Dr. Salim Yusuf, MBBS, DPhil, FRCPC, FRSC, OC

Salim Yusuf, MBBS, DPhil, FRCPC, FRSC, OC, is a cardiologist and global cardiovascular epidemiologist affiliated with McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, specialising in global cardiovascular epidemiology and large scale clinical trials. He is appointed as Distinguished University Professor of Medicine and Senior Scientist at the Population Health Research Institute.

He stepped down as Executive Director of the Population Health Research Institute on 30 June 2024 after founding and leading it for three decades, and continues as Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Senior Scientist. He was appointed officer of the Order of Canada.

A clinician scientist in cardiology is medically qualified and trained in cardiology, and spends most of the working week on research rather than on clinics. The output is evidence: trials, cohort studies and the guidelines built from them. Dr. Salim Yusuf works in global cardiovascular epidemiology and large scale clinical trials.

Who Dr. Salim Yusuf Is

• Full Name And Credentials: Salim Yusuf, MBBS, DPhil, FRCPC, FRSC, OC
• Profession: Cardiologist and global cardiovascular epidemiologist
• Field Of Focus: Global cardiovascular epidemiology and large scale clinical trials
• Current Position: Distinguished University Professor of Medicine and Senior Scientist at the Population Health Research Institute
• Institution: McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute
• Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Sees Patients: Not in routine outpatient clinics; works mainly in research and leadership
• Previous Appointments: Stepped down as Executive Director of the Population Health Research Institute on 30 June 2024 after founding and leading it for three decades, and continues as Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Senior Scientist

Qualification Record For Dr. Salim Yusuf

The qualifications below are drawn from the institutional, professional body and publisher sources listed at the end of this profile.

• Medical Degree: MBBS, St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India
• Doctorate: DPhil in clinical medicine, University of Oxford, 1976
• Training: Clinical training in medicine and cardiology in the United Kingdom

Where Dr. Salim Yusuf Concentrates Professionally

Published professional sources describe the work of Dr. Salim Yusuf as centred on:

• Prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease worldwide
• Large international randomised trials
• Social, biological and genetic determinants of population health
• Affordable and widely practical therapies, including the polypill
• Cardiovascular disease in low and middle income countries

Academic And Clinical Leadership Of Dr. Salim Yusuf

• Founded the Population Health Research Institute, which grew from three staff to nearly four hundred and has run more than fifty studies across more than one hundred countries
• Joined McMaster University in 1992 as Director of the Division of Cardiology
• Holder of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and Marion W. Burke Chair in Cardiovascular Disease
• Former Vice President of Research and Chief Scientific Officer at Hamilton Health Sciences
• Past President of the World Heart Federation
• Led the PURE study, which has followed hundreds of thousands of people across more than twenty countries
• Worked at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda from 1984, where he helped lead the SOLVD and DIG trials
• Longstanding visiting professor at St John’s Medical College in India, where he helped establish a national clinical research network
• Senior Scientist of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 1999 to 2004

Honours Received By Dr. Salim Yusuf

• Officer of the Order of Canada
• Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, 2014
• Inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
• Gold Medal of the European Society of Cardiology, 2008
• Clinical Research Award, American Heart Association, 2008
• McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of Canada for distinguished achievement in the medical sciences
• Paul Wood Silver Medal, British Cardiovascular Society
• Lifetime Research Achievement awards from the World Heart Federation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society
• Louis and Artur Lucian Award for Cardiovascular Research
• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2005
• Author of more than 1,200 refereed articles and among the most cited researchers in the world

Dr. Salim Yusuf Appointments By Location

McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This is primarily an academic and research base rather than a general outpatient clinic. Enquiries about research, teaching or media are handled by the institution rather than by this directory.

About Global Cardiovascular Epidemiology As A Field

Most cardiovascular disease now occurs in low and middle income countries, and much of it in people younger than in high income populations. Global cardiovascular research studies that shift directly, following hundreds of thousands of people across dozens of countries to establish which risk factors matter most where, and testing treatments that are affordable and practical at scale. The findings matter everywhere, because advice developed in one population does not automatically hold in another with different diets, incomes and health systems.

Related Profiles In Global Cardiovascular Epidemiology

If you are comparing specialists, these profiles cover closely related areas of cardiology:

• Dr. Sonia Anand, vascular medicine and population health at McMaster University, the Population Health Research Institute and Hamilton Health Sciences
• Dr. Clara Chow, cardiovascular prevention and digital health at University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital and the Western Sydney Local Health District
• Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, preventive cardiology and public health at Public Health Foundation of India
• Dr. Karen Sliwa, heart disease in pregnancy at University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital and UCT Private Academic Hospital

Browse the full cardiologist directory for more heart specialists.

Reaching The Team Of Dr. Salim Yusuf

This specialist does not run routine outpatient clinics. Dr. Salim Yusuf works mainly in research, clinical trials, teaching and professional leadership. He trained in medicine and cardiology in the United Kingdom and has worked for more than three decades as a clinical trialist and population health scientist. Research, teaching and media enquiries go to McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute directly. If you are looking for an appointment, ask your own doctor for a referral to a practising cardiologist, or use the enquiry button on this page and we will point you towards one in the directory.

Dr. Salim Yusuf Frequently Asked Questions

What does Dr. Salim Yusuf specialise in?

Dr. Salim Yusuf is a cardiologist and global cardiovascular epidemiologist whose work centres on global cardiovascular epidemiology and large scale clinical trials. Particular areas of focus include prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease worldwide; and large international randomised trials.

Where is Dr. Salim Yusuf based?

Dr. Salim Yusuf works at McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Does Dr. Salim Yusuf see patients?

Not in a routine consulting capacity. Dr. Salim Yusuf works mainly in research, trials, teaching and professional leadership rather than general outpatient clinics. For an appointment, ask your own doctor for a referral to a practising cardiologist.

What did Dr. Salim Yusuf study?

MBBS, St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India. Full training details appear in the education section above.

What are the qualifications of Dr. Salim Yusuf?

Salim Yusuf, MBBS, DPhil, FRCPC, FRSC, OC. Full credentials are listed above.

What position does Dr. Salim Yusuf hold?

Dr. Salim Yusuf is Distinguished University Professor of Medicine and Senior Scientist at the Population Health Research Institute, based at McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute.

Citations And Further Reading On Dr. Salim Yusuf

• Population Health Research Institute announcement
• St John’s College, University of Oxford
• Hamilton Health Sciences

Profile Verification And Review Date For Dr. Salim Yusuf

This profile was compiled from the public professional sources listed above, including university faculty pages, professional register and society records, journal author statements and publisher biographies. Qualifications, appointments and awards were checked against at least two independent sources where available. Last reviewed on 30 October 2026.

Update note: Stepped down as Executive Director of the Population Health Research Institute on 30 June 2024 after founding and leading it for three decades, and continues as Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Senior Scientist.

Found something out of date? Contact the Find MD Health editorial team and we will review the entry.

Health Information Disclaimer For The Dr. Salim Yusuf Profile

Information only, not medical advice, and not a listing for appointments. For individual care, see your own doctor. Severe or sudden chest pain is a medical emergency.