Dr. Pierre Fayad named president of AHA’s Midwest Affiliate, which includes 11 states
(OMAHA) Aug. 24, 2011 – A University of Nebraska Medical Center neurologist, Pierre Fayad, M.D., has been elected president of the American Heart Association Midwest Affiliate board of directors. He will serve a one-year term that began July 1.
Dr. Fayad, a longtime volunteer for the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, was named Physician of the Year for the two associations in 2008. He is the Reynolds Centennial Professor at UNMC and director of the Stroke Center at The Nebraska Medical Center.
“Dr. Fayad has been a strong leader for the American Heart Association for years, and it is an honor for the Midwest Affiliate to at last have him in the role as board president. He has the medical knowledge, the association experience, and genuine passion for the cause that will keep us on track to reach our aggressive goals,” said Kevin Harker, executive vice president of the American Heart Association Midwest Affiliate.
Dr. Fayad began his relationship with the American Heart Association while pursuing a fellowship in vascular neurology and stroke at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.
“The involvement with the American Heart Association starts slowly, continues to grow surely, and gets you absorbed completely. As you get to know the American Heart Association, you truly understand the value it provides to a community by improving health, improving outcomes and improving lives,” he said.
Over the years, Dr. Fayad has served leadership roles at the local, affiliate, and national levels of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
“My first personal experience with the association was attending the annual International Stroke Conference, organized by the American Stroke Association,” he said. “I was wowed by the science, the knowledge and enthusiasm at that event, and have been volunteering with the American Heart Association ever since.”
At The Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Fayad established and serves as director of a stand-alone outpatient neurological clinic that received nearly 16,500 patient visits in 2010. He also oversees a multidisciplinary “Stroke Code Team” that is responsible for the care of patients with acute stroke.
Dr. Fayad is widely published in medical journals. His research interests include different aspects of the acute treatment and prevention of stroke and cerebrovascular disease.
He served as a principal investigator, chairperson or committee member in several executive and safety monitoring committees for major multicenter and multinational clinical trials in stroke and cerebrovascular disease.
The Midwest Affiliate includes 11 states: Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa.