Meet the distinguished leadership shaping the Sealy Heart and Vascular Institute through clinical expertise, academic distinction, and strategic vision.
Dr. Hani Jneid
Inaugural Chair, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
Executive and Founding Director, Sealy Heart and Vascular Institute
Vice President, Cardiovascular Operations
John Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair in Cardiology
Dr. Hani Jneid is a nationally recognized physician, educator, and researcher whose career has been devoted to advancing heart health, improving patient outcomes, and building institutions of excellence in Texas and beyond. He serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), where he also directs the Sealy Heart and Vascular Institute and serves as Vice President for Cardiovascular Operations.
At UTMB, Dr. Jneid transformed the Division of Cardiology into a full Department, becoming its inaugural Chair, and founded the Sealy Heart and Vascular Institute—the first clinically integrated institute in the history of UTMB, the oldest medical school in Texas. Under his leadership, the Department doubled in size within three years, expanded its training programs, recruited a new generation of clinical and research talent to Texas, and advanced into the top 12% of academic centers nationally for heart disease survival outcomes in 2025. He has also championed patient-centered access to care, including support for the "No Galvestonian Left Behind" initiative, reinforcing the institution's commitment to equitable, high-quality cardiovascular care for local patients.
Prior to joining UTMB, Dr. Jneid served at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and its affiliated hospitals, where he was Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program, Director of Interventional Cardiology at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, and Director of Structural Heart Disease at Ben Taub Hospital. His clinical interests include coronary artery disease, aortic valve disease, and cardiovascular prevention. He was a member of the pioneering team that initiated the first catheter-based heart valve (TAVI) program in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system nationally, and he spearheaded the cardiovascular team that launched the first TAVI program for the Harris Health System in Houston, establishing a program of excellence at the county's public hospital for an underserved population. Performing high-risk emergency procedures for veterans suffering heart attacks and cardiogenic shock, he helped save the lives of countless patients across Texas.
As a medical educator, Dr. Jneid has trained scores of interventional cardiologists who now practice in Houston and across the nation. His mentorship and leadership earned him the American College of Cardiology's National Gifted Educator Award in 2021. He is also an accomplished academic scholar, with 492 publications, more than 35,000 citations, and an h-index of 60. His work includes numerous textbook chapters and influential articles in premier journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA, and he has chaired and authored numerous national American Heart Association practice guidelines and position statements.
Dr. Jneid is the recipient of several regional and national honors, including the Medal of Service for Clinical Care of Veteran Patients at the DeBakey VAMC (2016), the Star Award for Excellence in Patient Care at BCM (2021), and the National Gifted Educator Award from the American College of Cardiology (2021).
Beyond medicine, Dr. Jneid lives between Houston and Galveston and is deeply engaged in civic and cultural life. He is a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas, the Texas State Historical Association, and he serves on the board of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. He initiated the first community-based heart health course at Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies and lectures regularly to the public in Galveston, including at the historic Rosenberg Library, sharing his knowledge of cardiovascular disease and prevention with the broader community.
Medical/Professional School:
American University of Beirut Medical School Hospital - Beirut, Lebanon, MD, 1998
Residencies:
Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation - Cleveland, Ohio, 2002
Fellowships:
Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine - Louisville, Kentucky, 2005
Interventional Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital - Harvard Medical School - Boston, Massachusetts, 2006
Advanced Interventional Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital - Harvard Medical School - Boston, Massachusetts, 2007