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Research
Mayo Clinic remembers Dr. Amir Lerman, visionary cardiovascular researcher
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Amir Lerman, M.D., a cardiovascular physician-scientist, mentor, research leader and active Mayo Clinic staff member, passed away Feb. 23 at age 69. During his nearly 40 years at Mayo Clinic, he became one of the world’s foremost authorities on microvascular function and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Lerman earned his doctor of science degree and M.D. in Israel before joining Mayo Clinic in 1987 as a resident. His research reshaped the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of vascular injury and ischemic heart disease. Focusing on early detection, he and his teams developed novel diagnostic tests, imaging and regenerative therapies to treat and cure patients with these conditions around the world.
Distinguished career of innovation
Dr. Lerman established essential cardiovascular infrastructure at Mayo, including the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Research Center and coronary physiology and imaging, among many others. Under his direction, the Mayo Clinic Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory pioneered in vivo testing protocols for endothelial and microvascular function that became best practices worldwide.
A Barbara Woodward Lips Professor of Medicine, Dr. Lerman authored nearly 1,000 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited more than 69,000 times, making him among the most influential cardiovascular investigators in the world. He served as vice chair for research in the Mayo Clinic Department of Cardiovascular Medicine from 2012 to 2024, held several patents and maintained continuous National Institutes of Health funding along with support from the American Heart Association and many other sources.
In 2023, Dr. Lerman was part of the Mayo AI-ECG team, which applies artificial intelligence to electrocardiogram workflows, that received the Mayo Clinic Research shield's Team Science Award for pioneering the use of deep neural networks to detect cardiovascular disease from standard electrocardiograms. In 2024, he was named a Distinguished Mayo Clinic Investigator — Mayo Clinic's highest honor for researchers, recognizing sustained scholarship, creative achievement and excellence in leadership and mentorship.
Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees and Board of Governors member Charanjit Rihal, M.D., a cardiovascular medicine consultant, nominated Dr. Lerman for the award. "It is remarkable that people from numerous countries flock to his laboratory; it takes a special individual to bridge potential geopolitical divides in the interest of our patients, science, mentees and Mayo Clinic," Dr. Rihal wrote in his 2024 nomination letter.
Dr. Rihal says Dr. Lerman's loss will be felt not only among his colleagues, patients and the Mayo Clinic community, but by the field of cardiovascular research and treatment.
"Dr. Lerman touched so many lives in so many ways," Dr. Rihal says. "He fostered innovation through internal grants, AI initiatives, faculty development programs and novel models of philanthropic and corporate partnership. He led his mentees to leadership positions around the world, particularly in his native Israel, encouraging them to keep their focus always on the patients whose lives they could improve."
Values and an enduring legacy
Paul Friedman, M.D., chair of the Mayo Clinic Department of Cardiology, says Dr. Lerman embodied Mayo Clinic’s values in his daily work and in his relationships with patients, trainees and peers.
"Dr. Lerman was an exceptional physician, scientist, leader, builder, innovator and creative thinker. The programs he built, the science he advanced and the leaders he inspired stand as a durable legacy," says Dr. Friedman. "Through those he mentored and the patients who benefit from his discoveries, Dr. Lerman’s influence on cardiovascular medicine will endure for generations."
