Peter Libby, MD,
Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts
Dr. Libby is the Executive Director of the Pollin Wellness Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He directed the D.W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at Harvard, as well as two cycles of international collaborative research funding from the Fondation Leducq. He has received continuous funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for several decades. His current major research focus is the role of inflammation in vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Concepts that have evolved from his scientific work have changed thinking about how this common disease begins, the mechanisms that link risk factors to altered biology of the arterial wall, and the pathophysiology of the thrombotic complications of atherosclerosis, including myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Clinical application of these discoveries has led to tests that can predict cardiovascular events and identify individuals who can benefit from therapies not otherwise indicated. His areas of clinical expertise include general and preventive cardiology. He is perennially named as one of America’s Top Doctors in the Castle-Connelly rankings, and was one of 25 cardiologists listed as a Top Doctor in 2010 by Boston Magazine.
An author and lecturer on cardiovascular medicine and atherosclerosis, Dr. Libby has published some 300 original research reports in journals including Circulation, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, New England Journal of Medicine, Science, and Nature. He is one of the Editors of Braunwald’s Heart Disease, having served as Editor-in-Chief of the 8th Edition. Dr. Libby has also contributed the chapter on the pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of atherosclerosis to many editions of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. He has held numerous visiting professorships and has been selected to deliver over 70 major named or keynote lectures throughout the world. Dr. Libby has received numerous awards and recognitions for his research accomplishments. He received the Distinguished Scientist award (basic domain) from the American College of Cardiology in 2006. Recent major recognitions include the Fernandez-Cruz Prize in 2008 (Madrid), and the inaugural International Teacher Award from the Brazilian Society of Cardiology in 2009. Dr. Libby has been selected as the recipient of the Louis and Artur Lucian Award for Circulatory Diseases from McGill University for 2010 and as the recipient of the International Okamoto Award for Basic Research on Vascular Diseases for 2010.
Dr. Libby’s professional memberships include the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and elected honorary memberships in the British Atherosclerosis Society and the Japan Circulation Society. He has served as the President of the Association of University Cardiologists. He also has served in many roles as a volunteer for the American Heart Association, including chairman of several research committees and member of the executive committees of the Councils on Arteriosclerosis, Circulation, and Basic Science. He has frequently served as a consultant to the NHLBI, including a 5-year term on the Board of Scientific Councilors. He was the recipient of a MERIT Award from the NHLBI.
Dr. Libby has a particular interest in public education regarding heart disease, and served as the initiator and principal medical advisor to the acclaimed public television documentary series, The Mysterious Human Heart, which received an Emmy award. Dr. Libby writes a cardiovascular blog, “Consults: Experts on the Front Lines of Medicine”, for the website of The New York Times (http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com). He is also the co-founder of a non-profit organization, The International Partnership for Critical Markers of Disease (http://www.cmod.org/), which promotes the development, evaluation, and appropriate clinical utilization of biomarkers.
Dr. Libby earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego, and completed his training in internal medicine and cardiology at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now Brigham and Women’s Hospital). He also holds an honorary MA degree from Harvard University, and honorary doctorates from universities in France and Argentina.