HONOREES

Dr. Michelle A. Albert, MD MPH is the Walter A. Haas-Lucie Stern Endowed Chair in Cardiology and Professor in Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), Admissions Dean for UCSF Medical School and Director of the CeNter for the StUdy of AdveRsiTy and CardiovascUlaR DiseasE (NURTURE Center). Dr. Albert is a graduate of Haverford College, the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health. She completed Internal Medicine Residency and served as Chief Medical Resident at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Dr. Albert then completed Cardiovascular Clinical and Research Fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where she rose in the ranks to an Associate Professor in Medicine.  She was previously the Vivian Beaumont Allen Endowed Professor/Chair and Chief of Cardiology at Howard University.

Dr. Albert’s clinical expertise involves both taking care of the most critically ill heart disease patients and preventive cardiology at UCSF.  As a physician-scientist-epidemiologist, Dr. Albert has had a longstanding commitment to health equity and is engaged in cutting-edge research that innovatively seeks to incorporate “biology” with social determinants of health to transform CVD science and healthcare of global populations, i.e “the biology of adversity”.  Her research has followed a bold, non-traditional path for cardiovascular disease research. A central component of her current work focuses on developing innovative implementation strategies to curb adversity related CVD risk, particularly in women and diverse racial and ethnic populations with a focus on cumulative toxic stress. She is recipient of sustained research funding as principal investigator including NIH R01 funding, funding from Robert Wood Johnson (Harold Amos Scholar), Kellogg and Doris Duke Foundations. Dr. Albert is also a recipient of the American Heart Association (AHA) COVID-19 Rapid Track Grant. Additionally, she is one of two recipients nationally of the prestigious 2018 AHA Merit award for visionary research and is the first woman and under-represented racial/ethnic person to receive this award.  Dr. Albert also received the 2020 AHA Population Science, 2023 National Distinguished AHA Leadership and 2023 AHA Distinguished Epidemiology Achievement Awards.

Dr. Albert is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), the Association of University Cardiologists (AUC), the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP).

She is the 86th Immediate-Past President of the American Heart Association (AHA: 2022-2023), Immediate-Past President of the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc (ABC: 2020-2022), the Past 60th President of the Association of University Cardiologists (AUC: 2021-2022). She is the first person in history to serve collectively and concurrently as President of these three of the most prestigious cardiovascular societies.  Dr. Albert is the first woman of color and Black woman to serve as AHA President and AUC President.

Dr. Albert currently serves/ed as a member of the federal Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACD), NHLBI Board of External Experts (BEE), 2019 ACC/AHA Cardiovascular Prevention Guidelines committee and as a standing committee member of NIH study section – Mechanisms, Emotion, Sleep & Health (MESH.

Dr. Albert has also served/serves on multiple national AHA and American College of Cardiology (ACC) committees including on the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Medical Research Foundation Board of Directors.

Dr. Albert is a member of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) Your Health Advisory Board and the Health/Cardiovascular Advisory Board for Women’s Day Magazine. Her research has been featured on national and international media outlets such as the BBC, Canada Broadcasting Corporation, TIME, CNN, Today Show, CBS, Associated Press, NPR, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and Washington Post. She is a sought-after interviewee/speaker on multiple news outlets including TV, digital and print media about especially about topics pertaining to research, cardiovascular health, maternal health and health equity.

Dr. Albert enjoys mentoring trainees at all levels across the United States. She was a nominee/finalist for the competitive 2011-2012 Excellence in Mentoring Award at Harvard Medical School and the recipient of the Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award from the AHA (2016). She received the ACC Heart of Women’s Health Credo Award (2012), Woman’s Day Magazine’s Red Dress Award (2014), the 2018 Daniel D. Savage Science Award (ABC’s highest honor) and the Haverford College Alumni Award (2015) — given to an alumnus whose “work typifies the values of the college and is of outstanding service to humanity”.

Dr. Albert received an Honorary Doctorate in Science (DSc, Hon) from the University of Rochester in 2023, and also delivered the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 2023 Commencement Address.

Dr. Albert has been named to Forbes 50 over 50 List for her Impact.

Celebrating over 33 years of service, The Balm In Gilead, Inc. builds and strengthens the capacity of faith communities in the United States and in the United Republic of Tanzania (East Africa) to deliver programs and services that contribute to the elimination of health disparities among people of the Black Diaspora. 

The organization develops educational and training programs specifically designed to establish sustainable, integrated systems of public health and faith principles, which helps to improve health outcomes of individuals living in urban, rural, and remote communities.

