Amit Khera, M.D., director of preventive cardiology and clinical chief of cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, will receive the 2025 Chairman's Award at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, Nov. 7-10 in New Orleans. The award recognizes his distinguished accomplishments and service to the association, including his role as chair of the Scientific Sessions Program Committee in 2023 and 2024.
Dr. Khera, a professor of medicine and epidemiology, has transformed preventive cardiology through groundbreaking clinical studies. His work on cardiovascular risk assessment includes key observations from the Dallas Heart Study on coronary artery calcium scanning. He also developed the Astro-CHARM calculator, funded by NASA, to screen astronauts for heart disease risks. Additionally, he leads an innovative study using the blood donation system to screen donors for familial hypercholesterolemia.
Dr. Khera's passion for prevention began during his residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where caring for a 45-year-old patient with recurrent heart procedures sparked his focus on risk assessment and modification. He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications and served on the writing committee for the '2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.'
As past volunteer president of the association's Dallas and Southwest Region Board, Dr. Khera drove local engagement. He has been an integral member of the Cardiovascular Kidney-Metabolic Health Scientific Advisory Group since 2022. He is also an associate editor for the association's journal, Circulation.
Dr. Khera founded the UT Southwestern Preventive Cardiology program in 2004 and led the Cardiology Fellowship Program for 15 years. He is a Master of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology and past president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology. For more on the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, follow @HeartNews or search #AHA25.
