Salim S Virani, M.D., Ph.D, FACC, FAHA, FASPC
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Positions
- Professor
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Medicine - Cardiology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States
- Staff Cardiologist
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Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center
United States
- Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program Director
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Baylor College of Medicine
- Co-Director, VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Health Services Research & Development
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Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Addresses
- Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (Clinic)
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6565 Fannin, Suite 320
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Education
- Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine
- 06/2008 - Houston, Texas United States
- Cardiology
- MBBS from Aga Khan University Medical College
- 01/1998 - Karachi, Pakistan
- Residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital-University of Miami
- 06/2005 - Miami, Florida United States
- Internal Medicine
- PhD from Baylor College of Medicine
- 01/2012 - Houston, Texas United States
- Biostatistics/ Health Services Research
Certifications
- Internal Medicine
- American Board of Internal Medicine
- Level III Certification
- American Society of Echocardiography
- Cardiovascular Disease
- American Board of Internal Medicine
Honors & Awards
- Chair, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Council
- American College of Cardiology
- Immediate Past Chair, Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Committee
- American Heart Association
- Immediate Past Chair, Research and Publications Committee
- American College of Cardiology PINNACLE Registry
- Associate Editor for Innovations
- ACC.org
- Member, NCDR Management Board
- American College of Cardiology
- Scott Grundy Award for Excellence in Lipids Metabolism Research
- American Heart Association
- Jeremiah Stamler Distinguished Young Investigator Research Award
- Tauber award for the Outstanding Cardiology Fellow
- Texas Heart Institute
- Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award (Teaching and Evaluation, Educational Research, Development of Enduring Educational Materials)
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Emerging Faculty Program
- American College of Cardiology
- World Heart Federation's Emerging Leaders Program
- Best Doctors® Database
- Chair, Global NCD Academy
- American College of Cardiology
Professional Interests
- Atherosclerosis
- Health Outcomes
- Guideline adherence
- m-health
Professional Statement
Salim S. Virani, MD, Ph.D., is a tenured Professor in the Sections of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is also an investigator in the Health Policy, Quality, and Informatics Program at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation in Houston, TX. His clinical practice includes being a Preventive Cardiologist at Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC), with a special emphasis on management of complex dyslipidemias. He also serves as the Director for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine and Co-Director for the VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Health Services Research & Development at MEDVAMC. Dr. Virani earned his medical degree from the Aga Khan University in Pakistan, graduating with the Best Medical Graduate Award. Dr. Virani completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami, there receiving an award as the Best Resident. He then completed a Cardiology fellowship at the Texas Heart Institute, where he served as the Chief Cardiology Fellow and received Tauber Award for the Outstanding Graduating Fellow.Dr. Virani’s research portfolio aims to understand the pathophysiology and epidemiology of atherosclerosis with a special emphasis on South Asians. His team is also studying several domains in the delivery of high-quality guideline concordant primary and secondary cardiovascular disease preventive care. Via funded research grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, NIH, AHRQ, and the World Heart Federation, his team has been evaluating models of delivery of cardiovascular disease preventive care, how to leverage machine learning while using “big data”, and how point-of-care informatics driven interventions can improve guideline-concordant care delivery. His team is also evaluating how best to leverage technology to deliver high-quality care in Low-Middle Income Countries especially in South Asia. He has authored or co-authored >500 peer-reviewed publications or book chapters (several with his mentees) related to various aspects of cardiovascular disease prevention including cholesterol, blood pressure control and aspirin therapy with several in high-impact journals such as Circulation, European Heart Journal, JAMA, JAMA Cardiology, and Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This work has received >90,000 citations. He has been recognized as “World Expert” in Cholesterol by Expertscape (top 0.01% of scholars writing about cholesterol from 2011-2021 among 181,887 published authors). Dr. Virani has also served as a faculty for >50 online literary educational programs and has participated in >100 online or in person media interviews. He has made >150 invited presentations at various conferences and academic institutions with >50 of those at institutions and conferences outside the U.S.
Dr. Virani has been a recipient of the Scott Grundy Award for Excellence in Lipids Metabolism Research from the American Heart Association (AHA), the Jeremiah Stamler Distinguished Young Investigator Research Award, Leadership Award from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) NCDR® Oversight Committee, National Lipid Association (NLA) President’s Service Award, and the Clark Faculty Service Award at Baylor College of Medicine for exemplary professionalism and community service. Dr. Virani serves as the Chair for the ACC’s Global NCD Academy, Digital Strategy for the cardiovascular disease prevention related content for ACC.org and the ACC International’s Global Quality Solutions Work group. He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Preventive Cardiology, At-Large Board Member for the Southwest Chapter of the NLA, and as a member on the ACC’s Science and Quality Committee. He has also served as Chair for the AHA's Cardiovascular Disease Statistics Committee, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Section of the ACC and the Research and Publications Committee of the ACC’s PINNACLE Registry (the largest outpatient cardiovascular disease registry in the world), and as the Associate Editor for Innovations for ACC.org. He has been inducted several times in the Best Doctors® Database (peer-reviewed group that includes the top 5% of U.S. physicians). More recently, Dr. Virani has served as a panel member for the 2018 AHA/ACC Multi-society Guideline on Cholesterol Management, the 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, and the 2019 World Heart Federation/International Diabetes Federation’s Road Map on the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease among People Living with Diabetes. Currently, he is serving as a member of the writing group on the World Heart Federation’s Road Map on Cholesterol Management and the European Atherosclerosis Society’s Consensus statement on Lipoprotein(a).
