Richard J. Kovacs, MD

Bio

A graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Cincinnati, School of Medicine, Dr. Kovacs completed an internship and residency at the Indiana University Medical Center. His fellowship training also was at Indiana University, where he served as chief fellow and chief medical resident.

He joined the full time faculty of the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1986 as Assistant Professor, subsequently serving as the medical director and CEO of Methodist Research Institute. He also served as senior clinical research physician at the Lilly Research Laboratories of Eli Lilly and Company. He returned full time to IU School of Medicine faculty in 2003.

Dr. Kovacs is a clinical cardiologist. He is the interim Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at IU School of Medicine and the Interim Director of the joint IU Health and IU School of Medicine Cardiovascular Institute.

At the IU School of Medicine, Dr. Kovacs has served as the Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Associate Director of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. He has served as the Chair of Institutional Review Board for the Biomedical Sciences and the Chair of the IRB Executive Committee.

He has served on the Joint ACC/AHA Taskforce on Practice Guidelines, the National Cardiovascular Data Registries Management Board, and the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium. He is a past member of the Board of Trustees for the American College of Cardiology, has chaired the ACC Board of Governors, and served as Secretary, Vice President, and President of the ACC. He was named Chief Medical Officer of the ACC in November 2021.

His research focuses on three clinical topics: quality and measurement of quality, drug safety and sports cardiology. He has published extensively on the pro-arrhythmic effects of non-antiarrhythmic drugs. He serves on data safety monitoring boards for numerous clinical trials, including the NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Collaborative.

Dr. Kovacs was a co-chair of the committee that revised the AHA/ACC Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive Athletes with Cardiovascular Abnormalities. He has served on many ACC committees, Chairing the Science and Quality Committee. He is a member of the ACC Sports and Cardiology Section and oversees the cardiovascular evaluations of players at the Annual National Football League Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.