Salim S. Virani

Salim S. Virani, MD, Ph.D., serves as the Vice Provost (Global Research) and The Nizar E. Noor Mohammed Mewawalla Endowed Professor at the Aga Khan University (AKU). Working with a dedicated team, he leads and facilitates AKU’s global research and international collaborations across South Asia, Europe, and East Africa in the areas of medicine, nursing, education, culture, media, climate change, and environmental sciences.

Prior to joining AKU, Dr. Virani was a tenured Professor in the Sections of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and an investigator in the Health Policy, Quality, and Informatics Program at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation in Houston, TX. ​At BCM, he also served as the Director for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Training Program. His clinical practice includes being a Preventive Cardiologist with a special emphasis on management of complex dyslipidemias.

Dr. Virani earned his medical degree from AKU, graduating with the Best Medical Graduate Award. Dr. Virani completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami, there receiving an award as the Best Resident. He then completed a Cardiology fellowship at the Texas Heart Institute, where he served as the Chief Cardiology Fellow and received Tauber Award for the Outstanding Graduating Fellow.