Steering Committee Members
David S. Kountz, MD, MBA, MACP (Co-Chair)
Co-Chief Academic Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health; Professor of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean, Diversity & Equity, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
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)
Professor of Medicine;
Medical Director, Cardiovascular Women's Heart Program; Director, CVD Fellowship
College of Medicine, University of Florida
Joshua Berry, MPH
Director, Chronic Disease Risk Factors
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Susan Cantrell
Chief Executive Officer
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
(AMCP)
Corey Coleman, MBA
Vice President of Health Equity
& Strategic Partnerships
OptumRx
Jason Deen, MD
Pediatric Cardiologist, Seattle Children’s Hospital
Member, Association of American Indian Physicians
Stacy Ellsworth, RN, MSN, CCRC
Board Member, AntiCoagulation Forum
Clinical Research Associate, Henry Ford Health
Celina Gorre, MPA, MPH
Chief Executive Officer
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
Ryan Gough
Executive Director,
Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health
Lydia Isaac, PhD
Vice President, Health Equity and Policy
National Urban League
Maimah Karmo
President/CEO
Tigerlily Foundation
Melissa Lewis, MPH
Director, Health Equity
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Andrea Lowe, MBA, MHA, PA-C
Director, Health Equity
Partnerships and DE&I Initiatives
American Academy of PAs and PA Foundation
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
Alex Sheldon, MA
Executive Director
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing
LGBTQ+ Equality
Hal Smith, Ed.D
Senior Vice President, Education, Youth Development, and Health
National Urban League
Barbara Tombros
Board Member
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
Veronica Vital, PhD, RN
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
Advisory Panel Members
RADM Richardae Araojo, PharmD, MS
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