Dr. Virani firmly believes in the notion of Civil Society that one of the most important objectives of being able to acquire quality education is to serve the communities in which we live and the communities in need. In that respect, he spends ~15-20 hours per week in voluntary service with a dedicated team of volunteers to (a) provide educational and behavioral intervention related resources to combat NCDs in the community (b) play an active role in health care capacity building for communities in South Asia, Central Asia, and East Africa. He also serves on the World Heart Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on NCD related research and innovation (TAG/RI).
Websites
Selected Publications
- Brautbar A, Pompeii LA, Dehghan A, Ngwa JS, Nambi V, Virani SS, Rivadeneira F, Uitterlinden AG, Hofman A, Witteman JC, Pencina MJ, Folsom AR, Cupples LA, Ballantyne CM, Boerwinkle E "A genetic risk score based on direct associations with coronary heart disease improves coronary heart disease risk prediction in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC), but not in the Rotterdam and Framingham Offspring, Studies.." Atherosclerosis. 2012 Aug;223(2):421-6. Pubmed PMID: 22789513
- Negi SI, Brautbar A, Virani SS, Anand A, Polisecki E, Asztalos BF, Ballantyne CM, Schaefer EJ, Jones PH "A novel mutation in the ABCA1 gene causing an atypical phenotype of Tangier disease.." J Clin Lipidol. 2013 Jan;7(1):82-7. Pubmed PMID: 23351586
- Virani SS, Pompeii L, Lincoln AE, Dunn RE, Tucker AM, Nambi V, Nasir K, Vogel RA, Boone JL, Roberts AJ, Ballantyne CM "Association between traditional cholesterol parameters, lipoprotein particle concentration, novel biomarkers and carotid plaques in retired National Football League players.." Atherosclerosis. 2012 Jun;222(2):551-6. Pubmed PMID: 22525822
- Alam M, Lee VV, Elayda MA, Shahzad SA, Yang EY, Nambi V, Jneid H, Pan W, Coulter S, Wilson JM, Ramanathan KB, Ballantyne CM, Virani SS "Association of gender with morbidity and mortality after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. A propensity score matched analysis.." 2012 Jan 10; Pubmed PMID: 22240765
- Virani SS, Brautbar A, Davis BC, Nambi V, Hoogeveen RC, Sharrett AR, Coresh J, Mosley TH, Morrisett JD, Catellier DJ, Folsom AR, Boerwinkle E, Ballantyne CM "Associations Between Lipoprotein(a) Levels and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Black and White Subjects: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.." Circulation. 2012 Jan 17;125(2):241-9. Pubmed PMID: 22128224
- Brunner G, Nambi V, Yang E, Kumar A, Virani SS, Kougias P, Shah D, Lumsden A, Ballantyne CM, Morrisett JD "Automatic quantification of muscle volumes in magnetic resonance imaging scans of the lower extremities.." Magn Reson Imaging. 2011 Oct;29(8):1065-75. Pubmed PMID: 21855242
- Virani SS, Steinberg L, Murray T, Negi S, Nambi V, Woodard LD, Bozkurt B, Petersen LA, Ballantyne CM "Barriers to Non-HDL Cholesterol Goal Attainment by Providers.." Am. J. Med.. 2011 Sep;124(9):876-880.e2. Pubmed PMID: 21854896
- Saunders JT, Nambi V, de Lemos JA, Chambless LE, Virani SS, Boerwinkle E, Hoogeveen RC, Liu X, Astor BC, Mosley TH, Folsom AR, Heiss G, Coresh J, Ballantyne CM "Cardiac troponin T measured by a highly sensitive assay predicts coronary heart disease, heart failure, and mortality in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.." Circulation. 2011 Apr 5;123(13):1367-76. Pubmed PMID: 21422391
- Yang EY, Chambless L, Sharrett AR, Virani SS, Liu X, Tang Z, Boerwinkle E, Ballantyne CM, Nambi V "Carotid Arterial Wall Characteristics Are Associated With Incident Ischemic Stroke But Not Coronary Heart Disease in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.." Stroke. 2012 Jan;43(1):103-8. Pubmed PMID: 22033999
- Virani SS, Brautbar A, Lee VV, Elayda M, Morrison AC, Grove ML, Nambi V, Frazier L, Wilson JM, Willerson JT, Boerwinkle E, Ballantyne CM "Chromosome 9p21 single nucleotide polymorphisms are not associated with recurrent myocardial infarction in patients with established coronary artery disease.." Circ. J.. 2012;76(4):950-6. Pubmed PMID: 22322877
- Yang EY, Nambi V, Tang Z, Virani SS, Boerwinkle E, Hoogeveen RC, Astor BC, Mosley TH, Coresh J, Chambless L, Ballantyne CM "Clinical Implications of JUPITER (Justification for the Use of statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) in a U.S. Population Insights From the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) Study.." J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.. 2009 Dec 15;54(25):2388-95. Pubmed PMID: 20082929
