CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html dir="ltr" lang="en"> <head> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=Edge"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/assets/images/favicons/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/assets/images/favicons/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/assets/images/favicons/favicon-16x16.png" sizes="16x16"> <link rel="mask-icon" href="/assets/images/favicons/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#5bbad5"> <meta name="description" content="Director of Nuclear Cardiology and Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital" > <title>Ahmed Tawakol, MD - Mass General Advances in Motion</title> <link rel="canonical" href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/contributors/contributor.aspx?id=1061"> <link href="/assets/styles/index.css" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="/assets/styles/jquery-ui-min.css" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="https://use.typekit.net/sgz4evs.css" rel="stylesheet"> <script src="/assets/scripts/jquery-3.2.1.min.js" ></script> </head> <body>   <script type="text/javascript"> (function(window, document, dataLayerName, id) { window[dataLayerName]=window[dataLayerName]||[],window[dataLayerName].push({start:(new Date).getTime(),event:"stg.start"});var scripts=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],tags=document.createElement('script'); function stgCreateCookie(a,b,c){var d="";if(c){var e=new Date;e.setTime(e.getTime()+24*c*60*60*1e3),d="; expires="+e.toUTCString()}document.cookie=a+"="+b+d+"; path=/"} var isStgDebug=(window.location.href.match("stg_debug")||document.cookie.match("stg_debug"))&&!window.location.href.match("stg_disable_debug");stgCreateCookie("stg_debug",isStgDebug?1:"",isStgDebug?14:-1); var qP=[];dataLayerName!=="dataLayer"&&qP.push("data_layer_name="+dataLayerName),isStgDebug&&qP.push("stg_debug");var qPString=qP.length>0?("?"+qP.join("&")):""; tags.async=!0,tags.src="https://mgb.containers.piwik.pro/"+id+".js"+qPString,scripts.parentNode.insertBefore(tags,scripts); !function(a,n,i){a[n]=a[n]||{};for(var c=0;c<i.length;c++)!function(i){a[n][i]=a[n][i]||{},a[n][i].api=a[n][i].api||function(){var a=[].slice.call(arguments,0);"string"==typeof a[0]&&window[dataLayerName].push({event:n+"."+i+":"+a[0],parameters:[].slice.call(arguments,1)})}}(i[c])}(window,"ppms",["tm","cm"]); })(window, document, 'dataLayer', '41b8ae76-3079-47d5-aaf8-040ee367d152'); </script>  <header class="site-header" data-header="main"> <div class="site-header__nav-container"> <span class="site-header__logo"> <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org">Massachusetts General Hospital</a> </span> <div class="nav__primary__item -search mobile__search-toggle"> <button id="mobile__search-trigger" data-nav="trigger"> <span class="a11y-sr-only">Search</span> </button> </div> <button class="site-nav__toggle" aria-controls="site-navigation" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" data-module="nav-toggle"> <span class="a11y-sr-only">Menu</span> </button> </div> <div class="site-header__sub-block" data-header="sub"> <p class="site-header__tagline"> <a href="/default.aspx">Advances in <i>Motion</i></a> </p> </div> <nav aria-label="Main navigation" class="site-nav" id="site-navigation"> <ul class="nav__utility" role="presentation"> <li><a href="/event-education-listing.aspx">Education & Training</a></li> <li><a href="/clinical-trial-listing.aspx">Clinical Trials</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/appointments-and-referrals/referral-request">Refer a Patient</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/">Find a Doctor</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/research/">Research Institute</a></li> <li><a class="nav__utility--highlight" href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/subscription.aspx">Subscribe</a></li> </ul> <ul class="nav__primary" data-module="navigation" role="presentation"> <li> <a class="nav__primary__trigger -home-link" href="/default.aspx"> <span class="nav__link-wrapper">Advances in Motion Home</span> </a> </li> <li class="nav__primary__item"> <a class="nav__primary__trigger" data-nav="trigger" data-nav-target="nav-specialties" href="/specialty-listing.aspx"> <span class="nav__link-wrapper">Specialties</span></a> <div