Vera A Bittner MD

Nuclear Cardiology, Preventive Cardiology, Exercise Physiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Cardiac Critical Care

Professor, Medicine, University of Alabama School of Medicine

2000 6th Ave SBirmingham, AL 35233
Phone+1 205-934-9999

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Summary

Section Head, Preventive Cardiology

Education & Training

University of Alabama Hospital (Birmingham)Fellowship, Cardiovascular Disease, 1984 - 1987
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical CenterResidency, Internal Medicine, 1981 - 1984
University of South Alabama College of MedicineClass of 1981

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Certifications & Licensure

AL State Medical License 1984 - 2026
American Board of Internal Medicine Internal Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine Cardiovascular Disease

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

CMS Meaningful Use Stage 2 Certification FairWarning® Patient Privacy Monitoring, FairWarning Technologies, LLC, 2012, 2014, 2016-2017
CMS Meaningful Use Stage 2 Certification HealthSentry, Cerner Corporation, 2012, 2014, 2016-2017
CMS Meaningful Use Stage 2 Certification HealtheLife and PowerChart, Cerner Corporation, 2012, 2014, 2016-2017

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Primary Prevention of Dyslipidemia: 10 Practice-Changing Takeaways from the 2026 ACC/AHA Multisociety Guideline.
Dmitry Abramov, Abdul Mannan Khan Minhas, Michael D Shapiro, Vera A Bittner, LaPrincess C Brewer
Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2026-06-15
Lipoprotein(a)-associated proteomic signature predicts cardiovascular disease in young adults.
Sascha N Goonewardena, Shanshan Yao, Tomasz Jurga, Lanyue Zhang, Donald Lloyd-Jones
The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2026-06-15
Small, dense LDL-C as a predictor of cardiovascular risk and benefit of alirocumab in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome receiving optimized statin treatment.
Gregory G Schwartz, Michael Szarek, Christa M Cobbaert, L Renee Ruhaak, Markus Schwertfeger
American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2026-06-01

Journal Articles

Original Investigations Alirocumab Reduces Total Nonfatal Cardiovascular and Fatal Events in the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES Trial
Vera Bittner, MD, ScienceDirect
Alirocumab and Cardiovascular Outcomes After Acute Coronary Syndrome
Vera A Bittner, Kenneth W Mahaffey, Deepak L Bhatt, Robert A Harrington, Gregory G Schwartz, Matthew T Roe, The New England Journal of Medicine
Do Not Smoke, Eat Healthy, and Exercise
Vera Bittner, MD, JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging

Lectures

Lipoprotein(a) Lowering by Alirocumab Contributes to Total Events Reduction Independent of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES Trial
2019 ACC Scientific Session & Expo, New Orleans - 3/18/2019
Late-Breaking Clinical Trials
2019 ACC Scientific Session & Expo, New Orleans - 3/18/2019
Hypertension Management Hypercharged: The Devil is in the Details
2019 ACC Scientific Session & Expo, New Orleans - 3/16/2019

Authored Content

Do Not Smoke, Eat Healthy, and ExerciseNovember 2018
Sex Differences in High-Intensity Statin Use Following Myocardial Infarction in the United StatesApril 2018
Sex Differences in High-Intensity Statin Use Following Myocardial Infarction in the United StatesApril 2018

Press Mentions

UAB Heart Failure Clinic Recognized Nationally for Its ExcellenceOctober 21st, 2025
HRTSA Clinic Recognized NationallyOctober 7th, 2025
UAB Cardiovascular Institute Earns Top Heart Failure Care AwardOctober 6th, 2025