Reducing South Asian heart attack risk with culturally tailored care
November 30, 2022
Cardiovascular Director of Academic Development
New Patient Appointment Accepting Virtual Visits or 214-645-8000
Anand Rohatgi, M.D., M.S.C.S., FACC, FAHA, is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine’s Division of Cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in preventive cardiology.
Dr. Rohatgi earned his medical degree at Duke University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and a cardiology fellowship at UT Southwestern. He also holds a master’s degree in clinical science from UT Southwestern.
Board certified in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2008.
In addition to his clinical roles, Dr. Rohatgi is the Associate Program Director of UTSW’s Cardiovascular Fellowship, and he serves on several campus committees to enhance clinical research. He is an active CME speaker and has given several invited national talks.
Dr. Rohatgi’s research focuses on the role of novel biomarkers in improving risk prediction for atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Specifically, his main area of interest is the role of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in cardiovascular disease. He also focuses on high-risk populations, including those with diabetes and people of South Asian ancestry.
He is currently the principal investigator of “The Genetic and Molecular Basis of Cholesterol Efflux,” a five-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 award, and "Mentoring Patient-Oriented Research in Deep Lipid Phenotyping for Cardiovascular Disease," a five-year study funded by the NIH K24 award. He has received past awards for research from the American Heart Association.
He also is the principal investigator of a five year study "Lipoprotein Metabolism and Excess Cardiometabolic Risk in South Asians" funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 award (2022-2027). This grant focused on novel markers of lipids like HDL function in South Asians utilizing the MASALA cohort in the U.S. and the U.K. biobank cohort in Europe.
Dr. Rohatgi serves as a reviewer for a number of publications, including The Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the American Heart Association, American Journal of Cardiology, and Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. He is an Associate Editor for Circulation and on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.
He is a Fellow of both the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association and a member of the American College of Physicians, the National Lipid Association, and the American Society of Preventive Cardiology, among other professional organizations. He also chairs the board of directors of the nonprofit Texas Loves Children.
“My role is to be a guide and a teacher – to empower people to approach heart health with a holistic perspective using lifestyle and evidence-based therapies to prevent heart disease,” says UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologist Anand Rohatgi, M.D., M.S.C.S., FACC, FAHA.
A specialist in preventive cardiology, Dr. Rohatgi has expertise in treating patients with lipid/cholesterol disorders, high blood pressure, premature coronary artery disease (CAD), and a family history of CAD.
“I love developing relationships with my patients, and I get a lot of satisfaction from explaining their heart health so they understand it and know the importance of making lifestyle changes for lowering risk,” he says.
Dr. Rohatgi considers many factors when evaluating patients’ cardiovascular risk, including their weight, cholesterol and sugar levels, blood pressure, and family history. He guides patient care with specialized assays such as calcium scans and stress tests.
“Our approach allows us to develop a thorough risk assessment of patients and give them personalized plans for improving their risk,” Dr. Rohatgi says. And because patients can get all necessary services at UT Southwestern, he can ensure a continuity of care that other practices may lack.
Dr. Rohatgi also treats patients who are struggling with obesity and those with abnormal results from tests such as the coronary calcium (CAC) scan, advanced lipoprotein testing, and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) test. In addition, he leads a UTSW clinic that focuses on the heart health of South Asians, a group with very high risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes.
“Helping patients move toward optimal heart health is really about informing them and leading them to those ‘a-ha!’ moments, when they understand how it all interconnects, and then being there to guide them along,” he says.
His research interests include heart-disease risk prediction, high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or “good cholesterol”), inflammation, and atherosclerosis. He also teaches cardiology trainees, internal medicine residents, and medical students.
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New Patient Appointment Accepting Virtual Visits or 214-645-8000