Johanna Contreras, MD

Dr. Johanna Paola Contreras is a cardiologist, heart failure and cardiomyopathy specialist, transplant cardiologist, and clinical investigator at the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital. She serves as Director of the Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Clinical and Research Network, leading efforts to integrate specialized clinical care, research, and access to innovative therapies and clinical trials across the Mount Sinai Health System. She is also Medical Director of the Hispanic Heart Center and an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Born and educated in Colombia, Dr. Contreras received her medical degree from the Universidad Industrial de Santander. She subsequently pursued research training at Harvard University and completed her Internal Medicine residency, Cardiovascular Medicine fellowship, and advanced fellowship in Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at Tufts University, followed by additional research training at Harvard Medical School in exercise physiology.
Dr. Contreras joined Mount Sinai in 2011 and has developed a large referral practice caring for patients with complex cardiovascular disease. Her clinical expertise encompasses heart failure and cardiomyopathies, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac amyloidosis, advanced heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and cardiac transplantation, as well as cardiovascular disease affecting women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. She previously served as Director of Heart Failure at Mount Sinai St. Luke's/Morningside and Mount Sinai West and continues to care for patients across the full spectrum of heart failure and cardiomyopathy, from early diagnosis and genetic and phenotypic evaluation to advanced therapies and transplantation.
As a clinical investigator, Dr. Contreras has built and expanded cardiovascular research programs across Mount Sinai, providing patients access to novel medications, cardiovascular devices, and Phase I–III clinical trials. Her work emphasizes implementation science and the translation of research into clinical practice. A major focus of her research is expanding access to clinical trials for women and populations historically underrepresented in cardiovascular research, including through community-based and decentralized research strategies.
Dr. Contreras has dedicated much of her career to improving cardiovascular health in Hispanic/Latino communities. As Medical Director of the Hispanic Heart Center, she leads a multidisciplinary approach integrating culturally responsive cardiovascular care, prevention, clinical research, education, and community engagement. She is also a founder and leader of Corazón de Mamá, an international maternal cardiovascular health initiative that has expanded across 27 countries to promote cardiovascular health before, during, and after pregnancy.
Her national and international leadership includes serving as Vice President of the InterAmerican Society of Cardiology, membership on the American Heart Association International and Community Engagement Committees, and founding leadership of the National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative and Women in Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support. She is deeply committed to education and mentorship and has helped expand opportunities for physicians and trainees from the United States and Latin America to participate in cardiovascular research, education, and advanced clinical training.
Dr. Contreras' contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the American Heart Association Ron Haddock International Impact Award, the AHA Advancing Equitable Health Award, and the Career Achievement Award from the Colombian Society of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery. She has also been recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in New York and a Castle Connolly Top Hispanic/Latino Doctor.

Throughout her career, Dr. Contreras has focused on bringing together specialized cardiovascular care, innovation, clinical research, and community engagement to improve outcomes and expand access to advanced therapies for patients with heart failure and cardiomyopathies locally, nationally, and globally.