Dr. Laurence Sperling, MD
Not yet claimedCardiologist, Preventive cardiologist · Physician (MD)
Atlanta, GA · Telehealth in 1 state
Founder of Preventive Cardiology at the Emory Clinic and Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine. Founded Georgia's only LDL apheresis program and is a past president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology.
About Dr. Laurence Sperling, MD
Updated Sep 20, 2026 · next review Dec 19, 2026Dr. Laurence S. Sperling, MD is a cardiologist in Atlanta, Georgia, who focuses on preventive cardiology. He sees patients through Emory Healthcare and is affiliated with Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown (https://www.doximity.com/pub/laurence-sperling-md).
He did nearly all of his training at Emory. He was accepted into Emory University School of Medicine's Early Acceptance Program as a college sophomore, earned his MD in 1989, and then completed eight more years of training there, including an internal medicine residency, a chief resident year, an NIH-supported research fellowship in molecular and vascular medicine, and a clinical fellowship in cardiovascular diseases (https://providers.emoryhealthcare.org/provider/laurence-s-sperling/777032). He is board certified in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine and has about 37 years of experience (https://doctor.webmd.com/doctor/laurence-sperling-0a5b240b-8479-49ca-9665-f3947019140c-overview).
Beyond seeing patients, he holds the Katz Professorship in Preventive Cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine and is a professor of global health at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. He founded the Heart Disease Prevention Center at Emory and directed it from 1997 to 2019, and he served as executive director of the CDC/CMS Million Hearts Initiative from 2019 to 2024 (https://professional.heart.org/en/professional-membership/awards-and-lectures/lectures/council-named-lecturers/2025-council-named-lecturers/2025-william-b-kannel-md-memorial-lectureship-in-preventive-cardiology-lecturer). In January 2025 he was named Chief Medical Officer of the Family Heart Foundation (https://familyheart.org/dr-larry-sperling-appointed-as-chief-medical-officer).
Federal Open Payments records for 2021-2025 show $100 total across 2 records, all from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Payments from industry to doctors are common and legal, and this amount is very small.
- Preventive cardiology focus
- He is listed by Emory Healthcare under the specialties of cardiology and preventive cardiology in Atlanta, GA. providers.emoryhealthcare.org
- Trained entirely at Emory
- He earned his MD from Emory University School of Medicine in 1989 and completed internal medicine residency, a chief resident year, a research fellowship, and a cardiovascular disease fellowship at Emory. providers.emoryhealthcare.org
- Board certified areas
- He is described as a cardiovascular disease specialist and internal medicine physician with about 37 years of experience. doctor.webmd.com
- Hospital affiliations
- He is affiliated with Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta. healthgrades.com
- Named professorship
- He is the Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine and a professor of global health at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. professional.heart.org
- Founded prevention center
- He founded Emory's Heart Disease Prevention Center and directed it from 1997 to 2019. professional.heart.org
- Federal public health role
- He served as executive director of the CDC/CMS Million Hearts Initiative from 2019 to 2024. professional.heart.org
- Nonprofit medical officer
- He was appointed Chief Medical Officer of the Family Heart Foundation, announced January 28, 2025. familyheart.org
- Teaches other doctors
- He is listed as faculty for continuing medical education programs, including Pri-Med and the Cardiometabolic Health Congress. cardiometabolichealth.org
- Industry payments reported
- CMS Open Payments records for 2021-2025 show $100 total across 2 records, from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
Worth knowing
- His Emory Healthcare profile describes the Million Hearts executive director role as current, while another source describes that role as having run from 2019 to 2024. Patients who want the current status can ask the office. providers.emoryhealthcare.org
- No verified personal accounts on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, or Threads were found in the searches performed, so social media posts attributed to him elsewhere should be checked carefully. emoryhealthcare.org
- Some verification steps, including a state license database check and court records, were not completed for this profile. emoryhealthcare.org
Industry payments (CMS Open Payments)
Open the CMS recordFederal law requires drug and device companies to report what they pay clinicians: meals, travel, speaking, consulting, and research. Payments are common and legal; the point is that you can see them.
2021 to 2025
$100
2 payments
| 2021 | $50 |
| 2022 | $50 |
| 2023 | $0 |
| 2024 | $0 |
| 2025 | $0 |
Top payers
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$100
Payment types
- Food and Beverage$100
A word of caution about these numbers
A payment does not mean your doctor is compromised or acting unethically. Most of these entries are drug samples left for patients, or lunch brought in for the office staff, and the amounts are usually small. Research funding and speaking at medical meetings are also normal parts of a clinical career.
As a rough guide, a total under $15,000 a year is usually not a concern. Much larger sums, especially from one company whose product your doctor recommends to you, are worth asking about. You are allowed to ask.
Sources: emoryhealthcare.org · providers.emoryhealthcare.org · providers.emoryhealthcare.org · sph.emory.edu · news.emory.edu · acc.org · doximity.com · pri-med.com. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Summary prepared with AI assistance from the public sources linked above, reviewed every three months. It is not a review, a rating, or an endorsement.
Practice location
Emory Heart & Vascular Center at Executive Park
57 Executive Park South NE, Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30329
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