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Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA,FASPC,FNLA (he/him/his)

Professor of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Dr. Ferdinand is Professor of Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Ferdinand received his medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC., and graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, certified in the subspecialty of nuclear cardiology, and is a specialist in clinical hypertension. Dr. Ferdinand is a member of the Association of University Cardiologists, and past Chair of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. He is Chief Science Officer and prior chair of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC).

He has conducted numerous trials in hypertension, lipids, cardiometabolic risk, and cardiovascular disease, especially in disadvantaged and racial/ethnic minority populations. He has over 350 peer-reviewed publications and lectures nationally and internationally as a widely recognized leader in cardiovascular medicine. He has written and edited multiple book chapters regarding cardiometabolic kidney disease.

In addition to his clinical and research activities, Dr. Ferdinand has participated in numerous educational activities in the community, locally and nationally. For decades, he has served as the president of Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project (HHCPP) nonprofit health organization in New Orleans, which has the goal of cardiovascular risk identification, education, and treatment.

He currently serves as Vice Chair of the 2025 AHA/ACC High Blood Guideline. Dr. Ferdinand was honored as a 2023 Living Legend Honoree by the Center for African and African American Studies at Southern University at New Orleans. In 2024 he received the Anne C. Goldberg, MD, MNLA Foundation Service Award in recognition of excellence in clinical care and education on lipidology. He received the 2025 American College of Cardiology (ACC) Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Ferdinand is the American Society for Preventive Cardiology recipient of the 2026 Joseph Stokes III, Pioneer in Prevention Award. He was recently designated as the 2026 national AHA Physician of the Year.




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