class="nav__primary__dropdown" data-nav="target" id="nav-specialties"> <ul class="nav__primary__dropdown__links" role="presentation"> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002">Cardiovascular</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/digestive-health/specialty.aspx?id=1007">Digestive Health</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/endocrinology/specialty.aspx?id=1015">Endocrinology</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/geriatrics/specialty.aspx?id=1009">Geriatrics & Palliative Care</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/neuro/specialty.aspx?id=1004">Neuroscience</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/obgyn/specialty.aspx?id=1006">OB/GYN</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/oncology/specialty.aspx?id=1008">Oncology</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/ophthalmology/specialty.aspx?id=1014">Ophthalmology</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/ortho/specialty.aspx?id=1003">Orthopaedics</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/otolaryngology/specialty.aspx?id=1016">Otolaryngology</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/pulmonary/specialty.aspx?id=1012">Pulmonary & Critical Care</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/radiology/specialty.aspx?id=1013">Radiology</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/rheumatology/specialty.aspx?id=1010">Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology</a></li> <li><a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/urology/specialty.aspx?id=1005">Urology</a></li> </ul> <p class="fat-link__wrapper u-text-right"> <a class="fat-link -caret" href="/specialty-listing.aspx">View All Specialties</a> </p> </div> </li> <li class="nav__primary__item"> <a class="nav__primary__trigger" data-nav="trigger" data-nav-target="nav-topics" href="/topic-listing.aspx"> <span class="nav__link-wrapper">Topics</span> </a> <div class="nav__primary__dropdown -topics" data-nav="target" id="nav-topics"> <h4>Recently Updated</h4> <div class="nav__primary__dropdown__flex-container" id="topics-scroll-container"> <section class="flex-container__section"> <ul class="flex-container__links -alt" role="presentation"> <li> <a href="/research-and-innovation/topic.aspx?id=1114" target="_blank">Gene and Cell Therapy</a><p>November 5, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/otolaryngology/topic.aspx?id=1113" target="_blank">Hearing Loss</a><p>November 5, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/research-and-innovation/topic.aspx?id=1107" target="_blank">Women's Health</a><p>November 5, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/neuro/topic.aspx?id=1038" target="_blank">Alzheimer's Disease</a><p>October 1, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/neuro/topic.aspx?id=1018" target="_blank">Neurology</a><p>October 1, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/oncology/topic.aspx?id=1059" target="_blank">Colorectal Cancer</a><p>September 11, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/neuro/topic.aspx?id=1031" target="_blank">Depression</a><p>September 10, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/neuro/topic.aspx?id=1017" target="_blank">Psychiatry</a><p>September 10, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/neuro/topic.aspx?id=1029" target="_blank">Addiction</a><p>September 4, 2024</p> </li> <li> <a href="/neuro/topic.aspx?id=1043" target="_blank">Traumatic Brain Injury</a><p>September 2, 2024</p> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="flex-container__section"> <h5>Featured</h5> <ul class="flex-container__links" role="presentation"> <li> <a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/ortho/topic.aspx?id=1009">Sports Medicine</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/research-and-innovation/topic.aspx?id=1056">COVID-19</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/neuro/topic.aspx?id=1024">Neurodegenerative Disease</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/pulmonary/topic.aspx?id=1058">ARDS</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://advances.massgeneral.org/research-and-innovation/topic.aspx?id=1068">Telemedicine</a> </li> </ul> </section> </div> <p class="fat-link__wrapper u-text-right"> <a class="fat-link -caret" href="/topic-listing.aspx">View All Topics</a> </p> </div> </li> <li> <a class="nav__primary__trigger" href="/multimedia-listing.aspx"> <span class="nav__link-wrapper">Multimedia</span> </a> </li> <li class="nav__primary__item -search"> <a class="nav__primary__trigger" data-nav="trigger" data-nav-search data-nav-target="nav-search" href="/search.aspx"><span class="a11y-sr-only">Search</span></a> <div class="nav__primary__dropdown" data-nav="target" id="nav-search"> <p data-module="label-float"> <label for="site-search"> <span class="nav-search__label--desktop">What are you searching for?