Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow is a distinguished cardiologist and academic leader at the forefront of cardiovascular medicine. He currently serves as Interim Chief of UCLA's Division of Cardiology, Director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center, and Co-director of UCLA's Preventative Cardiology Program. Holding the prestigious Eliot Corday Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and Science, Dr. Fonarow received his medical degree from the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine in 1987. He completed his residency and fellowship training at UCLA Medical Center in Internal Medicine from 1988 to 1990 and Cardiovascular Disease from 1990 to 1993. His career trajectory at UCLA has been marked by steady advancement to leadership positions, reflecting his growing influence in shaping cardiovascular care standards and academic medicine.
Dr. Fonarow's groundbreaking research has centered on innovative approaches to heart failure management, preventative cardiology, and implementing treatment systems to improve clinical outcomes. His leadership of the UCLA Cardiovascular Hospitalization Atherosclerosis Management Program CHAMP provided the first scientific evidence demonstrating that a hospital-based cardiovascular treatment system could significantly reduce fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events. CHAMP's impressive results including improved care quality, enhanced medication adherence, reduced health care disparities, and a remarkable 57 percent reduction in mortality directly influenced national guidelines from the NHLBI, AHA, and ACC. This work catalyzed the American Heart Association's nationwide Get With The Guidelines program, which has since been implemented in over 2,500 U.S. hospitals and benefited more than 7 million patients with cardiovascular conditions. With his extensive research portfolio spanning heart failure management and preventative cardiology strategies, Dr. Fonarow has established new paradigms for cardiovascular care delivery.
With over 1,400 published research studies and clinical trials to his credit, Dr. Fonarow has established himself as a preeminent figure in cardiovascular medicine whose work extends far beyond the walls of UCLA. He serves on the steering committees for major cardiovascular initiatives including the American Heart Association's Get with the Guidelines, ADHERE Registries, and OPTIMIZE-HF, demonstrating his national leadership in standardizing and improving cardiovascular care. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors including the American College of Cardiology's W. Proctor Harvey Young Teacher Award, the Outstanding UCLA Cardiology Faculty Teaching Award, and the American Heart Association Award of Meritorious Achievement. As an influential reviewer and editorial board member for leading cardiovascular journals, Dr. Fonarow continues to shape the direction of cardiovascular research while mentoring the next generation of cardiologists. His ongoing work focuses on developing and implementing evidence-based cardiovascular treatment systems that translate research findings into improved patient outcomes across diverse healthcare settings.
