Akshay S. Desai, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Heart Failure Disease Management Program and Associate Physician in the Advanced Heart Disease Section of the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received his undergraduate education at Princeton University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an AB in Public and International Affairs. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for study at Oxford University, where he completed an M.Phil. in European Politics and Society at Balliol College. He continued his studies at Harvard Medical School where he was awarded an MD. Dr. Desai completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine, as well as fellowships in Cardiovascular Medicine, Vascular Medicine, and Advanced Heart Disease at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Desai’s clinical interests include advanced heart failure, congenital heart disease, and cardiac transplantation. He divides his time between the clinical care of patients with advanced heart disease and clinical research in cardiovascular clinical trials, with an emphasis on the pathophysiology, pharmacologic treatment, and ambulatory management of patients with heart failure. The author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Desai’s research focuses on improving care delivery and outcomes for heart failure patients and leading the design of innovative strategies to reduce heart failure readmissions.