Our Board

Jagat Narula, MD, PhD, MACC, FRCP is currently the executive vice president and chief academic officer at UTHealth Houston. He works with the six deans and members of the UTHealth Houston leadership team to advance the academic mission and promote excellence in education and research. This includes leading a diverse team of faculty and administrators to oversee strategic planning and implementation of the university’s education and research platform. 

Dr. Narula after completing his cardiology fellowship training and PhD (Cardiovascular Immunology) from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, relocated to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School in 1989. At MGH, after cardiology, heart failure & transplantation, and nuclear cardiology fellowships and he joined the cardiology faculty. In 1997, he moved to Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, where he was Thomas J. Vischer Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Cardiology, Vice-Chairman of the department of Internal Medicine, and Director of Heart Failure & Transplantation Center. He subsequently joined University of California, Irvine School of Medicine (2003) as Chief of the Division of Cardiology, Associate Dean for Research, and Director of the Cardiovascular Center of the UC Irvine’s Douglas Hospital. He was also the Director of Memorial Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial Hospital, and Medical Director of the Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology in UC Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering. He moved to Mount Sinai as the Philip J. and Harriet L. Goodhart Chair in Cardiology, and the Director of Cardiovascular Imaging Program in the Mount Sinai’s Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute in 2011.

Dr. Narula has the unique distinction of being able to combine molecular and subcellular pathology and imaging with clinical imaging of the failing myocardium and high-risk coronary atherosclerotic plaques to develop novel strategies for prevention of cardiovascular disease and promotion of cardiovascular health in developed as well as developing countries. He has specifically contributed to two major areas including heart muscle cell apoptosis in heart failure, and lipid-rich atherosclerotic plaques that are susceptible to rupture and acute coronary events. He has brought novel experimental strategies to bedside and defined their applicability at the community level. He is currently actively involved in numerous population-based heart attack prevention programs including HAPPY [Heart Attack Prevention Program for You]. Based on his expertise in global medicine, he serves on the Advisory Council on Global Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences.

His research has been funded, in part, by the grants from National Institutes of Health. He is considered to be a true translationist and one of the infrequent investigators who has distinction of publishing in the best basic science and the best clinical journals including Science, Nature Medicine, PNAS, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Circulation and JACC. With more than 1000 original research publications or presentations to his credit and more than 35 books or journal supplements edited, Dr. Narula has been awarded as ‘the best young investigator’ on several occasions for his research contributions. His mentoring prowess is exemplified by the fact that 20 of his fellows, working in his research laboratory, have been awarded young investigator awards. He was recently awarded as the Best Educator as also the Innovator in Cardiovascular Medicine by the American College of Cardiology in the year 2012, and was honored as the Master of the American College of Cardiology in March 2013. He has just received the Distinguished Scientist Award 2015 from the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Mbakwem is a professor of Medicine at the University of Lagos and a consultant cardiologist to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. She completed her residency training in internal medicine and cardiology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and received a Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians. She underwent further training in cardiology at the Wolfson Heart Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel and Azienda Sanitaria, Tuscany, Italy. Dr Mbakwem’s research interest includes Heart failure, systemic and pulmonary hypertension, heart disease in women, effective communication in disease management and the psychosocial issues in cardiovascular diseases. She is a member of the Nigerian Hypertension society guidelines writing committee. She is the immediate past President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society and a member of the European Society of Cardiology working group on Peripartum cardiomyopathy. She is the treasurer of PASCAR

Professor D. Prabhakaran is a cardiologist and epidemiologist by training. He is an internationally renowned researcher and is Distinguished Professor, Public Health Foundation of India, Executive Director of Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India and Professor (Epidemiology) London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. He heads the NIHR Centre for Global Health at PHFI. These centres conduct cutting edge research in the prevention of chronic diseases in India and the developing world.

His work spans from mechanistic research to understand the causes for increased propensity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among Indians, to developing solutions for CVD through translational research and human resource development. Prof. Prabhakaran is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, UK, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and an Adjunct Professor at the Emory University. He is member of Executive Council of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and the International Society of CVD Epidemiology and Prevention (ISCEP). He has received funding from NHLBI, Wellcome Trust, European Commission and several other international and national funding bodies. He has mentored over 50 post-doctoral and doctoral students so far. He has authored several chapters and over 700 scholarly papers with an H index of 113. Listed as the topmost researcher in Medicine in India terms of publications for the years 2009-2014 by Scopus and Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. He is the lead editor of the Cardiovascular Disease Volume of the latest Disease Control Priorities Project. He is the lead editor of Tandon’s text book of Cardiology a comprehensive book on Cardiology for Indian Cardiologists and Fellows. In recognition of his work in Chronic Diseases and Global Health he was conferred an Honorary Doctor Of Science by the Glasgow University.

