Eric J. Topol, M.D.

Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute
Chief Academic Officer, Scripps Health
Vice Chairman, West Wireless Health Institute

Topol is one of the leading physicians in the United States. He is a pioneer of genomic and wireless digital innovative technologies to reshape the future of medicine.

He is a practicing cardiologist at Scripps in La Jolla, Calif. and well known for leading the Cleveland Clinic to become the No. 1 center for heart care. While there, he also started a new medical school, led many worldwide clinical trials to advance care for patients with heart disease, and spearheaded the discovery of multiple genes that increase susceptibility for heart attacks.

Since 2006, he has led the flagship NIH-supported Scripps Translational Science Institute  and is a co-founder and the vice chairman of the West Wireless Health Institute, both in La Jolla. He also serves as professor of translational genomics at The Scripps Research Institute and is chief academic officer of Scripps Health.

Topol pioneered the development of many medications that are routinely used in medical practice including t-PA, Plavix, Angiomax, and ReoPro, and was the first physician to raise safety concerns on Vioxx. He has published more than 1,000 peer-reviewed articles and more than 30 medical textbooks. In 2011, the University of Michigan initiated the Eric Topol Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in his honor. His book for consumers, “Digitizing Man,” will be out later this year.

He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and has been recognized as one of the top 10 most cited researchers in medicine.