JoAnn Lindenfeld

Professor of Medicine

Medical Director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Expertise

Heart Failure Cardiomyopathy Intervention Vascular Disease and Surgery Structural Intervention Transradial Intervention Obesity Devices Imaging and Diagnosis Co-morbidities Prevention & Chronic Conditions Diabetes Coronary Interventions Lifestyle

Biography

Personal History

Dr. Joann Lindenfeld, MD is a Cardiology Specialist in Cookeville, TN and has over 48 years of medical experience. She is recognized worldwide for her expertise in heart failure and heart transplantation.

Lindenfeld, a native of Benton Harbor, Michigan, said her interest in medicine came from her grandmother, who was the first woman to graduate from medical school at Northwestern University. “I was always interested because of that and I thought it was an ideal combination of science and people,” she has said.

Academic History

Dr. Lindfeld completed her medical degree in 1973 at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, followed by a cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas in 19792. She also completed a residency and chief residency at University of California San Diego Medical Center in 1976 and 1977.

Career Overview

Dr. Lindfeld began her career by investigating the role of anemia in the regulation of cardiac output. This work led her to pioneer the transplant program at the University of Colorado, where she also helped found the Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Research, which is dedicated to cardiovascular research in women. It is now one of the top centers in the world and is awarded approximately $70 million in funding each year.

From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Lindenfeld served as the HFSA’s president. During that time, she pioneered the involvement of heart failure patients within the organization. Dr. Lindenfeld was chair of HFSA’s Clinical Practice Guidelines published in 2006 and 2010 and she served as vice president of the organization from 2012 to 2014. She is a fellow of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the HFSA and the European Society of Cardiology³.

Dr. Lindenfeld came to Vanderbilt in 2015 to become director of the Heart Failure and Transplant Section. Under her leadership, Vanderbilt grew to become the largest heart transplant center in the world by volume. In 2020, VUMC performed 124 heart transplants and one simultaneous heart-lung transplant, at the time its first such procedure since 2006.

Currently, Dr. Lindenfeld is director of research for VUMC’s Heart Failure and Transplant Section, where she oversees studies of heart failure treatments, including medical treatments, the use of cutting-edge devices and transplantation. She is currently a member of the steering committee for four national and international trials, including COAPT, FIX-HF, Parachute and CAT-HF1.

She has served on the FDA Cardiorenal Advisory Panel for 8 years, the Cardiovascular Devices Panel for 4 years and continues to be an ad hoc member of both panels. She is a member of the Heart Failure Society of America, a Fellow of the American Heart Association, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, a member of the American Society of Transplantation and a member of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation.⁴

Career Timeline

1973: Doctor of Medicine - University of Michigan
1976: Residency, University of California San Diego Medical Center
1977: Chief Residency, University of California San Diego Medical Center
1979: Fellowship, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
2002: Established Ludeman Family Center for Women's Health Research
2006: Chair of HFSA’s Clinical Practice Guidelines
2010: Chair of HFSA’s Clinical Practice Guidelines
2012 - 2014: Vice President, HFSA
2014 - 2016: President, HFSA
2015 - 2021: Director of the Heart Failure and Transplant Section, Vanderbilt

Recognition

1976: Internal Medicine - American Board of Internal Medicine,
1979: Cardiovascular Disease - American Board of Internal Medicine
2010: Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology - American Board of Internal Medicine
2017 JACC: HF “Hammer” Award
2021: HFSA Pioneer Award

Areas of Speciality