DANIEL JOSÉ PIÑEIRO • Full Professor of Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina • President, World Heart Federation • Former President, Inter American Society of Cardiology and Argentine Society of Cardiology • Former Board of Trustees, American College of Cardiology World Heart Federation, • Former Board Member, World Heart Federation • Former Roadmaps Liaison Officer, Science Committee, World Heart Federation Prof. Daniel José Piñeiro currently is a Full Professor of Medicine at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina (2005-). He is very active in different international organizations: Trustee at the Board of Trustees of the American College of Cardiology (2018-2021), and Roadmaps Liaison Officer at the Science Committee of the World Heart Federation (2019-2020). Prof. Piñeiro has served twice as Member at the Board of the World Heart Federation (2011-2013 and 2017-2018), Member at Membership Committee of the American College of Cardiology (2016-2017), Chair of the Assembly of International Governors of the American College of Cardiology (2015-2017), President of the Inter American Society of Cardiology (2011-2013) and President of the Argentine Society of Cardiology (2005) He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association. Prof. Piñeiro graduated as a physician with honors at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He is involved in academic and educational activities as well as clinical practice. He also has a great interest in Public and Global Health as WHF Roadmaps and roundtables. He regularly presents his work at international and national conferences. He has publications including books, book chapters, and articles in international and national journals. Some of these articles are guidelines, consensus, white papers, and roadmaps devoted to Global Health. He has earned deserved 8 national and international awards.

Richard A. Chazal, MD, MACC

Rick Chazal is a senior cardiologist and the Medical Director of the Heart and Vascular Institute for Lee Health, a four hospital, not-for-profit system in Fort Myers, Florida.  Dr. Chazal is the Past President of the American College of Cardiology.   He has practiced clinical cardiology in Fort Myers since 1983 with expertise in echocardiography, diagnostic catheterization and coronary computerized tomography angiography. During his tenure, he has been a participant in multiple clinical trials.

Chazal received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and went on to complete medical school and Internal Medicine training at the University of South Florida.  Subsequently, Chazal completed a fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at the Krannert Institute of Cardiology at Indiana University, where he spent one year working under Harvey Feigenbaum, MD, FACC as a designated echocardiography fellow.

Chazal served as councillor, treasurer and president of the ACC’s Florida Chapter. Subsequent to his stint as president and governor for the Florida Chapter, he was elected Chair of the ACC Board of Governors.  He has also been ACC Treasurer and Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. In combined capacities, Chazal has spent thirteen years on the ACC Board of Trustees.  Nationally, Chazal has served as a member and/or chair of over 50 committees and workgroups for the College.

He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and Omicron Delta Kappa honoraries through the University of South Florida.  He is the recipient of multiple awards from the ACC Florida Chapter, including the Special Achievement Award, the Presidential Citation, the Distinguished Service Award, and the Founder’s Award. In 2011, the Southwest Florida Affiliate of the American Heart Association awarded him their Golden Heart Award, and in 2014 he was designated Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He received the inaugural Community Teaching Award from the Family Medicine Residency Program via Florida State University School of Medicine Fort Myers Program in 2015. The Lee County Medical Society honored Chazal with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. He serves as Professor of Clinical Sciences, Florida State University School of Medicine.

He and his wife Linda have three children and four grandchildren.

Amitava Banerjee is Professor of Clinical Data Science at University College London, and honorary consultant cardiologist at University College London Hospitals and Barts Health NHS Trusts. He is a researcher, educator and clinician with interests spanning data science, cardiovascular disease, global health, training and evidence-based healthcare, and more recently risk associated with underlying chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. After qualifying from Oxford Medical School, he trained as a junior doctor in Oxford, Newcastle, Hull and London. His interest in preventive cardiology and evidence-based medicine led to a Masters in Public Health at Harvard (2004/05), an internship at the World Health Organisation (2005) and DPhil in epidemiology from Oxford (2010). He was clinical lecturer in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Birmingham, before moving to UCL in 2015. He works across two busy tertiary care settings with both inpatient and outpatient commitments. Although he is subspecialised in heart failure, he has ongoing practice in acute general cardiology and a keen interest in the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation. His clinical work very much informs his research and vice versa, whether in the evaluation of medical technology, study of cardiovascular disease in under-served populations, disease phenotypes in electronic health records or now COVID-19. He was an Emerging Leader in inaugural cohort in 2014, and has been Senior Advisor to the World Heart Federation Emerging Leaders Programme since 2018.

