies. He has also authored more than 300 publications.
- Jay Giri, MD. Penn Medicine (Philadelphia): Dr. Giri is an interventional cardiologist and director of the cardiovascular catheterization laboratories at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he leads complex coronary, structural heart and vascular intervention programs. He also directs the Penn Cardiovascular Outcomes, Quality & Evaluative Research Center, with a research focus on comparative effectiveness, emerging endovascular technologies and health policy in cardiovascular care. Dr. Giri has also led multisite international clinical trials and authored more than 300 scientific publications. He has received national awards for innovation in interventional cardiology.
- Pamela Douglas, MD. Duke University Health System (Durham, N.C.): Dr. Douglas is the Ursula Geller Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases at Duke University and director of the multimodality imaging program at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. She has been nationally recognized for leading landmark clinical trials and outcomes research that have improved the quality and appropriateness of cardiovascular imaging. She has also authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and 30 practice guidelines and served as president of both the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography.
- Andrea Natale, MD. Texas (Austin) Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center: Dr. Natale is executive medical director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute and a leader in cardiac electrophysiology. He has pioneered multiple catheter-based and minimally invasive therapies for atrial fibrillation, including novel ablation techniques and devices that have reshaped modern arrhythmia care. Dr. Natale has performed first-in-human procedures, holds patents for atrial fibrillation treatment technologies and has authored hundreds of scientific publications.
- Roxana Mehran, MD. Mount Sinai Health System (New York City): Dr. Mehran is an internationally renowned interventional cardiologist and director of interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials at Mount Sinai. She has led and designed landmark randomized trials and outcomes studies that have shaped contemporary practice in complex coronary intervention, bleeding avoidance and personalized cardiovascular care. As a researcher, Dr. Mehran has authored more than 3,000 publications and regularly contributes to national and international guideline development. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the American College of Cardiology and leads global initiatives advancing women’s cardiovascular health, including the Lancet Commission on Women’s Cardiovascular Diseases and the Women as One movement.
