Véronique Roger, M.D., MPH, FACC, FAHA

The Laboratory of Heart Disease Phenomics, established in 2021, is dedicated to understanding the evolving burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) across populations and advancing precision risk prediction to reduce its impact on human health, in line with NHLBI's mission to advance scientific discovery, improve health, and save lives. Our research spans the full CVD continuum, from etiology to clinical outcomes, including morbidity and mortality.

Using surveillance epidemiology applied to large-scale, nationally representative datasets, we have characterized the prevalence and outcomes of CVD by person, time, and place. Heart disease mortality in the United States declined by more than 40% between 1980 and 2000; however, this decline has plateaued and, since 2015, reversed, driven in large part by increasing HF-related mortality. This trend indicates that the heart failure (HF) epidemic, recognized in 1997, remains unresolved and continues to offset broader progress in reducing CVD mortality. These findings underscore the need for renewed investigation into HF as a complex, syndromic condition, incorporating molecular approaches into epidemiologic and clinical research to characterize HF phenotypes, and inform prevention.

Harnessing data science and novel technologies to drive scientific discovery and precision health, we apply multi-omics approaches—including proteomics and targeted metabolomics—together with machine learning to identify factors that account for individual differences in HF pathobiology. This work has led to the discovery of novel molecular phenotypes that substantially improve risk prediction beyond conventional clinical measures, revealing biological subtypes that remain invisible to current diagnostic frameworks. Our overarching objective is to develop and optimize a molecularly grounded framework for precision risk prediction in HF—one that accounts for the disease's intersection with aging and multimorbidity—to advance mechanistic understanding of HF, address differences in HF burden across populations and communities, and enable the equitable translation of these discoveries into next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Our methodological approach reflects a broad commitment to innovation, harnessing data science and novel technologies, including machine learning and other advanced analytical methods, alongside molecular assays and rigorous epidemiologic study design. A key element of our approach is the application of electronic health records to epidemiologic research, drawing on multidisciplinary, longitudinal datasets from large numbers of "real-world" HF patients. We also maintain access to valuable biospecimen resources to support molecular analyses.

The laboratory is committed to fostering the training and mentoring of the next generation of scientists and physicians. We collaborate with investigators across the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research, other NIH institutes (including NCI and NIA), and national and international research partners.

Dr. Roger received her medical degree in 1986 from Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Minnesota in 1996. After training in cardiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, she joined the faculty in 1992 and became Professor of Medicine in 2002 and Professor of Epidemiology in 2006. At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Roger held several leadership positions, including Chair of the Department of Health Sciences Research and member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Board of Trustees.

Dr. Roger served on the NHLBI Advisory Council and the NHLBI Board of Scientific Counselors. She chaired the Epidemiology Council of the American Heart Association from 2018 to 2020 and was recognized as the American Heart Association Distinguished Investigator in 2019. She is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.

The unifying theme of Dr. Roger's work is the epidemiology of heart diseases and their occurrence and outcomes in populations. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Roger has deployed, directly and through collaborations, multidisciplinary methods including epidemiology, outcomes research, population surveillance, molecular assays, and the use of electronic health records in population research.