José Ramón González Juanatey MD PhD, Professor of Cardiology at the University ofSantiago de Compostela (since 2000), Head of Cardiology and Coronary Care Unit of theUniversity Hospital of Santiago de Compostela (since 2007) and past President of the SpanishSociety of Cardiology (2013-2015). José Ramón González Juanatey MD PhD is author of morethan 740 research articles (38000 times cited / H-index: 59, source WoS), published in the bestgeneralist (NEJM, Lancet, etc.) and cardiovascular journals (Eur. Heart J., JACC, Circulation,Int J Cardiol, Cardiovascular Research, Eur. J. Heart Fail., Revista Esp. Cardiol., etc.). José Ramón González Juanatey is the coordinator of the Inflammation Area and principalinvestigator of the Cardiology Group at the Health Research Institute of Santiago deCompostela (IDIS). He was recognized as Spanish Doctor of the Year in 2014, member ofthe Board of Directors of the Spanish Network on Cardiac Insufficiency (REDINSCOR), formerpresident of the Hypertension Chapter of the Spanish Cardiology Society, governor for Spainof the International Society of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and President of ACC SpanishChapter.Dr. González Juanatey is the leader of the cardioCHUS research group of the UniversityHospital of Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), integrated in the Health Research Instituteof Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), the Center for Research in Molecular Medicine andChronic Diseases of the USC (CIMUS) and also in Center of Biomedical Research in Netfor Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV) of the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII) of Spain.The intense work of the group is reflected by the number of research projects obtained inpublic calls during the last 10 years at regional (6), national (more than 20) and internationallevel (5) projects from the European Commission: 3 of them are clinical: TIMELY, EUCAREand SECURE, another pre-clinical: FABIMED project, and the last is in the manufacturingand clinical interface (ATLANTIC-KET-MED). Financial support has also been achieved fromprivate foundations (Mutua Madrileña, Spanish Society of Cardiology…) and pharmaceuticalcompanies (Novartis, Bayer, Daiichi-Sankyo, AstraZeneca…). More recently, our group wasawarded with the first “intramural project” from CIBERCV, an evidence of our capacity ofleadership.The main lines of investigation are: heart failure, with special emphasis on heart failurewith preserved systolic function, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, cardiac rehabilitation,hemodynamics, cardiomyocyte endocrinology, epicardial adipose and endothelial tissuebiology, and chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. The Cardiology Department of CHUS hasbeen repeatedly chosen for participation in numerous clinical trials (up to 70 different clinicaltrial per year in the last times). In recent years, the Cardiology Department has been awarded with the Best in Class (BIC)award (editions of 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020), Best in Class Excellenceaward (2020), Innovation in Health award by TelecardioCHUS program and the ReCo program(cardiac rehabilitation in cancer patients).

Prof Elijah Ogola is a professor of internal medicine and cardiology at the University of Nairobi. He graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1979, followed by residency in internal medicine at the same institution. He undertook a visiting fellowship in cardiology at the University hospitals of Cleveland in the US in 1989-1990. He is the President of the Pan African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) and governor of the African chapter of the American College of Cardiology. He is a past president of the Kenya Cardiac Society. His main research interests are hypertension, emerging cardiovascular risk factors in Africa and heart failure. He is a fellow of the American college of cardiology, the European society of cardiology and the international society of hypertension (ISFH).

Julie Redfern is a Professor of Public Health, NHMRC Leadership Fellow and a Physiotherapist. Professor Redfern currently holds a NHMRC Investigator Grant Level 2 for which she won the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Award for Health Services. In May 2024 she commenced a new role Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare at Bond University. She also recently won the NSW Woman of Excellence Award, a University of Sydney Vice Chancellor’s Award for Leadership and Mentoring and an Australian Cardiovascular Alliance Award (ACvA) for Mentoring. She has been Chief Investigator on research grants totalling $30M in the past 5 years and has published over 250 manuscripts. She is currently a member of the Scientific Committees for the World Heart Federation and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand and is co-Director of the ACvA Implementation and Policy Flagship.

Raul Santos MD, PhD is associate professor and director of the Lipid Clinic at heart institute (InCor) University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. His main lines of research are dyslipidemias, biomarkers and prevention of atherosclerosis . He is a highly cited researcher according to Clarivate Analytics (2021-2023) and past president of the International Atherosclerosis Society.

Jean-Luc Eiselé has worked in the field of medical association management for almost 20 years. He was trained as a biochemist working at the Biozentrum in Basel and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. In 1999, he joined the European Respiratory Society as Scientific Affairs Manager in charge of the Annual Congress and was offered to develop the educational activities, in particular the online portfolio. In 2001 he was nominated Deputy Executive Director and in 2007 ERS Executive Director. In 2011, he was appointed by FDI World Dental Federation as Executive Director, developing in particular its advocacy work and launching successfully the World Oral Health Day. He joined the World Heart Federation (WHF) as Chief Executive Officer in May 2017, strengthening the business model, the focus on communication and advocacy and membership engagement.