Dr. Noel Bairey Merz is the Irwin and Sheila Allen Chair in Women’s Heart Research and director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center, the Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program, the Erika J. Glazer Women’s Heart Research Initiative and the Preventive Cardiac Center at Cedars-Sinai’s Smidt Heart Institute. Bairey Merz earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and her medical degree from Harvard University. She completed her residency at the University of California, San Francisco, where she served as chief medical resident before completing fellowships in clinical cardiology and nuclear cardiology at Cedars-Sinai. A lecturer and member of many professional organizations, Bairey Merz has received numerous investigational grants and chairs the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Women’s Ischemic Syndrome Evaluation initiative, investigating potential methods for more effective diagnosis and evaluation of ischemic heart disease in women. Bairey Merz’ extensive scientific publication record spans 425-plus scientific papers and more than 315 abstracts.