Bio
Dr. Aguilar is a well-respected specialist in cardiovascular medicine. He is currently
a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and holds the prestigious Gerald
S. and Joan Berenson Chair in Healthy Aging and Longevity. Dr. Aguilar received his
medical education from Baylor College of Medicine and completed his residency training
and cardiovascular medicine fellowship at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard
Medical School. He practices general cardiology and non-invasive cardiology.
As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Aguilar has a strong research focus on the impact of
cardiometabolic disorders, particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, on health
outcomes, including heart failure. He has been the principal investigator and co-investigator
in numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has been actively
involved in clinical trials testing new treatment strategies in cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Aguilar has authored over 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including top-tier
publications such as Nature, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation,
JAMA, and European Heart Journal. He also serves on multiple editorial boards for
leading cardiovascular and diabetes journals.
In addition to his research accomplishments, Dr. Aguilar is an author of professional
society clinical practice guidelines and scientific statements from the American Heart
Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). He has been actively
involved in national leadership committees of the AHA and ACC, as well as joint programs
with the American Diabetes Association and other local community organizations focused
on reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases in our community.
Dr. Aguilar has helped train numerous cardiologists and researchers, and he has been
the recipient of multiple teaching awards.
Education
Undergraduate:
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
Bachelor of Science (Summa Cum Laude)
Medical:
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
Doctor of Medicine (Graduation with Honors)
Internal Medicine Residency:
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Clinical Fellowships:
Fellowship, Cardiovascular Medicine (including Level III Adult Echocardiography and
Level II Nuclear Cardiology training), Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School Boston
Other
Clinical Effective Course (Research Training)
Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, MA
Master of Science (Clinical Investigation)
Clinical Scientist Training Program
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management
Rice University
Houston, TX
Affiliated Hospitals & Clinics
University Medical Center
Touro Infirmary
Publications
Pubmed link to full list of articles: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/david.aguilar.1/bibliography/public/
Select recent publications:
Aguilar D. Preventing Heart Failure in People with Hypertension. JACC Heart Fail.
2023; April 30:22213.
Weiss MC, Shih YH, Bryan MS, Jackson BP, Aguilar D, Hanis CL, Argos M, Sargis RM.
Relationships Between Urinary Metals and Diabetes Traits Among Mexican Americans in
Starr County, Texas, USA. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2023; 201(2):529-538.
Brown SA, Becker HA, García AA, Velasquez MM, Tanaka H, Winter MA, Perkison WB, Brown
EL, Aguilar D, Hanis CL. Acculturation, eating behaviors, and macronutrient intake
among Mexican Americans: The Starr County Diabetes Prevention Initiative. Sci Diabetes
Self Manage Care 2023; 49(1):65-76.
Palm DS, Drame A, Moliterno DJ, Aguilar D. Acute Coronary Syndromes Among Patients
with Prior Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2022; 24(11):1755-1763.
Heidenreich PA, Bozkurt B, Aguilar D, Allen LA, Byun JJ, Colvin MM, Deswal A, Drazner
MH, Dunlay SM, Evers LR, Fang JC, Fedson SE, Fonarow GC, Hayek SS, Hernandez AF, Khazanie
P, Kittleson MM, Lee CS, Link MS, Milano CA, Nnacheta LC, Sandhu AT, Stevenson LW,
Vardeny O, Vest AR, Yancy CW. 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart
Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association
Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation 2022; 145(18):e895-e1032.
Hasbani NR, Ligthart S, Brown MR, Heath AS, Bebo A, Ashley KE, Boerwinkle E, Morrison
AC, Folsom AR, Aguilar D, De Vries PS. American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple
7: Lifestyle Recommendations, Polygenic Risk, and Lifetime Risk of Coronary Heart
Disease. Circulation. 2022 Circulation. 2022 Mar 15;145(11):808-818
Joseph JJ, Deedwania P, Acharya T, Aguilar D, Bhatt DL, Chyun DA, Di Palo KE, Golden
SH, Sperling LS; American Heart Association Diabetes Committee of the Council on Lifestyle
and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology;
Council on Clinical Cardiology; and Council on Hypertension. Comprehensive Management
of Cardiovascular Risk Factors for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Scientific Statement
From the American Heart Association. Circulation 2022; 145(9):e722-e759.
Research
Baylor Mentored Clinical Scholars Program (K12)
Funding Agency: NIH
Role: Mentored Research Training Grant
(PI Mory Haymond)
8/2006-7/2008
Myocardial and Vascular Stiffness in Diabetics with Heart Failure and Normal LVEF
(K01 Career Development Award)
Funding agency: NHLBI
Role: Principal Investigator
2008-2102
GWAS for Sleep Apnea and Endothelial Function Among Mexican Americans (R01HL102830)
Funding agency: NHLBI
Role: PI of a subcontract. Responsibilites (subcontract to Baylor) include protocol
development and interpretation and analyses of echocardiographic data and interpretation
and anaylsis of vascular studies (endothelial function, central blood pressure, pulse
wave velocity).
(PI: Craig Hanis)
2010-2015
Evaluation of Lixisenatide in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ELIXA)
Funding agency: Sanofi-Aventis
Role: US National Coordinator for phase III industry-sponsored clinical trial of 6,000
individuals
2010-2015
Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering Trial (EXSCEL). A Randomized, Placebo
Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate Cardiovascular Outcomes After Treatment With
Exenatide Once Weekly in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Funding agency: Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astra-Zeneca
Role: US National Coordinator for phase III industry-sponsored clinical trial of 14,000
individuals
2010-2017
Cardiac Manifestations of Chagas Disease in Trypanosoma Cruzi Positive Blood Donors,
Houston, TX
Funding agency: Baylor College of Medicine Cardiovascular Research Institute
Role: Co-investigator
(PI: Melissa Nolan Garcia)
2013-2014
Prevalence of Chagas in Patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (R21)
Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Role: Co-investigator
(PI: Kristy Murray, PhD)
2015-2017
AI-aided Personalization on Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Duration for Patients Underwent
Coronary Stent Implantation
Funding agency: American Heart Association
Role: Co-investigator
(PI: Tao)
2019-2021
CHILD - Autologous Cardiac Stem Cell Injection in Patients with HypoplastIc Left Heart
SynDrome: An Open Label Pilot Study
Funding agency: University of Miami
Role: Co-investigator
(PI: Hare)
2020-2021
The Allogeneic Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSCs) injection in Patients with Hypoplastic
Left Heart Syndrome: A Phase IIb Clinical Trial (ELPIS)
Funding agency: NIH/NHLBI
Role: Co-investigator
(PI: Barry Davis)
2020-2021
Work Patterns and Diabetes Disparities (R21)
Funding agency: NIMHHD
Role: Principal Investigator
2019-2021
An Intersectional Approach to Disparities and Hypertension Incidence and Progression
(R21)
Funding agency: NHLBI
Role: Principal Investigator
2019-2021
Diabetes Progression with Metabolomic Profiling in Starr County Mexican Americans
(R01)
Funding agency: NIDDK
Role: Co-Investigator
(PI: Goo Jun, PhD)
2019-2021
Cardiovascular, Immune, and Psychosocial Benefits of Reduced Cocaine Use (R01)
Funding agency: National Institute on Drug Use
Role: Co-Investigator
(PI William Stoops)
2021-2022
Use of Biomarker of Cardiac Function in the Ascertainment and management of Heart
Failure in Appalachian Communities of Kentucky
Funding agency: University of Kentucky, Igniting Research Collaborations
Role: Co-PI
2022