Naomi Hamburg, MD, Appointed Interim Director, Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute

Naomi Hamburg, MD, the inaugural Joseph A. Vita Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Chief of Vascular Biology, has been appointed Interim Director of the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, effective Dec. 1. She replaces Flora Sam, MD, who has held the interim role since Feb.1, 2018.

Dr. Hamburg joined BUSM in 2007 and was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) in 2013 and Chief of Vascular Biology in 2016. A recipient of the Department of Medicine’s Dawson Junior Faculty Development Award, she served as Associate Director of the Vascular Medicine training program and on the Executive Committee of the T32 Cardiovascular Training Grant.

Dr. Hamburg is nationally recognized for her work in endothelial biology and modeling the impact of diabetes and peripheral artery disease on vascular function. As a member of the Framingham Heart Study Vascular Function Group, she and her colleagues have shown the predictive value of endothelial function for cardiovascular events. Her research has been funded by the NIH through R01 and P01 programs as well as the American College of Cardiology and Santander Foundation. She is an investigator in the NIH/FDA-funded AHA Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, focused on the health impact of novel tobacco products including electronic cigarettes.

She received her bachelor’s and medical degrees from Harvard University and completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Hamburg arrived at BUSM/Boston Medical Center as a fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine in 2003, starting with a research fellowship mentored by Dr. Vita. She completed her MSc in Epidemiology at the BU School of Public Health as part of her fellowship in the BUSM K12 in Vascular Medicine.