</span> <span class="nav-search__label--mobile">Search</span> </label> <input type="search" id="site-search" value=""> <button class="fat-button"><span class="a11y-sr-only">Submit</span></button> </p> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> </header>    <main class="site-main" id="main-content" tabindex="-1"> <a class="a11y-skip-link" href="#main-content">Skip to content</a> <div id="panelMainContent"> <section class="layout-columns -border--bottom"> <aside class="layout-columns__sidebar -padding--horizontal -background--grey"> <div class="layout-columns__sidebar__content"> <div class="profile -full" data-module="sticky-sidebar" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <div class="profile__content"> <h3 class="profile__name" itemprop="name"> Ahmed A. Tawakol, MD</h3> <p class="profile__title" itemprop="jobTitle">Director, Nuclear Cardiology </br> Co-Director, Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital </br> Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School</p> <p class="profile__contact"> <a href="tel: 617-724-3600" class="profile__contact__phone" itemprop="telephone"> 617-724-3600</a> </p> </div> <p class="profile__image"> <img alt="Dr. Tawakol" itemprop="image" srcset="/assets/images/contributors/ahmed_tawakol_advances.png, /assets/images/contributors/ahmed_tawakol_advances_2x.png 2x" src="/assets/images/contributors/ahmed_tawakol_advances.png"> </p> </div> </div> </aside> <div class="layout-columns__main -padding--vertical -padding--horizontal" dcrname ="iwDCR0_291114"> <div class="layout-columns__main__content"> <h2 class="heading-h4">Posts by Ahmed A. Tawakol, MD</h2> <ul class="content-tease__list"> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/article.aspx?id=1467" itemprop="url"> Medical Grand Rounds: Stress and Cardiovascular Disease: New Data and Clinical Implications</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>In the latest Medical Grand Rounds presentation, Ahmed Tawakol, MD, director of nuclear cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed new data and clinical implications of stress and cardiovascular disease.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -article">Article</span> <time class="date" datetime="2022-02-24" itemprop="datePublished">February 24, 2022</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/journal.aspx?id=1953" itemprop="url"> Neural Activity on PET/CT Independently Associates with Subsequent Takotsubo Syndrome</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>By analyzing 18F-FDG-PET/CT scans, researchers in the Cardiology Division at Massachusetts General Hospital have become the first to demonstrate that heightened stress-associated neurobiological activity precedes the development of Takotsubo syndrome.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a>, <a href="/radiology/specialty.aspx?id=1013" itemprop="relatedLink">Radiology</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -journal">Journal</span> <time class="date" datetime="2021-06-02" itemprop="datePublished">June 2, 2021</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/journal.aspx?id=1829" itemprop="url"> Review: Multi-tissue, Multimodality Imaging Uncovers Pathophysiologic Link Between Chronic Stress and Cardiovascular Disease</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>A series of <sup>18</sup>F-FDG-PET/CT studies at Massachusetts General Hospital have demonstrated a multiorgan neuroimmune pathway that explains how common, chronic stressors increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a>, <a href="/radiology/specialty.aspx?id=1013" itemprop="relatedLink">Radiology</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -journal">Journal</span> <time class="date" datetime="2021-02-08" itemprop="datePublished">February 8, 2021</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/neuro/journal.aspx?id=1791" itemprop="url"> Neurobiologically Resilient Individuals Have Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Disease</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>Massachusetts General Hospital researchers are using a new neurobiological definition of resilience to stress—lower amygdalar activity—and have linked it to decreased risk of cardiovascular events.