The American Heart Association has named Dr. David McManus president-elect of its Board of Directors in central Massachusetts.
Dr. McManus is a cardiologist and clinician scientist at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. His research focuses on the world’s most common heart rhythm abnormality – atrial fibrillation.
He is currently working on developing new technologies to aid in early detection of AFib, as well a better understanding of the role genetics play in determining people’s vulnerability to AFib.
Dr. McManus will succeed current board president Dr. Brian Silver, the interim chair of the Department of Neurology at UMass Memorial Medical Center, on July 1, 2022, and will serve a two-year term. As board president, he will be a regional leader in helping the AHA advance cardiovascular health for all, including identifying and removing barriers to health care access and quality.
Brian Shankey, the American Heart Association’s executive director in central Massachusetts, said McManus is passionate about his work and truly cares about the health of the community.
“We are fortunate to have Dr. McManus agree to serve with us and will benefit from his medical expertise alongside the other medical professionals on our board,” said Shankey.
Dr. McManus has been voted a “Top Doc” in Worcester Magazine, and he was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. In 2021, he was awarded the Heart of Gold award at the central Massachusetts Heart and Stroke Ball, which is given annually to volunteers that have made an extraordinary impact on the health of the region.
McManus is a 2002 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of California San Francisco and then returned to UMass, where he completed a cardiovascular medicine fellowship and a clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship. In 2012, he earned a master’s degree in clinical investigation from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.