C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, is Director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center, the Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program, the Erika J. Glazer Women’s Heart Research Initiative, and the Preventive Cardiac Center at the Smidt Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. She also is Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Bairey Merz’s research interests include women and cardiovascular disease, mental stress and heart disease, the role of exercise and stress management in reversing disease, the role of cholesterol and nutrition management in heart disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular disease, and precision medicine monitoring to predict unexpected cardiovascular events. She is chair of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored WISE (Women’s Ischemic Syndrome Evaluation) initiative, which is investigating potential methods for more effective diagnosis and evaluation of ischemic heart disease in women. Dr. Bairey Merz has received investigational grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH-National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine (NCCAM), the National Institutes of Aging (NIA), the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute, the Pfeiffer Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Barbra Streisand Foundation, the Erika J. Glazer Women’s Heart Research Initiative, the Society for Women’s Health Research, the Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program, and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense.
A prolific lecturer, Dr. Bairey Merz, is a member of many professional organizations, including the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the European Society of Cardiology, the American Association of Physicians, the Association of University Cardiologists, the Advisory Board of the NIH Office of Research in Women’s Health, and chairs of the ACC CVD in Women Committee. She is past member of the NHLBI Advisory Council, the Board of Trustees of the ACC, and is a past-chair of the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease committee, and the Women in Cardiology Committee of the AHA. Other professional associations have included membership on the National Space Biomedical Research Institute Board of Scientific Counselors, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Board of Examiners, and she chaired the NIH-sponsored Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigations 2 Diabetes (BARI-2D) Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). She serves on the advisory boards of lay organizations, including WomenHeart, and the Women’s Heart Alliance. She has an extensive scientific publication record of over 450 scientific publications and book chapters, and more than 300 abstracts. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, Circulation, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and the Journal of Women’s Health.
Dr. Bairey Merz has received numerous awards and honors including the ACC Bernadine Healy Leadership in Women’s CV Disease Award, 2016, the 2014 Professional Achievement Award from the University of Chicago, the 2013 Fellowship Award from the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the 2012 17th Annual Women in Leadership Award from the City of West Hollywood, CA, the 2012 Distinguished Scientist (Clinical Domain) Award from the American College of Cardiology, the 2012 Journal of Women’s Health Award for Outstanding Achievement in Women’s Health Research award, the 2011-2012 Annual DeSteven’s Lectureship from Northwestern University in Chicago IL, the 2011 Visiting Professorship, Christiana Care Health System award, the 2009 AHA Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award, the 2008 McCue Female Cardiologist of the Year Award, the 2005 Red Dress Award For Leadership in Cardiovascular Research in Women, the 2005 VHA Inc. Best Practices Awards for Special Achievement Award presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of health care, the 2005 Women of the 21st Century award from the Women’s Guild of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the 2006 Alvin P. Shapiro Award by Psychosomatic Society for excellence in clinical research. Dr. Bairey Merz has appeared frequently in the media, recognized as an authority on the subject of heart disease. Her television appearances have included 60 Minutes, the Today Show, Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, NBC Dateline and 20/20. She has also been interviewed for articles published in The New York Times, Ladies Home Journal, US News & World Report and Working Woman Magazine, to name a few.
Dr. Bairey Merz received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and her medical degree from Harvard University. She completed her residency at the University of California, San Francisco, where she served as Chief Medical Resident. Dr. Bairey Merz also completed fellowships in clinical cardiology and nuclear cardiology and served as Chief Cardiology Fellow at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
