2023 Distinguished Scientist Patrick Ellinor, MD, PhD, FAHA

Patrick Ellinor, MD, PhD, FAHA
Acting Chief of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Director, Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Dr. Ellinor grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Biology. He then headed to the West coast to attend Stanford University for medical and graduate school where his doctoral work focused on the structure and function of calcium channels. From there he moved to Boston for medical residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital followed by fellowship training in cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In 2001, he joined the faculty at MGH and split time between research and the clinical care of patients with arrhythmias. In 2016, Dr. Ellinor became the director of the Demoulas Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias at MGH and is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. At the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, he is an Institute Member and the Director of the Cardiovascular Research Initiative. In 2022, he became the acting chief of cardiology and co-director of the Corrigan-Minehan Heart Center at MGH.

Dr. Ellinor has always been intrigued with human genetics, so his research lab began with an initial focus on trying to identify the genetic basis of early-onset atrial fibrillation. This work in turn led the establishment of the AFGen Consortium, an international group of investigators studying the genetics of atrial fibrillation. In the ensuing years, they have led large-scale genetic analyses for atrial fibrillation and many other cardiovascular diseases. His lab is now largely based at the Broad Institute and has expanded to a wide range of topics that includes cardiovascular disease mechanisms, single cell sequencing, the application of machine learning to cardiac data, and the development of new therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

Outside of work, Dr. Ellinor enjoys spending time with his family, their cute, but rather clueless dog, reading, sailing, and working as a part-time contractor around the house.