James H. Stein, MD, is the Robert Turell Professor of Cardiovascular Research in the Department of Medicine. He is the director of the UW Atherosclerosis Imaging Research Program and was director of the UW Health Preventive Cardiology Program for 21 years, from 2004 to 2025.
Dr. Stein has received several awards for excellence in teaching from medical students and residents at the University of Chicago Medical Center and University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, as well as the American College of Cardiology W. Proctor Harvey Young Teacher Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has been named one of Madison's “Top Docs“ in Cardiology by Madison Magazine several times since 2000, and one of Castle Connelly’s "Best Doctors in America" every year since 2009. He was previously named one of the 20 best cardiologists in America by Men's Health magazine and one of the 20 best cardiologists in America by Women's Health magazine. In 2013, he received the UW Hospital and Clinics Presidential Physician Leadership Award. In 2015, he won the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Dean’s Teaching Award. He was the inaugural DOM Vice Chair for Faculty Development from 2020-2024 and received the inaugural Faculty Mentorship Award from the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) in 2024. In 2025, he received the UW Health Physician Excellence Award in Clinical Practice.
Dr. Stein is active in UW faculty governance and chaired the UW Biological Sciences Divisional Committee from 2020-2021. He was a member of the UW Divisional Committee Review Council from 2021-2022 and the UW University Committee from 2024-2025. He currently serves on the UW Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities.
Dr. Stein’s clinical interests include preventive cardiology and management of dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease risk.
View Dr. James Stein’s publications on NCBI My Bibliography
Dr. Stein’s research interests include ultrasound assessment of atherosclerosis, arterial injury, and arterial function, particularly in young and middle-aged adults at risk for cardiovascular disease, as well as cardiovascular epidemiology and clinical trials in preventive cardiology. His specific interests include arterial wall tissue characterization using ultrasound and characterization of arterial injury in individuals who smoke cigarettes or use electronic nicotine delivery systems (“vaping”).