James de Lemos, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine, has been selected as Chief of the Division of Cardiology, effective March 1. Dr. de Lemos will be the fourth leader of this prominent Division since 1977.

Dr. de Lemos’ appointment comes after an extensive national search. A leading clinical investigator, he focuses on early detection, risk assessment, and management of cardiovascular disease, with a particular interest in the role of cardiovascular biomarkers.

He currently serves as Principal Investigator for the Dallas Heart Study, a multiethnic population-based investigation of more than 6,000 adults, having played a major leadership role in this study for more than 20 years. He has mentored more than 30 postdoctoral research trainees and authored or co-authored more than 400 original research articles. He was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2014 and the Association of American Physicians in 2017.

“I’m humbled and deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead such a fabulous group of people that I’ve known for many years and have great admiration and respect for, and to build on the tremendous legacy of outgoing Chief Joseph Hill, M.D., Ph.D.,” Dr. de Lemos said.

His priority as Chief, he said, will be to build on UT Southwestern’s talents and strengths. “We’re really set up to be superb in every dimension – including clinical care, education, and research,” Dr. de Lemos said, pointing out that U.S. News & World Report ranks UTSW’s Cardiology and Heart Surgery No. 14 among U.S. hospitals.

In particular, Dr. de Lemos said he will recruit additional talented investigators – both in basic and clinical science – especially in the areas of health equity and pragmatic trials that can capitalize on UT Southwestern’s strengths, with its diverse patient populations at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, Parkland Health, and the Dallas VA Medical Center. He also plans to enhance programs that capitalize on emerging technologies and data approaches, including those that integrate research into the clinical workflow. “We aim to have a division that is at the cutting edge of all aspects of cardiovascular medicine.” Education will also be a focus, he said, “to reaffirm that this is the premier place to learn how to be a cardiologist.”

Dr. de Lemos received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed internal medicine residency training at UT Southwestern, where he served as Chief Resident. He then finished a cardiology fellowship at Harvard before returning to UT Southwestern as an Assistant Professor in 2000. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2005, then to Professor in 2011. In 2018, the UT System Board of Regents named him a Distinguished Teaching Professor.

A former Director of UT Southwestern’s Cardiovascular Fellowship Program, Dr. de Lemos has received numerous teaching and mentorship awards, including the 2015 Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award from the American Heart Association (AHA), the 2020 Distinguished Mentor Award from the American College of Cardiology, and the 2021 Award of Meritorious Achievement from the AHA.