Director, Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital,
New York, USA
Dr. Fuster is the General Director of the “General Director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Research or CNIC (equivalent to NHLBI) in Madrid, Spain. The innumerable positions he has held include those of President of the American Heart Association, President of the World Heart Federation, member of the US National Academy of Medicine, where he chaired the Committee for the document on "Promotion of Cardiovascular Health Worldwide and presently Co-Chairs the Advisory Committee on “the Role of the United States on Global Health” as advisor to the President, Member of the European Horizon 2020 Scientific Panel of Health, Council member of the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and President of the Training Program of the American College of Cardiology.
After qualifying in medicine at the University of Barcelona, Valentin Fuster continued his studies in the USA. He was Professor in Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases at the Mayo Medical School, Minnesota and in 1982 at the Medical School of Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. From 1991 to 1994, he was The Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. In 1994, he was named director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai a post he has combined since 2012 with that of Physician-in-Chief of the Hospital. He was named Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nature Reviews in Cardiology and recently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the ACC's flagship publication and the main American source of clinical information on cardiovascular medicine (Impact factor 17.7).
Dr. Fuster’s research is unparalleled in areas relating to the causes, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease globally, and spans the full range from hardcore basic science and molecular biology, through clinical studies and large scale multinational trials, to population sciences and global medicine. His scientific contribution worldwide can be summarized by his H Index is 205 (Google Scholar), his 35 worldwide Honoris Causa and the most highly cited Spanish Research Scientist of all times (Google Scholar). His research into the origin of cardiovascular events, which have contributed to improved treatment of heart attack patients, was recognized in 1996 by the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research (highest international award of Spain). And in June 2011 he was awarded the Grand Prix Scientifique of the Institute of France (considered a most prestigious award in cardiology), for his translational research into atherothrombotic disease.
Among his many achievements, it is noteworthy that Dr. Fuster is the only cardiologist to have received the highest awards for research from the three leading cardiovascular organizations: the American Heart Association (Gold Medal and Research Achievement Award), the American College of Cardiology (Living Legend and Life Achievement Award) and the European Society of Cardiology (Gold Medal). In addition, in May 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spain granted Dr. Fuster with the title of Marquis for his "outstanding and unceasing research efforts and his educational outreach work".