News Highlights - August 25, 2026
Announcements
Voit Appointed to Ambulatory Services Leadership Role
Jessica Voit, M.D., has been appointed Associate Chief Medical Officer for Ambulatory Services, Regional Sites, a new senior physician leadership role created to advance operations and physician alignment across UT Southwestern Health System’s Ambulatory Services.
In this position, Dr. Voit will provide oversight of ambulatory clinical performance across regional campus practices and help support strategic initiatives focused on delivering high-quality, coordinated care throughout the health system.
Dr. Voit joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2018 as a member of the Division of Geriatric Medicine. In 2019, she founded the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), which she continues to direct, and also serves as Medical Director of the Mildred Wyatt & Ivor P. Wold Center for Geriatric Care.
Her leadership experience extends beyond clinical practice. Dr. Voit has served on several Ambulatory Services committees dedicated to improving patient access, optimizing provider workflows, and strengthening physician recruitment and retention efforts. She also has been recognized by UT Southwestern and professional medical organizations for her service and leadership.
In her new role, Dr. Voit will work closely with leaders across the health system to support operational excellence and enhance alignment among physicians and ambulatory care teams at regional sites. ■
Kudos
Kazi, Wingfield Elected to Southwestern Academy of Teachers
Salahuddin “Dino” Kazi, M.D., a Professor in the Division of Rheumatic Diseases and Vice Chair of Education, and Sarah Wingfield, M.D., an Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Director of the Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) Program, have been elected to the Southwestern Academy of Teachers (SWAT), in recognition of their sustained excellence and dedication as educators.
Dr. Kazi has served on the UT Southwestern faculty since 1995 and is widely recognized for his leadership in medical education.
Dr. Wingfield joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2016 and has served as an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency since 2021 and a mentor in the Academic Colleges Program for 10 years.
SWAT supports UT Southwestern’s educational mission by recognizing and promoting excellence in teaching, mentorship, educational leadership, curriculum development, and educational scholarship. Membership is awarded to faculty members who demonstrate sustained achievement in these areas and who contribute to advancing education across the institution. ■
Research Report
Tong to Receive AHA’s Sarver Prize
Dan (Amanda) Tong, M.D., Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology, has been selected to receive the 2026 Jack Sarver Prize in Basic Science from the American Heart Association (AHA). The award recognizes early- and midcareer independent cardiovascular researchers whose work exemplifies scientific excellence and advances the AHA’s mission to improve cardiovascular health. It will be presented in November at the AHA Scientific Sessions in Chicago, and includes an engraved plaque, a $3,500 honorarium, and $25,000 to further Dr. Tong’s research.
“Our team seeks to understand how metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes contribute to cardiovascular conditions like heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and atrial fibrillation,” Dr. Tong said. “Receiving the Jack Sarver Prize is a tremendous honor and an affirmation of our lab’s efforts to uncover the biological mechanisms driving these diseases so we can develop more effective, individualized approaches to patient care.”
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, and metabolic disorders are among its most significant risk factors. Dr. Tong’s laboratory focuses on cardiovascular conditions closely linked to metabolic disease, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Her team studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these conditions with the goal of translating those discoveries into new approaches for patient care.
“As a physician-scientist, I am motivated by the questions that arise from caring for patients whose cardiovascular disease is closely linked to underlying metabolic disorders,” Dr. Tong said. “Our team combines basic science and clinical insight to investigate the pathways that lead to heart disease, with the goal of translating those discoveries into strategies that improve outcomes for patients.”
Earlier this year, Dr. Tong received a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how a stretch-sensing protein in the heart may contribute to AF in patients with heart failure.
Dr. Tong received her medical degree from the Tongji Medical College in China and her doctorate from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She then completed internal medicine residency training at the University of Iowa, followed by cardiology fellowship training at UT Southwestern. ■