Euan Ashley, MB ChB, DPhil, a physician-scientist who specializes in cardiovascular and genetics research and patient care, has been named chair of the Department of Medicine effective Sept. 18. 

Ashley, a professor of cardiovascular medicine, of genetics and of biomedical data science, founded the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease, the first such institution to bring specialized heart genetics experts together to provide coordinated care for people with genetic disorders of the heart and blood vessels. He is also a director of Catalyst, a Stanford Medicine program that supports inventors in developing and accelerating innovations to transform health. He also leads the Ashley Lab, which studies precision medicine, with a particular focus on the heart, the human genome, digital health and artificial intelligence. He has more than 350 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, and his scholarship has been foundational in medical genomics.

“Beyond his prolific research and active clinical presence, Dr. Ashley has proven to be an outstanding leader in aiding the development of others. Trainees and colleagues consistently praise his genuine interest in empowering them along their career journeys, and countless more who have benefited from his guidance have taken big strides along their own leadership paths at Stanford and peer institutions,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University.

Bonnie Maldonado, MD, the Taube Endowed Professor in Global Health and Infectious Diseases and a professor of pediatric infectious diseases and of epidemiology and population health, has served as interim chair of the department since August 2023.

“Dr. Ashley will steer the department forward with vision and a deep commitment to the department’s mission of cutting-edge research, clinical care and education,” Maldonado said. “I look forward to working with him through the transition.”

Connecting innovation, patient care

Ashley was born in Scotland and pursued his medical education at the University of Glasgow. He completed his medical residency and fellowship, as well as a doctorate in molecular cardiology, at the University of Oxford in England. He then moved to California for a cardiology fellowship at Stanford School of Medicine. He joined the Stanford Medicine faculty in 2006.

The Roger and Joelle Burnell Professor in Genomics and Precision Health, he led the first team to analyze and interpret a complete human genome in 2009 and, in 2021, led a team that sequenced a full human genome in just over five hours, which set a Guinness World Record. Human genome sequencing can aid physicians in making diagnoses and treatment plans, including in critical conditions where speed is of the essence. 

Ashley is a 2023 recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, which recognizes exceptional scholars in the arts and sciences who have demonstrated outstanding work and continued promise in their field. He maintains an active clinical practice and treats patients with a wide array of concerns, from inherited cardiovascular diseases to heart failure and rare and undiagnosed diseases.

Ashley said that, as chair, he’s excited to create new links between different divisions in the department. For instance, he hopes to better connect those who lead precision diagnostics, which harnesses a person’s genetics and advanced technologies to identify specifics of a patient’s disease, with those in precision therapeutics, who can use that information to hone treatment plans.

“There’s no more exciting place to explore the new frontier of medicine than Stanford Medicine,” Ashley said. “This department is unique in being able to combine the most cutting-edge science — whether in cell therapy, gene therapy or precision diagnostics — along with the central core of the human side of medicine. It’s the essence of what we do that comes together in the Department of Medicine, and I am tremendously excited at the opportunity to serve as chair. I look forward to working alongside the many faculty, staff and trainees to improve the lives of our patients here and everywhere.”