Laurence Sperling MD, FACC, FACP, FAHA, MASPC

Laurence S. Sperling, M.D., FACC, FAHA, FACP, MASPC is the Founder and the Director of The Heart Disease Prevention Center at Emory (1997-2019). He is currently the Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine and Professor of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. Sperling is the current Executive Director of Million Hearts for the Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He served as the President of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology from 2014-2016, served on the writing committee of the 2018 ACC/ AHA/ Multi-society Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol, served as Associate Editor for the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, and the Chair of the World Heart Federation writing group on the Roadmap for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention among People Living with Diabetes. He served on the Writing Committee of the American Heart Association Cardiovascular Kidney Metabolic Health (CKMH) Initiative which has brought forth the importance of an integrated approach to prevention and treatment in this high-risk population.

Dr. Sperling founded (in 2004) and directs the first and only LDL apheresis program in the state of Georgia, and was the PI for The National FH Registry site at Emory. He has received awards for excellence in both teaching (including 4 Apple Awards and The Deans Teaching Award) and mentorship (Emory SOM 2018 Mentorship Award). He has received the Emory School of Medicine Alumni Award of Honor (2017), and the Pioneer in Prevention Award from the American Society of Preventive Cardiology in 2023. He is an elected member of the Association of University Cardiologists. He has been an investigator in a number of important clinical trials and has authored over 400 manuscripts, abstracts, and book chapters.

Dr. Sperling is originally from New York. He received his undergraduate degree from Emory College where he was accepted into Emory University School of Medicines Early Acceptance Program as a college sophomore. He graduated with his M.D. in 1989 and subsequently completed 8 additional years of training at Emory including a residency in internal medicine, a high resident year at Emory University Hospital, an NIH-supported research fellowship in molecular and vascular medicine, and a clinical fellowship in cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Sperling was awarded The American College of Cardiology Harry B. Graf Career Development Award for Heart Disease Prevention and The American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology Scholarship for Physical Activity and Public Health in 2001.