- Chirinos JA, Zambrano JP, Virani SS, Jimenez JJ, Jy W, Ahn E, Horstman LL, Castellanos A, Myerburg RJ, Ahn YS "Correlation between apoptotic endothelial microparticles and serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein in healthy men.." Am. J. Cardiol.. 2005 May 15;95(10):1258-60. Pubmed PMID: 15878008
- Virani SS, Nambi V, Lee VV, Elayda M, Reul RM, Wilson JM, Ballantyne CM "Does preoperative statin therapy improve outcomes in patients undergoing isolated cardiac valve surgery?." Am. J. Cardiol.. 2008 Nov 1;102(9):1235-9. Pubmed PMID: 18940299
- Virani SS, Woodard LD, Chitwood SS, Landrum CR, Urech TH, Wang D, Murawsky J, Ballantyne CM, Petersen LA "Frequency and correlates of treatment intensification for elevated cholesterol levels in patients with cardiovascular disease.." Am. Heart J.. 2011 Oct;162(4):725-732.e1. Pubmed PMID: 21982666
- Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Borden WB, Bravata DM, Dai S, Ford ES, Fox CS, Fullerton HJ, Gillespie C, Hailpern SM, Heit JA, Howard VJ, Kissela BM, Kittner SJ, Lackland DT, Lichtman JH, Lisabeth LD, Makuc DM, Marcus GM, Marelli "Heart disease and stroke statistics--2012 update: a report from the american heart association.." Circulation. 2012 Jan 3;125(1):e2-e220. Pubmed PMID: 22179539
- Virani SS, Woodard LD, Landrum CR, Pietz K, Wang D, Ballantyne CM, Petersen LA "Institutional, provider, and patient correlates of low-density lipoprotein and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal attainment according to the Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines.." Am. Heart J.. 2011 Jun;161(6):1140-6. Pubmed PMID: 21641361
- Brautbar A, Virani SS, Belmont J, Nambi V, Jones PH, Ballantyne CM "LPL gene variants affect apoC-III response to combination therapy of statins and fenofibric acid in a randomized clinical trial of individuals with mixed dyslipidemia.." J. Lipid Res.. 2012 Mar;53(3):556-60. Pubmed PMID: 22236405
- Virani SS, Polsani VR, Nambi V "Novel markers of inflammation in atherosclerosis.." Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2008 Apr;10(2):164-70. Pubmed PMID: 18417072
- Ferreira AC, Peter AA, Mendez AJ, Jimenez JJ, Mauro LM, Chirinos JA, Ghany R, Virani S, Garcia S, Horstman LL, Purow J, Jy W, Ahn YS, de Marchena E "Postprandial hypertriglyceridemia increases circulating levels of endothelial cell microparticles.." Circulation. 2004 Dec 7;110(23):3599-603. Pubmed PMID: 15569844
- Virani SS, Catellier DJ, Pompeii LA, Nambi V, Hoogeveen RC, Wasserman BA, Coresh J, Mosley TH, Otvos JD, Sharrett AR, Boerwinkle E, Ballantyne CM "Relation of cholesterol and lipoprotein parameters with carotid artery plaque characteristics: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) carotid MRI study.." Atherosclerosis. 2011 Dec;219(2):596-602. Pubmed PMID: 21868017
- Virani SS, Nambi V, Hoogeveen R, Wasserman BA, Coresh J, Gonzalez F, Chambless LE, Mosley TH, Boerwinkle E, Ballantyne CM "Relationship between circulating levels of RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed, and secreted) and carotid plaque characteristics: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Carotid MRI Study.." Eur. Heart J.. 2011 Feb;32(4):459-68. Pubmed PMID: 20943669
- Nambi V, Boerwinkle E, Lawson K, Brautbar A, Chambless L, Franeschini N, North KE, Virani SS, Folsom AR, Ballantyne CM "The 9p21 genetic variant is additive to carotid intima media thickness and plaque in improving coronary heart disease risk prediction in white participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.." Atherosclerosis. 2012 May;222(1):135-7. Pubmed PMID: 22349088
- Virani SS, Brautbar A, Lee VV, Elayda M, Sami S, Nambi V, Frazier L, Wilson JM, Willerson JT, Boerwinkle E, Ballantyne CM "Usefulness of single nucleotide polymorphism in chromosome 4q25 to predict in-hospital and long-term development of atrial fibrillation and survival in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.." Am. J. Cardiol.. 2011 May 15;107(10):1504-9. Pubmed PMID: 21414601
Languages
Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu
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