Cincinnati (March 18, 2024) – Dean Kereiakes, MD, FACC, MSCAI, and Chairman of The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute, will be honored by the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association with The William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement. The distinction is the university’s highest alumni honor, recognizing individuals for the enormous impact they have made in their life’s work.
One of the most accomplished cardiologists in the country, Dr. Kereiakes holds undergraduate, medical and honorary degrees from the University of Cincinnati. He was Valedictorian of his 1978 graduating medical school class. Along with being Chairman of The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute, Kereiakes was the founder and first Medical Director of The Carl & Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education as well as a professor of clinical medicine at The Ohio State University. He’s authored more than 1,200 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, performed more than 30,000 heart procedures and has helped lead dozens of trials for FDA approval of novel medical devices and medications.
“This recognition from the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association is an incredible honor and a very humbling experience,” said Kereiakes. “The university has had a profound influence on my career both professionally and personally. This distinction represents the pinnacle of my career and one of the great highlights of my life. I am immensely proud to be an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati and a member of this great community.”
Each year, the UC Alumni Association (UCAA) honors a select few of its more than 340,000 alumni based on their career accomplishments and contributions to the university and community, recognizing them during Alumni Week festivities each spring.
“The list of recipients through the years is a remarkable array of Bearcats who have made this a better world, each in their own way,” said Jennifer Heisey, Chief Alumni Officer at the University of Cincinnati. “Dr. Kereiakes now rightly joins them. As one of the preeminent leaders in one of the most critical professions, he’s worthy of the UC Alumni Association’s Taft Medal on the merits of his accomplishments alone. Yet what makes him such a special honoree is the extraordinary human being he is – a renowned physician, researcher, academician and innovator, and also a great mentor, friend and source of inspiration. We’re enormously proud to bestow our top award upon him.”
The 18 honorees also will be depicted on a vibrant new mural to be painted on a building in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in April. Visit alumni.uc.edu/celebration to learn more including Alumni Celebration ticket details.
About The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For more than 130 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up for more than 1,300 physicians and more than 6,500 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region and named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2024. It is also a Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award recipient, which recognizes top-performing healthcare organizations that achieve the 95th percentile or above of performance in patient experience.