Steering Committee Members

David S. Kountz, MD, MBA, FACP (Co-Chair)

Co-Chief Academic Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health, Vice President, Academic Affairs and DIO,  Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Diversity & Equity, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at SHU

Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA (Co-Chair)

Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
Stanford University
Associate Editor, New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch Cardiology

Gladys P. Velarde, MD, FACC (Co-Chair) 

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 Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
 Division of Cardiology Medical Director, Cardiovascular Women's Heart Program Director, CVD Fellowship College of Medicine, University of Florida

Hal Smith, Ed.D

Senior Vice President, Education, Youth Development, and Health
National Urban League

Mary Ann Cooney, MPH, MSN

Chief, Center for Population Health Strategies
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials 

Jason Deen, MD

Pediatric Cardiologist, Seattle Children’s Hospital
Member, Association of American Indian Physicians

Kendra Dorsey

Director, National Health Campaigns
American Medical Group Association

Ryan Gough

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 Executive Director,
Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health

Melissa Lewis, MPH

Director, Health Equity
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials 

Norm Linsky

Executive Director,

Mended Hearts

David Montgomery, MD, PhD, FACC

Cardiologist, PREventClinic
National Health Contributor

Latha Palaniappan, MD, MS

Professor of Medicine, Primary Care & Population Health, Co-Director, Center for Asian Health Research & Education, 
The Stanford University Medical Center

Ileana Pina, MD, MPH

Professor of Medicine, Wayne State University, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Central Michigan University, Director CVD Research and Academic Affairs, Regional and National Director of Heart Failure, Detroit Medical Center

Elena Rios, MD, MSPH

President and Chief Executive Officer
National Hispanic Medical Association

Carlos Jose Rodriguez, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA

Vice Chair for Academic Affairs
Director, Clinical Cardiology Research
Director, Cardiovascular Epidemiology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

Barbara Tombros

Board Member
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease 

Veronica Vital, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor at
University of Arizona, College of Nursing
Board Member, National Association
of Hispanic Nurses

Setu Vora, MD

Chief Medical Officer,
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

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Advisory Panel Members

CAPT Richardae Araojo, PharmD, MS

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Associate Commissioner for Minority Health

Director, Office of Minority Health

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Patrice Desvigne-Nickens, MD

Medical Officer, Heart Failure and Arrhythmias
Division of Cardiovascular Sciences
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 

Nicole Redmond, MD, PhD, MPH

Medical Officer, Div. of Cardiovascular Sciences
Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute