URMC Heart Failure Expert 1st to Earn Prestigious Certification

University of Rochester Medical Center cardiologist Leway Chen, M.D., M.P.H., is the area’s first physician to earn certification in advanced heart failure and transplantation from the American Board of Internal Medicine.

According to extensive scientific research, caring for people with advanced heart failure requires specialized knowledge and skills to ensure optimal outcomes. The ABIM certification comes after a rigorous review, which includes a detailed assessment of each cardiologist’s skills, ethical behavior and commitment to continuous education and improvement.

Chen leads the URMCProgram in Heart Failure and Transplantation, which has performed more than 140 heart transplants and is among the top centers in the nation for the use of ventricular assist devices (VADs.) He joined the Medical Center in 1999 and has helped establish and build the only heart transplant program in upstate New York. 

He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and American College of Physicians. He serves on the Board of Governors for the American College of Cardiology and is president-elect of the New York Cardiological Society and the ACC’s New York Chapter.

Chen is also a member of the American Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America and the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation. He has chaired a number of professional conference sessions and serves as secretary of the New York Cardiothoracic Transplant Consortium.