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Amit Khera, M.D.

Amit Khera, M.D.

Titles and Appointments

Director, Preventive Cardiology; Chief of Cardiology Clinical Operations

Professor

Endowed Title
Dallas Heart Ball Chair in Hypertension and Heart Disease
School
Medical School
Department
Internal Medicine | Public Health

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For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile.

  • Biography

    Amit Khera, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Division of Cardiology. He specializes in cardiac risk assessment and risk factor modifications. Dr. Khera is Director of UT Southwestern’s Preventive Cardiology Program. In addition, he is the Chief of Cardiology Clinical Operations and holds the Dallas Heart Ball Chair in Hypertension and Heart Disease.

    Originally from Akron, Ohio, Dr. Khera holds a bachelor's degree in American history from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and completed a residency in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He then received advanced training through a cardiology fellowship at UT Southwestern. Dr. Khera also holds a master’s degree in epidemiology from Harvard University.

    A Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine in cardiovascular disease and a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology, Dr. Khera joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2004.

    Dr. Khera's main research focus is preventing cardiac disease. He has published over 200 academic articles on his findings.

    Dr. Khera is Past President of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. He is also an active member of other professional organizations, including the Dallas County Medical Society. 

    Dr. Khera has been honored by the American Heart Association for cardiovascular research in women’s health and by the American College of Cardiology for his work in preventive cardiology. He was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list from 2014-2024, and was also named a Texas Monthly Super Doctor from 2013-2024.

  • Education
    Medical School
    Baylor College of Medicine (1998)
    Internship
    Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women's Hospital (1999), Internal Medicine
    Residency
    Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women's Hospital (2001), Internal Medicine
    Fellowship
    UT Southwestern Medical Center (2004), Cardiology
  • Research Interest
    • Early Detection and Risk Assessment in Cardiovascular Disease
    • Familial and Genetic Contributions to Coronary Artery Disease
    • Primary and Secondary Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease
  • Publications
    Cigar, Pipe, and Smokeless Tobacco Use and Cardiovascular Outcomes From Cross Cohort Collaboration
    Tasdighi E, Yao Z, Jha KK, Dardari ZA, Osuji N, Rajan T, Boakye E, Rodriguez CJ, Matsushita K, Simonsick EM, Lima JA, Widome R, Cohen D, Appel LJ, Khera A, Hall ME, Judd S, Cole SA, Ramachandran VS, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, DeFilippis AP, Blaha MJ JAMA Network Open 2025 Jan 8 e2453987
    Novel therapeutic agents for cardiometabolic risk mitigation in heart transplant recipients
    Gorrai A, Farr M, O'hara P, Beaini H, Hendren N, Wrobel C, Ashley Hardin E, McGuire DK, Khera A, Wang TJ, Drazner M, Garg S, Peltz M, Truby LK Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation 2025
    Non-fasting triglyceride screening in volunteer blood donors: A pilot program
    Abe C, Decicco E, Eason S, Compton F, Sayers M, Makhnoon S, Xing ML, Xing C, Khera A, Ahmad Z Journal of Clinical Lipidology 2025
    Precision Medicine for Cardiovascular Prevention and Population Health: A Bridge Too Far?
    Giugni FR, Berry JD, Khera A, Shah A, de Lemos JA Circulation 2024 Nov 150 1720-1731
    QuLF-CT: A Radiomics-Based Tool for Quantification of Liver Fat Fraction on Cardiac CT
    Modanwal G, Dhamdhere R, Khera A, de Lemos JA, Peshock R, Browning J, Joshi P, Neeland I, Al-Kindi S, Madabhushi A JACC: Advances 2024 Sep 3
    Physical Activity and Progression of Coronary Artery Calcification in Men and Women
    Shuval K, Leonard D, Defina LF, Barlow CE, Berry JD, Turlington WM, Pavlovic A, Radford NB, Gabriel KP, Khera A, Levine BD JAMA Cardiology 2024 Jul 9 659-666
    Apolipoprotein B: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Clinical Practice
    De Oliveira-Gomes D, Joshi PH, Peterson ED, Rohatgi A, Khera A, Navar AM Circulation 2024 Jul 150 62-79
    US population qualifying for aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease
    Huang AL, Navar AM, Ayers C, Rohatgi A, Michos ED, Virani SS, Joshi P, Peterson ED, Khera A American Journal of Preventive Cardiology 2024 Jun 18
    Measurement and Application of Incidentally Detected Coronary Calcium: JACC Review Topic of the Week
    Parsa S, Saleh A, Raygor V, Hoeting N, Rao A, Navar AM, Rohatgi A, Kay F, Abbara S, Khera A, Joshi PH Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2024 Apr 83 1557-1567
    Novel plasma biomarkers of coronary artery calcium incidence or progression: Insights from the prospective multi-ethnic Dallas Heart Study cohort
    Grinberg T, Eisen A, Talmor-Barkan Y, Kornowski R, Hamdan A, Witberg G, Ayers C, Joshi P, Rohatgi A, Khera A, de Lemos JA, Neeland IJ Atherosclerosis 2024 Mar 390
  • Honors & Awards
    • Master
      American Society for Preventive Cardiology (2023)
    • D Magazine Best Doctors in Dallas
      (2014-2024)
    • Texas Super Doctors
      (2013-2024)
    • AHA Trudy Bush Award For Cardiovascular Research in Women's Health
      (2009)
    • Outstanding Teacher Award
      UTSW Class of 2009 (2007)
    • Career Development Award in Clinical or Preventive Cardiology
      American College of Cardiology/Pfizer (2006)
    • Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee
      Harvard Medical School (2002)
    • Outstanding Student Award Class of 1998
      Baylor College of Medicine (1998)
    • Alpha Omega Alpha
      Honor Medical Society (1997)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • American College of Cardiology (2004)
    • American Heart Association (2003)
    • American Medical Association (2004)
    • American Society for Preventive Cardiology (2010)
    • Dallas County Medical Society (2004)