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a>, <a href="/neuro/specialty.aspx?id=1004" itemprop="relatedLink">Neuroscience</a>, <a href="/radiology/specialty.aspx?id=1013" itemprop="relatedLink">Radiology</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -journal">Journal</span> <time class="date" datetime="2021-01-07" itemprop="datePublished">January 7, 2021</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/journal.aspx?id=1406" itemprop="url"> Neuroimmune Pathway Linked to Socioeconomic Status and CVD Outcomes</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>Mass General researchers have uncovered a stress-associated neurobiological mechanism by which lower socioeconomic status increases the risk of adverse CVD outcomes.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a>, <a href="/neuro/specialty.aspx?id=1004" itemprop="relatedLink">Neuroscience</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -journal">Journal</span> <time class="date" datetime="2019-11-22" itemprop="datePublished">November 22, 2019</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/article.aspx?id=1093" itemprop="url"> ACC 2019: A Media Roundup</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>At the 2019 ACC Annual Meeting, cardiologists from Massachusetts General Hospital presented and discussed research findings and advances in clinical care, such as predicting and preventing adverse cardiovascular events and optimizing patient care.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -article">Article</span> <time class="date" datetime="2019-05-08" itemprop="datePublished">May 8, 2019</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/video.aspx?id=1061" itemprop="url"> Leveraging Social Media in Medicine </a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>A group from the Massachusetts General Hospital Corrigan Minehan Heart Center discusses how they leverage social media as both practicing clinicians and active researchers.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -video">Video</span> <time class="date" datetime="2019-01-31" itemprop="datePublished">January 31, 2019</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/journal.aspx?id=1165" itemprop="url"> Amygdalar Activity Associated with Increased Risk for Diabetes</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>Massachusetts General Hospital cardiologists are the first to demonstrate that increased neurobiological activity related to stress is associated with a substantially increased risk of type 2 diabetes—a mechanistic pathway that could lead to novel drug targets.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a>, <a href="/endocrinology/specialty.aspx?id=1015" itemprop="relatedLink">Endocrinology</a>, <a href="/neuro/specialty.aspx?id=1004" itemprop="relatedLink">Neuroscience</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -journal">Journal</span> <time class="date" datetime="2018-12-12" itemprop="datePublished">December 12, 2018</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/article.aspx?id=1064" itemprop="url"> #AHA18 on Twitter: New Cholesterol Guidelines, the PIONEER-HF Trial and More</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>Health care professionals at this year’s American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions discussed late-breaking research, innovative treatment approaches and brand new guidelines. The conversations carried over from the podium and conference halls onto Twitter.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -article">Article</span> <time class="date" datetime="2018-11-21" itemprop="datePublished">November 21, 2018</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/video.aspx?id=1011" itemprop="url"> The Relationship Between Stress and Cardiovascular Disease</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>Ahmed Tawakol, MD, co-director of the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, discusses the link between stress and atherosclerotic disease, and his team’s work using multimodality imaging to better understand that risk.