Douglas Mann, M.D., Appointed Chief of Cardiology at
Texas Heart Institute and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital
HOUSTON - [December 21, 2005] – Cardiologist Douglas Mann, M.D., has been appointed the new Chief of Cardiology at the Texas Heart Institute and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. Dr. Mann assumes the leadership position from James T. Willerson, M.D., who is the president-elect and medical director of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s. Dr. Willerson is also president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
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| Cardiologist Doug Mann, M.D., left, consults with Dr. James T. Willerson in the outpatient clinic of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s. |
“I am excited that Dr. Mann has agreed to lead our cardiology services here,” said Dr. Willerson. “He will be an enormous addition to the Texas Heart Institute’s research and education activities, and his medical expertise will greatly benefit the care of our patients.”
Dr. Mann is the Chief of Cardiology and the Don W. Chapman Chair and Professor of Medicine and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the Winters Center for Heart Failure Research. Dr. Mann's primary area of research is in the molecular and cellular basis of heart failure, with a particular emphasis on the role of inflammatory mediators in disease progression in the failing heart. He has published over 150 articles and reviews in this field, is the editor for the leading textbook in heart failure: “Heart Failure, A Companion to Braunwald’s Heart Disease,” and is a newly appointed editor for the 8th edition of “Braunwald’s Heart Disease,” which is one of the leading textbooks in cardiology.
“It is an honor and a privilege to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Willerson, whose leadership at the Texas Heart Institute has had an enormous national and international impact. The Texas Heart Institute’s traditions of innovative research, quality education and outstanding patient care are known worldwide and it is quite gratifying to be asked to help continue to advance our mission in this capacity,” said Dr. Mann.
Dr. Mann has previously served as the Deputy Editor for Chest and was an Associate Editor for Circulation, the American Heart Association’s (AHA) premier journal. He is currently a member of the Editorial Board of Circulation, The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cardiology Today, Heart and Vessels, Heart Failure Reviews, Heart Failure Monitor, Congestive Heart Failure, and the Journal of Cardiac Failure. He has received numerous awardsincluding the Michael E. DeBakey award for excellence in research, and the Alfred Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence from the American College of Chest Physicians.
“Dr. Mann will be responsible for the activities of our large cardiology service which involves more than 125 cardiology specialists. He is internationally respected as an educator and a basic and clinical scientist, particularly as a leader in understanding the mechanisms and treatment of heart failure,” said Dr. Willerson.
Dr. Willerson has served as the Chief of Cardiology since 1995. He has received numerous honors in his distinguished career, including the Medal of Merit for Distinguished Achievements in Cardiovascular Sciences from the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences, which he received with Nobel Laureate Sir John Vane. The AHA has honored him as a Distinguished Scientist of the American Heart Association and he received the Gold Heart Award, the AHA’s highest honor for volunteers who have provided distinguished service. Dr. Willerson was the editor-in-chief of Circulation for an unprecedented 11 years. Most recently, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Scientific Symposium on behalf of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. Dr. Willerson says Dr. Mann’s appointment will allow him to focus on his responsibilities as president-elect and medical director of the Texas Heart Institute.
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World-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Denton A. Cooley, MD, founded the Texas Heart Institute in 1962 for the study and treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Together with the Institute's clinical partner, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, for the past 15 years it has been ranked among the nation's top ten heart centers in an annual survey published by U.S. News & World Report. For more information about the Institute, please visit www.texasheart.org.
St. Luke's was founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. St. Luke's is home to the world-renowned Texas Heart Institute, founded in 1962. In 2001, St. Luke's earned the Magnet designation, the highest honor in patient care. It is the first hospital in Texas and the Southwest to be so honored. For more information about the hospital, please visit www.stlukestexas.com
