Research Volunteer Structure
Science and medicine volunteers establish and direct the American Heart Association's research policies and programs. In partnership with the volunteers, AHA staff provide administrative and implementation support.
The AHA Research Committee and Subcommittees include research volunteers nominated by regional leadership and scientific councils.
The AHA Research Committee oversees and executes strategies to achieve the AHA Research Essential Elements, which include research funding, investigator development, accountability and optimization. Much of this work is done via the subcommittees.
Subcommittees are made up of AHA Research Committee members and other volunteers.
Strategic Outcomes Subcommittee
Bioethics Subcommittee
Portfolio Management & Peer Review Subcommittee
Peer Review Committees (study sections) evaluate the scientific merit of research proposals. Peer Review Committees include volunteer scientists who have experience in biomedical, clinical, population, and translational research. The chairpersons and co-chairpersons of each committee are responsible for recruiting members familiar with the science that will be reviewed. All Peer Review Committees must adhere to association-wide standards established for peer review.
One element of the AHA strategic research direction is the inclusion of Lay Stakeholders in Science and Research in the peer review process. A lay stakeholder may be assigned to assess an application's potential impact on the AHA mission. Lay stakeholders are patients, caregivers, advocates, survivors, family members, or thought leaders without formal training as scientists who have a strong interest in advancing the prevention and/or management of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and in assisting with the review of American Heart Association research proposals.
2022-23 Research Committee
Chairperson
Svati Shah, MD, MS, MHS, FAHA
Professor of Medicine
Associate Dean for Genomics
Vice-Chief Clinical Translation, Division of Cardiology
Director, Adult Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic
Duke University School of Medicine
Pavan Atluri, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Director, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiac Surgery
Director, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Assist
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery
Department of Surgery
University of Pennsylvania
Ivor Benjamin, MD, FAHA, FACC
AHA Past President
Director, CV Research Center
Professor of Medicine, Physiology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Cell Biology, and Surgery
Medical College of Wisconsin
Gerald Bloomfield, MD, MPH, FAHA
Associate Professor with Tenure of Medicine and Global Health
Duke Clinical Research Institute
Kadijah Breathett, MD, MS, FACC, FAHA, FHFSA
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiologist
University of Arizona, Sarver Heart Center
Todd J. Brinton, MD, FACC
Corporate Vice President, Advanced Technology
Chief Scientific Officer
Edwards Lifesciences
Billy Caceres, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Columbia University School of Nursing
April P. Carson, PhD, MSPH, FAHA
Associate Professor and Associate Dean
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health
Lisa Cassis, PhD
Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences College of Medicine
Vice President for Research
University of Kentucky
Bernie Dennis
Chairperson, Lay Stakeholder in Science and Research Task Force
Survivor & Patient Advocate
Former AHA Board Chairman, 2013-2015
Sunita Dodani, MD, FCPS, MSc, PhD, FAHA
Professor of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School
EVMS-Sentara Healthcare Analytics and Delivery Science Institute (HADSI)
Karen L. Furie, MD, MPH
Neurologist-in-Chief
Rhode Island Hospital
The Miriam Hospital & Bradley Hospital
Samuel I Kennison, MD, and Bertha S. Kennison Professor of Clinical Neuroscience
and Chair of Neurology
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
David C. Goff Jr., MD, PhD, FACP, FAHA
Director, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Bertha Hidalgo, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Ryals School of Public Health
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Nathaniel D. Jenkins, PhD, FAHA
Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Human Physiology
Member, Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center
University of Iowa
Walter J. Koroshetz, MD
Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
NIH/NINDS
Jamie Lohr, MD, FAHA
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiology
University of Minnesota Medical School
Louise D. McCullough, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair
Roy M. & Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair
Chief of Neurology, Memorial Hermann Hospital – Texas Medical Center (TMC)
Co-director, Mischer Neuroscience Institute
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
McGovern Medical School
Kristin Newby, MD, MHS, FACC, FAHA
Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology
Duke University Medical Center
Heather M. Snyder, PhD
Vice President, Medical & Scientific Relations
Alzheimer’s Association
Clintoria R. Williams, PhD, FAHA
Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology
Boonshoft School of Medicine and the College of Science and Mathematics
Wright State University
Bessie Young, MD, MPH, FACP, FASN
Associate Dean, Health Care Equity, School of Medicine
Medical Director, Office of Health Care Equity, UW Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine
University of Washington