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -video">Video</span> <time class="date" datetime="2018-05-02" itemprop="datePublished">May 2, 2018</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/article.aspx?id=1030" itemprop="url"> Novel Pathway for Translating Emotional Stress Into Physical Heart Disease</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>A team of clinicians led by Ahmed A. Tawakol, MD, co-director, Cardiac MR PET CT Program, has found a novel pathway linking psychosocial stress to heart disease. Published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673616317147 "><em>The Lancet</em></a><em>, </em>this study finds that brain activity in the stress-responsive area of the brain (the amygdala) predicts subsequent heart attacks and stroke.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -article">Article</span> <time class="date" datetime="2018-03-26" itemprop="datePublished">March 26, 2018</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/journal.aspx?id=1021" itemprop="url"> Amygdalar Activity Can Predict Cardiovascular Disease Risk</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>A statistical review of imaging and cardiovascular event data at Mass General finds amygdalar activity to be significantly associated with cardiovascular disease risk.</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -journal">Journal</span> <time class="date" datetime="2018-01-16" itemprop="datePublished">January 16, 2018</time> </p> </div> </li> <li class="content-tease__item"> <div class="content-tease" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ScholarlyArticle"> <h3 class="content-tease__heading" itemprop="name"> <a href="/cardiovascular/video.aspx?id=1006" itemprop="url"> #AHA17 Video: Scientific Sessions in Summary</a> </h3> <p itemprop="description"> <p>Mass General physicians presented on the podium, moderated sessions or showcased posters over 50 times at the American Heart Association 2017 Scientific Sessions. Some of them answered the question: “What was the most interesting topic presented at this year’s Scientific Sessions?"</p></p> <p class="content-tease__related"> <a href="/cardiovascular/specialty.aspx?id=1002" itemprop="relatedLink">Cardiovascular</a> </p> <p class="content-metadata"> <span class="content-metadata__media -video">Video</span> <time class="date" datetime="2017-11-29" itemprop="datePublished">November 29, 2017</time> </p> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </section> <section class="-padding--vertical -padding--horizontal"> <div class="content-container -width--medium -centered"> <h2>Biography</h2> <p> Dr. Tawakol graduated from Stanford Medical School and did his Medical Residency and Cardiovascular Diseases Fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He subsequently completed training in Nuclear Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, after which he joined the Cardiology Division staff. His clinical focus is in nuclear cardiology and general cardiology, with a special focus on the identification of patients at highest risk for atherothrombotic event.<br><br>Dr. Tawakol's research interest is in imaging of atherosclerosis. His work has focused on developing novel diagnostic approaches and novel treatment strategies for atherosclerosis. To that end, Dr. Tawakol has developed and validated molecular methods to characterize atherosclerotic plaques, and has made seminal observations validating the use of FDG-PET imaging for the measurement of atherosclerotic plaque inflammation. Currently, he is leading several multi-center trials to evaluate interventions targeting plaque inflammation and is evaluating the potential clinical role of vascular PET imaging for improving the identification of patients at highest risk for atherothrombotic events.