Anaheim, California - Dr. John Warner, President of the American Heart Association, Vice President and CEO of UT Southwestern University Hospitals, and Professor of Internal Medicine in Cardiology, suffered a minor heart attack this morning during the American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions in Anaheim, California.
Dr. Warner was hospitalized, has had a coronary stent inserted, and is now resting comfortably with his family. His prognosis at this early stage is positive.
“Dr. Warner is an outstanding cardiologist who has been driving innovative advances in patient-centric care at UT Southwestern and whose leadership of the AHA reflects his commitment to advancing the prevention and treatment of heart disease, said Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, President of UT Southwestern Medical Center. “In sharing his personal experience, he is helping to galvanize the need to build on progress in combatting heart disease and accelerating the translation of advances into clinical practice.”
Dr. Warner asked that the Scientific Sessions 2017 program continue as planned.
“John wanted to reinforce that this incident underscores the important message that he left us with in his presidential address yesterday – that much progress has been made, but much remains to be done. Cardiac events can still happen anytime and anywhere,” said Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association.
Dr. Warner holds the Jim and Norma Smith Distinguished Chair for Interventional Cardiology and the Nancy and Jeremy Halbreich, Susan and Theodore Strauss Professorship in Cardiology at UT Southwestern.
An interventional cardiologist, Dr. Warner has served as Chief Executive Officer, UT Southwestern University Hospitals since February 2012. Dr. Warner was also the Medical Director of the Doris and Harry W. Bass, Jr. Clinical Center for Heart, Lung and Vascular Disease. He previously served as Assistant Vice President for Hospital Planning, where he was instrumental in the design and planning of UT Southwestern’s 460-bed William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, as well as an expansion under way.
Dr. Warner received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University and his MBA from the Physician Executive Program at the University of Tennessee. He completed residency training in internal medicine at UT Southwestern, where he served as Chief Resident, and fellowship training in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Warner returned to UT Southwestern in 2003. His research interests and publications have centered on acute coronary syndromes, adult congenital heart disease, risk factors for coronary artery plaque rupture, and progression of atherosclerosis.
Dr. Warner also serves as Senior Executive Officer, Joint Operating Company for Southwestern Health Resources, providing leadership and oversight in the development, planning, and operations for the network’s three Dallas hospitals – William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, Zale Lipshy University Hospital, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas – and associated joint ventures.