Duke Heart Specialists Patel and Shah Named to Top AHA Volunteer Leadership Posts for 2026-27
Key Insights
Manesh R. Patel (search), M.D., chief of cardiology at Duke Health (search), will serve as the American Heart Association's volunteer president beginning July 1, 2026.
Svati H. Shah (search), M.D., a Duke physician-scientist specializing in cardiometabolic genetics, will serve as volunteer president-elect for the same term.
Patel, named AHA Physician of the Year in 2023, will serve as the organization's lead volunteer scientific and medical officer.
Two distinguished Duke Health (search) heart specialists have been selected for top volunteer leadership positions at the American Heart Association (AHA) for the 2026-27 fiscal year, the organization announced July 1, 2026. Manesh R. Patel (search), M.D., FAHA, will serve as the Association's new volunteer president, while Svati H. Shah (search), M.D., M.H.S., FAHA, assumes the role of volunteer president-elect.
The appointments place Duke faculty at the helm of the AHA's scientific and medical agenda as the century-old organization continues its mission to advance cardiovascular and brain health globally.
Patel to Lead as Volunteer President
Patel, an interventional cardiologist based in Durham, North Carolina, brings extensive leadership experience to the role. He serves as chief of cardiology, chief of clinical pharmacology, and vice president of heart and vascular services for Duke Health (search), in addition to holding the Richard Stack Distinguished Professorship of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and serving as a senior investigator at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
A longtime AHA volunteer, Patel has served on the national board of directors and numerous scientific councils, and previously chaired the Committee on Scientific Sessions Program. In 2023, he was named the American Heart Association Physician of the Year.
As volunteer president, Patel will serve as the Association's lead volunteer scientific and medical officer, representing the organization's volunteer leadership to advance priorities in research, science, and patient care.
Shah Named President-Elect
Shah, also of Durham, North Carolina, is the Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases at Duke, where she serves as associate dean for translational research and director of the Duke Center for Precision Health and the Precision Genomics Collaboratory. She also holds roles as vice-chief of research in the division of cardiology, director of the Adult Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic, and co-director of translational research in the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute.
An active AHA volunteer leader and member of the national board of directors, Shah has chaired the Association's Research Committee and the Genomic and Precision Medicine Council. As volunteer president-elect, she will support the Association's volunteer leadership and help strengthen the organization's focus on innovation, scientific discovery, and improving health outcomes in communities across the country.
Broader Leadership Team
Lee A. Shapiro, J.D., a managing partner at 7wire Ventures, continues as volunteer chairperson of the board for the second year of his two-year term. Linda Gooden, M.B.A., a retired executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Corporation who previously served as AHA treasurer from 2023-25, will serve as volunteer chairperson-elect. Robert H. (Bob) Swan, M.B.A., an operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz, continues as volunteer treasurer.
"The American Heart Association's strength has always come from extraordinary volunteer leaders who bring vision, expertise and a deep commitment to our mission," said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. "Together, these leaders will help us build on our momentum to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere."
The Association's fiscal year runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The AHA, supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, funds groundbreaking research, advocates for public health, and provides critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease (search) and stroke (search).