Gladys P Velarde, M.D.

Gladys P. Velarde, M.D., FACC, FAHA, is a University of Florida professor of medicine and a board-certified cardiologist at UF Health Jacksonville, where she also serves as the medical director of the UF Health Women’s Cardiovascular Program.

Dr. Velarde earned both her bachelor’s and medical degrees from New York University. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and her cardiovascular disease fellowship at Boston University and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She brings unparalleled enthusiasm to the practice of medicine and demonstrates a steadfast commitment to reducing ethnic, racial, and sex disparities in cardiovascular health. She is deeply passionate about medical education and has mentored numerous students, residents, and fellows who have gone on to successful careers in medicine and cardiovascular medicine across the United States. Dr. Velarde is a fellow of both the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). She has held multiple leadership roles including elected membership in the ACC Prevention Council, past chair of the ACC Disparities Working Group, elected member of the ACC Women in Cardiology Leadership Council, past chair of the Education Committee of the Florida Chapter of the ACC, and current member of the ACC Diversity and Equity Leadership Committee. At the AHA, she previously served on the Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Prevention in Special Populations Committee and now serves as Vice Chair of the National Latino Hispanic Cardiovascular Collaborative where she is one of the founding members. She is also co-chair of the National Minority Cardiovascular Health Alliance and has served on the steering committee of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Hispanic Medical Association Leadership Award, the Women of Distinction Award from the American Heart Association, the Pinney Cook Community Service Award, Health Care Hero by the Jacksonville Business Journal, the Gifted Teacher Award from the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, the Women of Heart Award from Volunteers in Medicine – Jacksonville, and repeated recognition as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and Top Cardiologist in Jacksonville. She is the editor of the comprehensive textbook Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Women, a collaboration between the divisions of cardiology at the University of Rochester and the University of Florida – Jacksonville. Dr. Velarde has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and her efforts to advance education, health equity, and advocacy—especially for women and minority populations—have been highlighted in both local and national media.

Significant cardiovascular health disparities still exist in women and disadvantaged ethnic minorities. This continues to fuel Dr. Velarde’s clinical research interests. Her clinical research has consistently focused on understanding gender and ethnic/racial differences in cardiovascular risk factors and how these may impact diagnosis, treatment and health outcomes. Dr. Velarde has served as Principal Investigator for seven IRB-approved clinical studies and sub-investigator with four research studies. Her efforts have centered on understanding biological markers in cardiometabolic risk in women and ethnic groups with high prevalence risk and or disease. The metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in women of all ethnicities and represents a constellation of pre-adverse-conditions (pre-hypertension, pre-diabetes, central obesity and mild dyslipidemia among others). These ‘pre’ conditions often silently co-exist in patients and can go undetected for years. Current guidelines do not call for specific treatment of the syndrome, as the literature is mixed and controversial.