Alice K. Jacobs, MD

Emeritus Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Alice K. Jacobs, MD, FACC, FAHA, MSCAI is a Professor of Medicine at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and served as the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and Interventional Cardiology for 20 years until 2011. She is currently Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine at Boston University Medical Center and maintains an active clinical practice. Dr. Jacobs has led the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline, a community-based, national initiative to develop systems of care for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients and to increase the number of patients with timely access to primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Mission: Lifeline has now expanded to include Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Stroke systems of care. Dr. Jacobs served as president of the American Heart Association in 2004-05 and as president of the Association of University Cardiologists in 2011. She is a past chair of the ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines. During her tenure, the guidelines process and methodology evolved to include formal systematic evidence reviews, inclusion of patient representatives and lay members on guideline committees, incorporation of an Evidence Grading Tool, and further enhancements to the Class of Recommendation/Level of Evidence schema. Dr. Jacobs is a prior member of CMS MEDCAC and the IOM Committee on Social Security Cardiovascular Disability. Currently, she is the immediate past-chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine Interventional Cardiology Self-Assessment Test Committee, a member of NHLBI Cardiothoracic Surgical Network Protocol Review Committee and a member of the New York State Cardiac Advisory Committee. Her major research interest is in coronary revascularization strategies and sex-based difference in ischemic heart disease.

Expertise includes: Interventional Cardiology; Coronary revascularization; Sex-based differences in cardiovascular disease.

Publications

  • Published 4/14/2026

    Zhao J, Hong H, Fanaroff AC, Zhong S, Bush KNV, Granger C, Huber N, Jackevicius CA, Kindipan I, Li S, Lewis P, Osho A, Sather J, Sigal SL, Thomas K, Ni Z, Hall JL, Jacobs AK, Goyal A. Advancing in-hospital mortality prediction for acute myocardial infarction: An analysis from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease Registry. Am Heart J. 2026 Aug; 298:107445. PMID: 41990900.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/30/2026

    Forman DE, Carey RM, Block S, Dentel S, Goldwater D, Heidenreich P, Luciano J, Manoukian SV, Mocco J, Murali S, Suresh DP, Thomas K, Woods CW, Jacobs AK. Advancing quality in post-acute cardiovascular and stroke care: Why national leadership and certification matter. Am J Med. 2026 May; 139(5):557-559. PMID: 41621520.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/28/2026

    Forman DE, Carey RM, Block S, Dentel S, Goldwater D, Heidenreich P, Luciano J, Manoukian SV, Mocco J, Murali S, Suresh DP, Thomas K, Woods CW, Jacobs AK. Post-acute cardiovascular and stroke care and the potential of certification programs: A 'Call to Action'. Am J Med. 2026 May; 139(5):593-597. PMID: 41616928.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/12/2024

    Elkind MSV, Arnett DK, Benjamin IJ, Eckel RH, Grant AO, Houser SR, Jacobs AK, Jones DW, Robertson RM, Sacco RL, Smith SC, Weisfeldt ML, Wu JC, Jessup M. The American Heart Association at 100: A Century of Scientific Progress and the Future of Cardiovascular Science: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2024 Mar 19; 149(12):e964-e985. PMID: 38344851.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/14/2023

    Hannan EL, Wu Y, Harik L, Tamis-Holland J, Jacobs AK, Chikwe J, Cozzens KS, Gaudino M. Coronary artery bypass surgery versus percutaneous interventions for women with multivessel coronary artery disease. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2024 Sep; 168(3):863-872.e8. PMID: 38101766.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Education

  • Saint Louis University, MD
  • State University of New York at Buffalo, BA