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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

Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA, FASCP, FPCNA (hon.)
Professor of Medicine
Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventative Cardiology
John W. Deming Department of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Dr. Ferdinand is a Professor of Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine and was previously a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Xavier University, New Orleans and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Ferdinand received his medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC. He is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease. He is certified in the subspecialty of nuclear cardiology, and he is a specialist in clinical hypertension.

Dr. Ferdinand is a member of the Association of University Cardiologists, past Chair of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Chief Science Officer and prior chair of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC). He has also served on the board of the American Society of Hypertension, the Southwest Lipid Association, International Society of Hypertension in Blacks, National Lipid Association, the Family Heart Foundation and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology. He is presently on the board of the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health.

He has been chair of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) Access to Care Initiative, a multi-organizational working group targeting disparities in access to evidence-based medications and devices, since 2016. He serves on the American Heart Association (AHA) National Hypertension Control Initiative Advisory Group, reflecting his unique perspective, experience and expertise in hypertension. This group provides leadership and guidance to our national blood pressure initiative in the areas of clinical care and community health through an AHA cooperative agreement with the Office of Minority Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration. He serves as advisor to the Million Hearts Initiative of the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Centers for Disease Control.

He has conducted numerous clinical trials in hypertension lipids, cardiometabolic risk, and cardiovascular disease, especially in racial/ethnic minoritized populations, with over 300 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and edited texts and lectures nationally and internationally.

In addition to his clinical work, he has participated in numerous clinical education activities in the community, locally and nationally, regarding cardiovascular disparities outreach, influenza and COVID-19 immunization, as the president of the Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project 501c3 non-profit health organization in New Orleans.

In 2004, Dr. Ferdinand received the Louis B. Russell, Jr. Memorial Award of the American Heart Association. Other awards include the Congressional Black Caucus Health Trust for Journalism, the Charles Drew Award for Medical Excellence from the National Minority Quality Foundation, the Wenger Award for Medical Leadership by WomenHeart and ABC Spirit of the Heart Distinguished Leadership Award and the 2019 Xavier University Champion Award for Health Equity and AHA 2019 James B. Herrick Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cardiology. In 2021 and again in 2022 he received the Health Care Heroes honor for health care professionals in the New Orleans area. 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 National Lipid Association’s Anne C. Goldberg, MD, MNLA Foundation Service Award in recognition of excellence in clinical care and education on lipidology. In 2025, the New Orleans AHA Heart Ball honoree for ‘Discovery’, in recognition of his professional life dedication to cardiac research and science. He also received the ACC.25 Distinguished Service Award.






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