DOM Black History Month Spotlight: Keith Churchwell, MD, FAHA

This year, to honor Black History Month we will be celebrating Black history right here at Emory Department of Medicine. Follow along with RYSE as we honor and celebrate those who have contributed to Emory DOM and provide some snapshots of Black History here at the DOM. You can find weekly highlights and fun facts in the DOM newsletter as well as on our socials.

This week’s Black History Month spotlight is Keith Churchwell, MD, FAHA. Read more below!

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Keith Churchwell, MD, FAHA is the current president-elect for the American Heart Association after being elected in November of 2023. His term will take effect this July 2024.

Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Churchwell later went on to complete his undergraduate degree at Harvard University and his medical degree at Washington University School of Medicine. After obtaining his medical degree, Dr. Churchwell completed both his residency and cardiology training at Emory School of Medicine, in addition to a subspeciality fellowship in Nuclear Cardiology also completed at Emory. During his residency at Emory, Dr. Churchwell was selected to serve as chief resident at Grady Memorial Hospital in 1991-92.

After working 12 years in private cardiology practice, Dr. Churchwell joined Vanderbilt Medical School as a full-time academic faculty member. During his time there, he served as an Associate Professor of Medicine and Radiology and the Executive Director/Chief Medical Officer of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute and Director of Medical Imaging for VHVI. Most recently, Dr. Churchwell served as the President of Yale New Haven Hospital and Executive Vice President of Yale New Haven Health and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Yale Medical School. Other positions he held during his time at Yale are Executive Vice President/ Chief Operations Officer and Senior Vice President and Executive Director for Heart & Vascular Services, Transplantation Services and Clinical Service Coordinator for the Department of Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital.

In addition to his work with medical institutions and organizations, Dr. Churchwell also is involved with a number of local boards and community organizations in the New Haven area. Through these connections and partnerships, he has been able to concentrate his efforts on promoting health equity through understanding and addressing health and social disparities.

• Fun Fact, Keith Churchwell, MD is the brother of  André L. Churchwell, MD, who just spoke at our special Martin Luther King Day Medicine Grand Rounds this past January. Both brothers were chief residents at Grady Memorial Hospital.