Jawahar L. Mehta
Jawahar L. Mehta is the Stebbins Chair and Professor of Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Biography. Mehta was born in India and migrated to the United States in 1970. He received his M.D. from Punjab University in 1968 and PhD from the University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden. Mehta's thesis topic was "studies on experimental myocardial reperfusion" which he completed under the direction of Prof. Tom Saldeen. He completed his post-graduate training in Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, followed by a research fellowship  at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. His first faculty position was at the University of Florida, where he rose to be Professor of Medicine. He was appointed the Stebbins Chair and Professor of Medicine and Director of Cardiovascular Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in October 2000. He is currently also an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Arkansas, Clinton School of Public Service. Research. At the University of Florida College of Medicine, Mehta was among the first to describe platelet activation as a basis of acute coronary syndromes. Later, he went  on to show that platelets also have a protective effect on the heart during ischemia mediated through release of transforming growth factor ß1. Together with Prof. Ian Phillips, he directed the hypertension center at the University of Florida. His current research is on the uptake of oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL) by specialized receptors LOX-1 (OLR1). Mehta has made clinical and basic research contributions to the pathobiology of cardiovascular diseases (h index 101, 81,016 citations). His work on LOX-1 receptors, its polymorphic variants and its role in atherogenesis and myocardial ischemia has led to new therapeutic targets now being pursued  by several biotech companies, such as MedImmune. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Association of Physicians, and the Association of University Cardiologists. His research has been described as "unparalleled." He is also the director of the Molecular Cardiology Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and adjunct professor at the University of Rome, Tor Vergata. Honors. Mehta delivered the Swan Memorial Lecture at the World Congress of Cardiology, Vancouver in July 2012. He has been recognized as a Distinguished Fellow by the International Academy of Cardiology, July 2014. He also received the  International Pericle d’Oro Prize, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Italy May 2014. In December 2017, Mehta was recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 27 cardiologists in the United States. In April 2018, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences honored Mehta by naming him Distinguished Professor, a recognition given to "honor exemplary faculty members who have helped to shape the institution." Grateful patients have established  "Mehta/Stebbins Chair in Cardiovascular Research" in his honor. In addition, there is a Jay and Paulette Mehta Visiting Lectureship established in his and his wife's honor at the University of  Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas. The International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences awarded Dr. Mehta the Lifetime Achievement in Cardiovascular Science, Medicine, and Surgery in 2019 at its annual meeting in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia. In the same year, the Italian Society of Cardiology and the University of Rome Tor Vergata honored him with Distinguished Professorship and Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs honored Dr. Mehta with the Senior Clinician Scientist Investigator (SCSI) Award in Cardiovascular Sciences. Later that same year, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences unveiled the Drs. Paulette and Jay Mehta Award  in Creative Writing. Personal. Dr. Mehta is married to Paulette Mehta, MD, an oncologist in Little Rock, Arkansas. His children include Asha Mehta of Boston, Massachusetts and Jason Mehta of Tampa, Florida. His grandchildren include Jasper Garg, Griffen Garg, Maia Mehta, Jack Mehta, and Zara Garg.