Stanford Physicians Lead Country’s Top Cardiovascular Organizations

Four members of the Stanford University School of Medicine faculty have been appointed to leadership positions in three prominent national health care organizations in the field of cardiovascular medicine.

• Robert A. Harrington, MD, was appointed Incoming President of the American Heart Association.
• Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, was named Chair of the American Heart Association’s National Research Committee and Chair of the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences.
• Ronald L. Dalman, MD, was named Incoming President of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS).
• Jeffrey Teuteberg, MD, was named President of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

“Stanford has a long history of defining the standards of care in heart and vascular medicine. As leaders of these national organizations, our faculty appointees have the opportunity to help develop guidelines for patient care nationally, promote and support innovative research and advocate on behalf of their physician members,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, the Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine. “These appointments are a testament to their dedication to their fields of medicine.”

“Cardiovascular Health at Stanford Health Care continues to define new standards of patient care,” said David Entwistle, President of Stanford Health Care. “These leadership appointments underscore the expertise of our faculty and the pre-eminence of our departments of medicine and surgery.”

Robert A. Harrington, MD
Harrington is a cardiologist and the Arthur L. Bloomfield Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. His one-year term as President of the American Heart Association begins July 1, 2019. He is currently President-Elect of the organization. Harrington is a member of the American Heart Association’s science advisory and coordinating committee and served as the chair for the Association’s Scientific Sessions in 2013 and 2014.

“The American Heart Association is the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke,” said Harrington. “I have been involved with the AHA for more than 25 years. I have largely worked in the organization from the perspective of a clinician scientist and educator. To have the opportunity to spend a couple of years as an officer, to concentrate on the key research, education and advocacy missions of the Heart Association, is a culmination of my 30 plus years in medicine.”

Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD
Wu is Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and the Simon H. Stertzer, MD, Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Radiology. He will serve on the AHA’s National Board of Directors and Chair of the AHA Research Committee through 2019.

“The American Heart Association is synonymous with being at the forefront of promoting and advancing cardiovascular health, for physicians and patients alike,” he said. “This is an exciting time for cardiovascular research with revolutionary technologies and growing international collaborations. I am grateful to be a part of the effort to realize the full potential of the future of cardiovascular medicine.”

For Dr. Wu, collaboration and advocacy are paramount to his work for the heart association.

“Two of my main goals are to expand the support for and recognition of promising young, mid-career and senior investigators, and to promote international collaborations and relationships,” he said. “By working together across regional and national boundaries, I believe the greater research community will be in the best position to speed up and vastly improve translational research to benefit patients worldwide,” he said.

Ronald L. Dalman, MD
Dalman is the Walter Clifford Chidester and Elsa Rooney Chidester Professor of Surgery at Stanford. He has served on the Surgery faculty at Stanford since 1992, and has directed the Vascular Surgery program since 2005.

This past June, Dalman was elected Vice President of the Society for Vascular Surgery. In June 2019, he will become President-Elect and then President in 2020. Dalman has served the SVS in many roles over the last 20 years, including directing the Vascular Annual Meeting as Program Chair from 2015 to 2017.

“I am honored to join the SVS executive team,” Dr. Dalman said. “The Society is the premier organization promoting vascular health worldwide. This is an opportunity to help guide decisions that will impact the profession and the health of patients for years to come.”

“There remain a lot of challenges in vascular disease for Americans,” said Dalman, who views his appointment as a broad public health mission to reduce barriers to care, improve outcomes, increase efficiency of practice and reduce the burden of vascular disease worldwide. “There’s an epidemic of diabetes and related issues such as chronic blood flow problems in the extremities, diminished mobility and risk of limb loss,” he said. “There is still so much we can do to try and improve vascular health.”

Jeffrey Teuteberg, MD
Teuteberg joined Stanford in July 2017 as an Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, and is also Section Chief of Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Stanford. He is currently serving as President of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) for a one-year term ending in April 2019.

“I’m honored to serve the ISHLT as president and work with Society members to advance the care of our patients and to extend to the impact of the society across the globe,” said Dr. Teuteberg. The ISHLT is a professional organization dedicated to improving the care of patients with advanced heart or lung disease through transplantation, mechanical support and innovative therapies via research, education and advocacy.

“I have been involved with the ISHLT for more than 15 years, and it is humbling and gratifying to serve as the president of the organization.”

Drs. Harrington, Wu and Teuteberg as well as other members of the Stanford University School of Medicine faculty will be speaking at the American Heart Association’s Annual Conference, Nov. 10-12, 2018, in Chicago. Dr. Wu will also receive the AHA’s Distinguished Scientist Award at the event.