Dr. Justin Zachariah

Dr. Justin Zachariah is a federally funded clinician-scientist and serves as medical director of cardiology research, co-chair of research operations, and inaugural faculty member at the Texas Children’s Hospital Research Institute. His clinical and research focus is on life course prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), beginning in childhood.

Trained as the first pediatric cardiologist at the Framingham Heart Study and holding a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Zachariah leads research on primordial and primary prevention of ASCVD. His work spans epidemiology, cost-effectiveness analysis, noninvasive vascular testing, clinical outcomes, translational biomarker research, and ‘-omic’ platforms, including genetic epidemiology using Mendelian randomization.

He has co-authored multiple scientific statements from the American Heart Association on periodontal disease and atherosclerosis and pediatric preventive cardiology, along with other key publications in the field. He has served as an invited expert reviewer for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on universal lipid screening in youth and has contributed to national research priorities through service on NIH and CDC study sections, including as chair of the September 11th World Trade Center Special Emphasis Panel. He is also an editorial board member for several leading ASCVD journals.