</p> <p class="fat-link__wrapper u-text-right"> <a class="fat-link -caret -large" href="https://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/17312/Ahmed-Tawakol">View full profile</a> </p> </div> </section> <div class="content-container -width--xwide -centered specialty-block__wrapper" id="specialty-block"> <style> #specialty-block .specialty-block__image { /* 540px */ background-image: url(/assets/raw/specialty-block/subscription_callout_cardiovascular_advances.jpg); } only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (min--moz-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (-moz-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2/1), only screen and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and (min-resolution: 2dppx) { #specialty-block .specialty-block__image { /* 1080 width */ background-image: url(/assets/raw/specialty-block/subscription_callout_cardiovascular_advances_2x.jpg); } } /* </style> <span class="specialty-block__image"></span> <div class="specialty-block"> <h2 class="section-heading">Cardiovascular Care at Mass General</h2> At Mass General, our world-class physicians and nurses specialize in specific forms of both heart and vascular disease, and work closely together to offer leading treatments and preventive care for cardiovascular conditions. <div class="specialty-block__meta"> <div class="specialty-block__links"> <h3 class="specialty-block__links__heading">Resource links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/heart-center/">Corrigan Minehan Heart Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/vascular-center/">Fireman Vascular Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/heart-center/research-and-clinical-trials/">Research & Clinical Trials</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="article__signup-container"> <div class="email-signup-inline__container -background--white"> <style> #email-signup-inline { /* 540px */ background-image: url(/assets/raw/email-signup/cardiovascular-sub-callout.jpg); } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (min--moz-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (-moz-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2/1), only screen and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and (min-resolution: 2dppx) { #email-signup-inline { /* 1080 width */ background-image: url(/assets/raw/email-signup/cardiovascular-sub-callout.jpg); } } </style> <div class="content-container -width--wide -centered email-signup-inline__wrapper" id="email-signup-inline"> <div class="email-signup-inline__logo"> <img alt="Massachusetts General Hospital " src="/assets/logos/logo-white.svg"> </div> </div> <div class="email-signup-inline"> <h3 class="email-signup-inline__heading">Subscribe to the latest updates from Cardiovascular Advances in Motion</h3> <p class="email-signup-inline__subheading"></p>  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <meta name="referrer" content="no-referrer-when-downgrade">  <script type="text/javascript" data-for="FA__DOMContentLoadedEventDispatch" src="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/js/FA__DOMContentLoadedEventDispatcher.js" defer></script> <script type="text/javascript"> document.addEventListener("FA__DOMContentLoaded", function(){ const FORM_TIME_START = Math.floor((new Date).getTime()/1000); let formElement = document.getElementById("tfa_0"); if (null === formElement) { formElement = document.getElementById("0"); } let appendJsTimerElement = function(){ let formTimeDiff = Math.floor((new Date).getTime()/1000) - FORM_TIME_START; let cumulatedTimeElement = document.getElementById("tfa_dbCumulatedTime"); if (null !== cumulatedTimeElement) { let cumulatedTime = parseInt(cumulatedTimeElement.value); if (null !== cumulatedTime && cumulatedTime > 0) { formTimeDiff += cumulatedTime; } } let jsTimeInput = document.createElement("input"); jsTimeInput.setAttribute("type", "hidden"); jsTimeInput.setAttribute("value", formTimeDiff.toString()); jsTimeInput.setAttribute("name", "tfa_dbElapsedJsTime"); jsTimeInput.setAttribute("id", "tfa_dbElapsedJsTime"); jsTimeInput.setAttribute("autocomplete", "off"); if (null !== formElement) { formElement.appendChild(jsTimeInput); } }; if (null !== formElement) { if(formElement.addEventListener){ formElement.addEventListener('submit', appendJsTimerElement, false); } else if(formElement.attachEvent){ formElement.attachEvent('onsubmit', appendJsTimerElement); } } }); </script> <link href="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/dist/form-builder/5.0.0/wforms-layout.css?v=20484c23150f9374e828ae7e95c879908749f33b" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link href="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/uploads/themes/theme-7.