On August 17, 2019, Florida Heart Research Foundation named Dr. Monica Aggarwal as the “Stop Heart Disease” Researcher of the Year at the annual meeting of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology.
Monica Aggarwal, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor in the University of Florida’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Serving as the Director of Integrative Cardiology and Prevention at the University of Florida, Dr. Aggarwal focuses on promoting food as the foundation of healing and for its medicinal value. In her clinic she emphasizes plant-based nutrition and often performs multiple mind-body techniques with her patients, including yoga and meditation. She is also the Director of Medical Education for Cardiology where she directs education for medical residents and cardiology fellows with a focus on prevention, nutrition and lifestyle. In the hospital, she has multiple initiatives including developing a 100% plant-based menu for cardiac and vascular patients. She has recently conducted a study where she placed primary prevention patients through a one-week lifestyle-based immersion that focused on stress, education and nutrition. After one week, there were notable improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure, weight and quality of life. The lifestyle changes were sustainable at three months and that data will be presented this September at the European Society of Cardiology in Paris, France.
Funding from this award will be used to do the next stage of an immersion where she will evaluate the mechanism of why lifestyle changes improve cardiovascular parameters by assessing the microbiome, stress hormones and inflammatory markers. Dr. Aggarwal has published in major medical journals such as Journal of American College of Cardiology and American Journal of Medicine.
