While many of the nation’s emergency rooms remain overwhelmed by patients struggling with heart complications, a different kind of flood is occurring at the University of Louisville. Here, physicians are being submerged in a new wave of proactive curiosity. Instead of the traditional plea, “What is wrong with me?” but “What can I do now to prevent a heart attack?”  

For Kim Williams, chair of the Department of Medicine and cardiologist with UofL Health,that shift reflects years of intentional work to move cardiovascular care from reaction to prevention. 

Growing up in communities where health disparities were visible and preventative care was scarce; Williams developed an early and enduring commitment to medical equity. Those early observations became the inspiration for a lifelong mission: to transform healthcare from a system centered on treating disease to one dedicated to preventing it. 

At UofL, Williams has strengthened the institution’s dual commitment to health equity and prevention. He has been instrumental in developing programs such as H.E.A.R.T. (Helping Everyone Address Risk Today), a community-based initiative that provides community members with no-cost screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose. By bringing care directly into neighborhoods, the program lowers barriers and creates earlier entry points into the health care system. 

With over 2,000 community members screened, including 750 in 2025 alone, the H.E.A.R.T. program has provided critical preventative care to individuals who might otherwise have gone years without seeing a physician. Participants receive educationalresources, referrals to cardiovascular specialists and sustainable lifestyle guidance. As Williams explains, “By embedding screening and education within neighborhoods and emphasizing practical, affordable lifestyle approaches, we reduce barriers and create earlier entry points into care.” 

That approach is reshaping conversations in exam rooms. Williams has observed a growing eagerness among patients to understand their diagnostic results and take action before a catastrophic health event occurs. “There is growing awareness that daily habits — nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress management — profoundly influence cardiovascular outcomes,” Williams said. 

This work extends beyond any one physician. Students, clinicians and community partners across the city have joined in a shared commitment to improving heart health outcomes. Collectively, they are helping build a culture where prevention is not an afterthought, but a priority.  

These revolutionary shifts aren't just staying in Louisville; cities across the nation are joining this preventive movement as technology advances and early detection tools become more accessible. Williams is working to ensure that Louisville serves as a national model for how academic medicine partners with its community, not just to treat heart disease, but to prevent it.  

For Williams, his mission remains clear: “Matters of the heart are not only clinical. They are communal.”