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link href="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/dist/form-builder/5.0.0/wforms-jsonly.css?v=20484c23150f9374e828ae7e95c879908749f33b" rel="alternate stylesheet" title="This stylesheet activated by javascript" type="text/css" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/wForms/3.11/js/wforms.js?v=20484c23150f9374e828ae7e95c879908749f33b"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> wFORMS.behaviors.prefill.skip = false; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/wForms/3.11/js/localization-en_US.js?v=20484c23150f9374e828ae7e95c879908749f33b"></script>  <div class="wFormContainer" > <div class=""> <div class="wForm" id="526-WRPR" data-language="en_US" dir="ltr"> <div class="codesection" id="code-526"></div> <form method="post" action="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/api_v2/workflow/processor" class="hintsBelow labelsAbove" id="526"> <div class="oneField field-container-D " id="tfa_9-D"> <div aria-live="assertive"> <p class="marketo-signup__error"> Error: Please enter a valid email address. </p> </div> <p class="marketo-signup__input" data-module="label-float"> <label for="email-address"> Email Address </label> <input type="email" id="tfa_9" name="tfa_9" value="" data-marketo="email" > <button class="fat-button" type="submit" data-label="Submit" class="primaryAction" id="submit_button" value="Submit"> <span class="a11y-sr-only">Submit</span> </button> </p> <input type="hidden" id="tfa_10" name="tfa_10" value="Sub_Heart_Vascular" class=""><input type="hidden" id="tfa_12" name="tfa_12" value="AiM Sub Box" class=""> </div> <div style="clear:both"></div> <input type="hidden" value="526" name="tfa_dbFormId" id="tfa_dbFormId"> <input type="hidden" value="" name="tfa_dbResponseId" id="tfa_dbResponseId"> <input type="hidden" value="ef6d4cb40bdc8f1ec188e1cf0399daa6" name="tfa_dbControl" id="tfa_dbControl"> <input type="hidden" value="" name="tfa_dbWorkflowSessionUuid" id="tfa_dbWorkflowSessionUuid"> <input type="hidden" value="5" name="tfa_dbVersionId" id="tfa_dbVersionId"> <input type="hidden" value="" name="tfa_switchedoff" id="tfa_switchedoff"> </form> </div> </div> </div> <script id="open-telemetry-script" type="text/javascript" src="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/dist/open-telemetry/open-telemetry.152f594b0ae29ae89d4a.js" data-customer-id="1118" data-exporter-url="https://us-east-1-otel.formassembly.com/v1/traces" data-exporter-console="0" ></script> <script src="https://massgeneral.tfaforms.net/api_v2/sst/copy-and-paste"></script> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main>  <footer class="site-footer"> <div class="-padding--horizontal"> <nav aria-label="Footer links" class="content-container -width--wide -centered -padding--bottom"> <ul class="footer__nav" role="presentation"> <li> <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/about">About Mass General</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/about/support">Giving</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/news/">News</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/notices/terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a> </li> <li> <a href="/contact-us.aspx">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="content-container -width--wide -centered -padding--bottom"> <p class="u-text-centered"> <a class="footer__logo" href="http://www.massgeneral.org"> <img alt="MGH" src="/assets/images/logo-color.svg"> <span class="a11y-sr-only">Massachusetts General Hospital</span> </a> </p> <ul class="footer__social" role="presentation"> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/MassGeneralNews"> <svg width="19" height="15" xmlns=http://www.w3.org/2000/svg viewBox="0 0 18.81 17"><path d="m14.81,0h2.89l-6.3,7.2,7.41,9.8h-5.8l-4.55-5.94-5.2,5.94H.37l6.74-7.7L0,0h5.95l4.11,5.43L14.81,0Zm-1.01,15.28h1.6L5.08,1.63h-1.72l10.43,13.64Z"/></svg> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/massgeneral/"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="9" height="19"><path fill-rule="evenodd" fill="#007EA3" d="M0 6.284h1.929V4.373c0-.84.021-2.139.621-2.943C3.182.578 4.05 0 5.543 0 7.975 0 9 .353 9 .353l-.482 2.911s-.804-.237-1.554-.237-1.421.273-1.421 1.037V6.284h3.075l-.215 2.841h-2.86V19H1.929V9.125H0V6.284z"/></svg> </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MassGeneralHospital"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="23" height="17"><path fill-rule="evenodd" fill="#007EA3" d="M22.77 13.325s-.224 1.666-.914 2.399c-.875.963-1.855.968-2.305 