Inaugural Physician Leader for CVI Named

Habib Samady, MD, will join our team as Carilion’s inaugural senior vice president and director of the Cardiovascular Institute. 

Dr. Samady brings more than two decades of leadership in advancing cardiovascular care, most recently serving as president of the Cardiovascular service line and co-founder and president of the Georgia Heart Institute at Northeast Georgia Health System. Prior to that he served as a professor of medicine, director of interventional cardiology and cardiac catheterization laboratory at Emory University School of Medicine.

An internationally recognized interventional cardiologist, he has built high-performing teams and launched innovative programs, including in complex coronary disease, women’s heart disease, structural heart disease, advanced imaging, and robotic cardiothoracic surgery. 

Dr. Samady has mentored hundreds of medical students, residents and cardiovascular fellows, receiving teaching and mentoring awards from the University of Virginia, Emory University and the American College of Cardiology. He is editor of a major textbook, Interventional Cardiology, McGraw Hill, and has served as deputy/associate editor of the Journal of American College of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Interventions since 2007. He has published over 290 research manuscripts and holds multiple patents. He is also co-founder of Covanos, an Emory University-based computational coronary physiology start-up, designed to address the unmet need for a point-of-care hemodynamic and prognostic software solution for coronary computerized tomography (CT) imaging. 

Returning to Virginia, where his career began, Dr. Samady will help lead our efforts to transform cardiovascular care through innovation, collaboration and a commitment to improving outcomes for patients across the region. 

“It is a singular honor to join Carilion’s amazing team of surgeons, physicians, nurses, technologists and administrators," Dr. Samady said. "Carilion’s rich tradition of providing excellent cardiovascular care, together with its bold partnership with Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School, uniquely positions us to provide world class cardiovascular care, expand access to care for patients in our communities, lead healthcare discovery, and educate the next generation of clinicians in Virginia and beyond.”

He is expected to join us in February. Dr. Samady will report directly to Chief Physician Executive Dr. Tony Seupaul. He will collaborate with department chairs and partner with Marguerite Underwood, vice president of CVI. He will oversee clinical operations, research and education of CVI. 

This position was established in response to the significant growth of our cardiovascular services and to ensure the strategic structure, leadership and innovation necessary to continue advancing care and better serve our patients.