Dr. Steven Nissen, MD
UnclaimedCardiologist · Physician (MD)
Cleveland, OH
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Cardiologist and Chief Academic Officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic, who served as President of the American College of Cardiology in 2006-2007 and is known for research linking the diabetes drug Avandia to increased heart attack risk.
About Dr. Steven Nissen, MD
Updated Sep 21, 2026 · next review Dec 20, 2026Dr. Steven E. Nissen is a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan School of Medicine, completed his internal medicine training at UC Davis, and did his cardiology fellowship at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. He joined Cleveland Clinic in 1992 and has held several leadership roles there, including Vice-Chairman of Cardiology, Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine (2006-2019), and currently Chief Academic Officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, where he holds the Lewis and Patricia Dickey Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine.
He is board-certified in cardiology and served as President of the American College of Cardiology in 2006-2007. He received the Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Cardiology in 2011.
Dr. Nissen is best known for research that raised safety concerns about two widely used drugs. He is credited with early concerns about the pain reliever Vioxx (a COX-2 inhibitor), and in 2007 he published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) was linked to a 43% increase in heart attack risk. This research contributed to the FDA restricting Avandia's use and to its later withdrawal in Europe.
A biography from a professional cardiology organization states that Dr. Nissen has a longstanding policy of having pharmaceutical companies donate honoraria for his work with them directly to charity rather than paying him personally. Federal Open Payments records show industry payments associated with his name; these payments are common and legal for physicians who work with drug and device companies.
- Chief Academic Officer, Cleveland Clinic
- Dr. Nissen is Chief Academic Officer of the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic and holds the Lewis and Patricia Dickey Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine. my.clevelandclinic.org
- Former Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine
- He chaired the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic from 2006 to 2019. professional.diabetes.org
- Past President, American College of Cardiology
- He served as President of the American College of Cardiology from 2006 to 2007. cardiometabolichealth.org
- Board-certified cardiologist
- He is a board-certified cardiologist affiliated with Cleveland Clinic with more than 45 years in the medical field. healthgrades.com
- Avandia safety research
- His 2007 meta-analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine found rosiglitazone (Avandia) was linked to a 43% increase in heart attacks, leading to FDA restrictions and eventual withdrawal of the drug in Europe. ajmc.com
- Early Vioxx safety concerns
- He raised early concerns about the scientific integrity of COX-2 inhibitor medications, including Vioxx. en.wikipedia.org
- Simon Dack Award, 2011
- He received the Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology editorial board and the American College of Cardiology in 2011. my.clevelandclinic.org
- IVUS imaging research
- He produced the first intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images in humans in 1990 and has been a principal investigator on large IVUS atherosclerosis trials. en.wikipedia.org
- Training background
- He earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan School of Medicine, trained in internal medicine at UC Davis, and completed a cardiology fellowship at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. en.wikipedia.org
- Charity donation policy for industry fees
- A biography states he requires pharmaceutical companies he works with to donate related honoraria directly to charity rather than paying him personally. cardiometabolichealth.org
Worth knowing
- CMS Open Payments records show a total of $132,589.34 across 240 records from 2021-2025 associated with this name, with the largest amounts from Eli Lilly and Company ($110,268.60), followed by smaller amounts from Novartis entities and Amgen. Industry payments to physicians are common and legal, and may include research funding or other categories not detailed in available records. openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
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
$132,589
240 payments
| 2021 | $1,919 |
| 2022 | $18,390 |
| 2023 | $37,870 |
| 2024 | $72,452 |
| 2025 | $1,959 |
Top payers
- Eli Lilly and Company$110,269
- Novartis Pharma AG$9,568
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation$8,259
- NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION$2,018
- Amgen Inc.$1,785
Payment types
- Travel and Lodging$120,236
- Consulting Fee$7,385
- Food and Beverage$4,563
- Education$405
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: my.clevelandclinic.org · providers.clevelandclinic.org · doximity.com · en.wikipedia.org · healthgrades.com · familyheart.org · professional.diabetes.org · cardiometabolichealth.org. 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
9500 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, OH 44195-0001
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