1.024-3.218.244-8.051.252-8.051.252s-5.98-.057-7.82-.243c-.512-.101-1.661-.07-2.536-1.033-.69-.733-.914-2.399-.914-2.399S0 11.369 0 9.413V7.579c0-1.956.23-3.912.23-3.912s.224-1.665.914-2.399C2.019.306 2.999.301 3.448.244 6.667 0 11.495 0 11.495 0h.01s4.828 0 8.046.244c.45.057 1.43.062 2.305 1.024.69.734.914 2.399.914 2.399S23 5.623 23 7.579v1.834c0 1.956-.23 3.912-.23 3.912zm-8.519-4.481L9.124 5.246l.001 6.389 5.126-2.791zm-5.127-4v.358l5.887 3.228.328-.179-6.215-3.407z"/></svg> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/massachusetts-general-hospital"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18" height="18"><path fill-rule="evenodd" fill="#007EA3" d="M14.273 18v-5.846c0-1.396-.027-3.188-1.939-3.188-1.94 0-2.236 1.518-2.236 3.085V18H6.371V5.977h3.575v1.642h.052c.498-.945 1.715-1.941 3.53-1.941 3.775 0 4.472 2.49 4.472 5.728V18h-3.727zM2.164 4.333A2.164 2.164 0 0 1 0 2.166a2.164 2.164 0 1 1 4.327 0 2.166 2.166 0 0 1-2.163 2.167zM4.031 18H.296V5.977h3.735V18z"/></svg> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.doximity.com/pages/hospitals/ma/boston/massachusetts-general-hospital"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="17.583" height="18" viewBox="8.024 95.826 17.583 18"><g fill="#007EA3"><path d="M23.207 104.657c.034-.062.02-.115.02-.168v-5.142c0-.413.173-.586.58-.586h1.278c.34 0 .523.178.523.52v13.803c0 .332-.178.52-.51.52-.45.004-.9.004-1.353 0-.32 0-.513-.197-.513-.52v-1.368c-.062.03-.087.077-.115.12-.442.614-.965 1.138-1.632 1.498-.788.427-1.637.557-2.52.46-1.215-.13-2.232-.657-3.068-1.545-.725-.772-1.152-1.7-1.334-2.736-.207-1.147-.163-2.29.22-3.398.65-1.853 1.925-3.024 3.874-3.36 1.642-.288 3.058.197 4.176 1.464.13.134.245.283.374.437zm-3.216 7.137c1.13-.02 1.978-.47 2.597-1.334.658-.917.812-1.95.605-3.043-.302-1.58-1.59-2.81-3.35-2.698-.96.06-1.766.464-2.3 1.266-.9 1.354-.945 2.793-.182 4.214.557 1.047 1.494 1.566 2.63 1.594zM15.988 95.835c.355-.024.71.004 1.06.042.04.005.078.01.116.024.144.054.226.184.207.333-.023.144-.143.163-.258.173-.624.053-1.23.177-1.82.394-.993.365-1.885.902-2.71 1.555-1.1.864-2.056 1.862-2.81 3.048-.522.82-.93 1.69-1.118 2.65-.02.104-.033.215-.058.32-.024.107-.052.208-.187.227-.13.014-.265-.062-.317-.187-.053-.13-.053-.27-.058-.404-.058-1.244.12-2.45.605-3.6.33-.783.796-1.48 1.368-2.108 1.277-1.412 2.894-2.155 4.76-2.41.203-.03.41-.053.615-.062.202 0 .403.005.605.005zM11.342 105.18c.014-1.512.494-2.842 1.53-3.96.84-.907 1.883-1.44 3.083-1.69.687-.144 1.383-.168 2.08-.1l.104.013c.143.03.24.125.23.24-.015.148-.145.144-.25.163-.173.024-.35.04-.52.072-.916.178-1.727.586-2.48 1.124-.918.658-1.71 1.435-2.343 2.37-.485.716-.854 1.48-.984 2.344-.015.105-.024.23-.178.23-.14 0-.216-.09-.24-.26-.04-.176-.028-.364-.033-.546z"/></g></svg> </a> </li> </ul> <p class="footer__address"> <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/''/55+Fruit+St,+Boston,+MA+02114/@42.3631581,-71.0710274,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e370999524529b:0x10e737717f2daf80!2m2!1d-71.0688334!2d42.3631542" itemprop="address" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress"> <span itemprop="streetAddress">55 Fruit Street</span> <span itemprop="addressLocality">Boston</span>, <span itemprop="addressRegion">MA</span> <span itemprop="postalCode">02114</span> </a> <span class="footer__phone"> Phone: <a href="tel:6177262000" itemprop="telephone">617-726-2000</a> </span> </p> <p> Copyright © 2007-2024. The General Hospital Corporation. All Rights Reserved. </p> </div> </div> <div class="content-container -padding--horizontal -padding--vertical -background--grey"> <ul class="footer__partners -width--wide -centered" role="presentation"> <li> <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/education/about"> <img alt="Harvard teaching hospital logo" src="/assets/images/logo-hms.svg" width="170"> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/"> <img alt="Mass General Brigham logo" src="/assets/images/MassGeneralBrigham-grey.svg" width="200"> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/about/leadership"> <img alt="Physicians" src="/assets/images/logo-physicians.svg" width="177"> </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://protomag.com/"> <img alt="Proto Magazine Logo" src="/assets/images/logo-proto.svg" width="117"> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </footer> <script src="/assets/scripts/index.js"></script>  </body> </html>