Keith C. Ferdinand

Ferdinand is a professor of medicine and the Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology at Tulane Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans, LA. He received his medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC. Board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, certified in the subspecialty of nuclear cardiology, and a specialist in clinical hypertension, Ferdinand is a member of the Association of University Cardiologists, past chair of the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, and prior chief science officer and chair of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), as well as a board member of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology. He has conducted numerous trials in hypertension, lipids, cardiometabolic risk, and cardiovascular disease especially in racial/ethnic minorities, with over 200 peer-reviewed publications and lectures nationally and internationally. In 2004, Ferdinand received the Louis B. Russell, Jr. Memorial Award of the American Heart Association (AHA). Other awards include the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust for journalism, Charles Drew award for medical excellence from the National Minority Quality Foundation, Wenger Award for Medical Leadership by WomenHeart, ABC Spirit of the Heart Distinguished Leadership Award, 2019 Xavier University Champion Award for health equity, and AHA’s 2019 James B. Herrick Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cardiology.