Dr. James Willerson Appointed President of Texas Heart Institute
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| James T. Willerson, MD |
HOUSTON (July 25, 2008) The Board of Trustees of the Texas Heart Institute has announced the appointment of James T. Willerson, M.D. as president of the Texas Heart Institute effective August 1, 2008. The Board has also appointed Denton A. Cooley, M.D. as president emeritus of the Texas Heart Institute (THI). Dr. Cooley will remain surgeon-in-chief of THI and chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.
Dr. Willerson was appointed president-elect of THI in 2004. He is also the medical director and co-director of the Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratories at THI. He is the former chief of Cardiology at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and he is an adjunct professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has been the president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston since 2001 and was named the Alkek-Williams Distinguished Professor there at the same time.
“I first met Jim Willerson as a young teenager. Even then, his drive, intelligence and determination were evident. Those abilities, along with a dedication to academics and scientific research, allowed him to excel as one of the finest cardiologists in the world today. I am fully confident he will bring to THI the same ambitious, successful leadership as he gave to the UT Health Science Center these past several years,” said Dr. Cooley.
Dr. Willerson has gained international renown for his research in identifying vulnerable plaques which can lead to heart attacks or strokes. He and his research partner, Emerson Perin, M.D. hold a global leadership position in adult stem cell therapies for cardiovascular diseases. Last year, THI was named as one of five centers selected by the National Institutes of Health to study stem cell treatments for patients with cardiovascular disease. Dr. Willerson is the Principal Investigator for the studies at THI.
“My vision is to establish THI as the preeminent cardiovascular center in the world—a place where outstanding students, scientists and physicians come to learn, discover and practice, where patients come when they have heart and vascular diseases, and where new discoveries related to genetic and proteomic risk of cardiovascular diseases are made,” said Dr. Willerson.
“The Board of Trustees believes Dr. Willerson is uniquely suited for this leadership position. His considerable talents, his extraordinary commitment to research and education, and his unparalleled dedication bode well for our Heart Institute,” said Meredith Long, Chairman of the THI Board of Trustees.
