Dr Joaquin E. Cigarroa is the Division Head of Cardiology, a Professor of Medicine and the inaugural recipient of the endowed Judkins Professorship in the Division of Cardiology, Knight Cardiovascular Institute.

He graduated from Yale College, received his medical degree from Cornell Medical School and completed his residency, cardiology fellowship and interventional cardiology fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr Igor Palacios served as a mentor who stimulated Joaquin’s interest and subsequent career in interventional cardiology.

He served as faculty at UTSW from 1996-2005 where he was director of the cardiac catheterization laboratories and was mentored by Dr’s Richard Lange and David Hillis. In 2006, he moved to OHSU as Clinical Chief and then in 2017 became the Division Head of Cardiology.

He has been an active member of SCAI for over 20 years and has served as chair of the quality committee, inaugural chair of the DEI committee and the co-chair of the Government Relations Committee and this past year joined the Board of Trustees. Special acknowledgement to three individuals who were instrumental to introducing him to SCAI, including Dr Charlie Chambers, Dr Kenneth Rosenfield, and Dr Steven Bailey. In addition to the work with SCAI, he is an active member of both ACC and the AHA, having served on multiple committees, writing committees, and leadership roles.

With his experiences in scholarship and clinical trials, he has served as an associate editor and as of last year deputy editor of CCI. In addition, he has served on the FDA circulatory devices panel for over 10 years and is the incoming chair of the FDA circulatory devices panel beginning in July of 2022.

Joaquin is married to Carolyn and has three beautiful children, Gabriella Josefina, Olivia Maxine, and Emily Della who have been instrumental in supporting him in his career and family life. Finally, he wishes to acknowledge his parents, Joaquin and Barbara Cigarroa, who provided the lifelong support which enabled him to become a physician and emphasized the importance of community service.