Founded by Dr. Pernessa C. Seele, The Balm In Gilead, Inc. was created to uplift and enlighten people of color, surrounded by honorary board members to execute her dreams of empowering the African American and African communities.

The Balm In Gilead, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization that is leading the future generations into healthier life choices and aiding them with the tools for a bountiful life. As a not-for-profit, The Balm In Gilead, Inc. has developed an international reputation for providing an insightful understanding of religious cultures, values, and extraordinary abilities to build strong, trusted partnerships with faith communities worldwide.

Visit: https://www.balmingilead.org/

At Biosense Webster, Inc. we have one goal — to ensure those with cardiac arrhythmias can live the lives they want. This means transforming the latest advancements in electrophysiology into a suite of tools that empowers physicians with a range of treatments for the best outcomes.

Quality products and approaches are achievable only through collaboration with the smartest minds in electrophysiology. For more than 30 years, we’ve been the global market leader in the science and technology of cardiac arrhythmia treatment, working with thousands of electrophysiologists to identify and develop diagnostic and treatment tools. And through onsite training, online courses and our global education centers, we work together to set new standards every day.

Visit: https://www.jnjmedtech.com/en-US/companies/biosensewebster

OWN Your Health is a campaign by the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) that aims to educate, inspire, and empower Black women to prioritize their health and well-being. The campaign covers a range of health concerns, including mental, physical, and emotional/social health, and offers resources and tools to help women take proactive steps towards wellness. OWN Your Health also provides opportunities for OWN partners to support healthier lifestyles.

Visit: https://www.oprah.com/sp/own-your-health.html

Dr. Foluso Fakorede was born and raised in Nigeria and immigrated to America as a young teenager. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a minor in Economics from Rutgers University. He received his M.D. degree from the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, New Jersey, performed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Hospital, and returned to New Jersey to complete Cardiology fellowship, Interventional Cardiology, and Endovascular intervention at Cooper University Hospital- Camden, New Jersey. During his fellowship, Dr. Fakorede was honored with the distinction of Chief Cardiology Fellow. He specializes in preventative cardiovascular management, women’s heart health, and catheter-based procedural focus in Coronary Atherosclerosis Disease (CAD) and Peripheral Atherosclerosis Disease (PAD).

In 2015, Dr. Fakorede moved to the Mississippi Delta and started Cardiovascular Solutions of Central Mississippi with a mission to educate and provide access to quality health care for all. He has become a national voice in the fight against the impact of health disparity in underserved communities. As the Co-chair of the Association of Black Cardiologists’ and PAD initiative, Dr. Fakorede has been at the helm of working with Congressional lawmakers to establish the first-ever bipartisan PAD caucus whose mission is to support legislative bills to stop the virulent practices of preventable amputations and to educate communities about legislative activities aimed to improve PAD research, education, and treatment.  

In 2018, as part of a congressional delegation, Dr. Fakorede testified on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., regarding the epidemic of peripheral arterial disease and spearheading a “sprint to zero amputation campaign” with policy actions proposed to stop unnecessary amputations. Dr. Fakorede traveled to Cuba in October 2018, as part of the Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to discuss the impact of diabetes management on the peripheral arterial disease pandemic. Dr. Fakorede has established partnerships with lawmakers, community, industry, university, and faith-based stakeholders to facilitate cardiovascular education, promote nutrition coaching, highlight social determinants of health, improve access to quality care, and engender trust in underserved communities. These preventative initiatives, aggressive screening adaptations, and quality intervention strategies have led Dr. Fakorede to decrease amputation rates by 88% over a four-and-a-half period in his site of service in the Mississippi Delta. This accomplishment has been highlighted in the ProPublica article, “The Black American Amputation Epidemic”, published on May 19, 2020. This article reached a potential of 150 million people by being included in 636 total airings of “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt”. Additionally, over 13 million people were reached via tweets. This important article addressing unnecessary amputations has been reprinted in Med page Today, AJMC, The Hill, and Fierce Healthcare. Dr. Fakorede’s work for health equality has been highlighted by Business Insider, Australia, Men’s Health Magazine published August 2020, and Reader’s Digest published October 2020. He was recently honored by The ROOT 100 most influential African Americans in 2020. Dr. Fakorede has become the PAD advocate with a purpose that is impacting the lives of the forgotten and voiceless and ultimately eliminating health care disparities. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Heart Association, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials saw the need for public, private, and nonprofit organizations to share learnings and successful practices and collaborate to improve cardiovascular health. They co-founded the National Forum in 2002 to serve as the hub for that collaboration and collective voice.

Visit: https://www.nationalforum.org/