Jeffrey A Towbin, MD is a world-renowned physician scientist in the area of pediatric cardiomyopathies, heart failure and heart transplantation. He has co-authored more than 475 publications in high-impact journals, served as a principal mentor for multiple K-Grant-funded trainees and has been a member of multiple T32 training grants. In 2007, he received the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Distinguished Scientist (Basic Science) Award, and in 2013, he was awarded the American Heart Association’s Basic Research Prize. Dr Towbin pioneered the concept of pathway-focused candidate gene analysis using his “final common pathway hypothesis,” and calls his work in understanding how heart muscle turns into heart muscle disease, or cardiomyopathy, his most important research work to date. He is currently an Executive Co-Director of Le Bonheur Heart Institute, Chief, Pediatric Cardiology, St. Jude Professor and Chair of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Research, Vice Chair of Pediatrics for Strategy Advancement University of Tennessee Health Science Center,St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.