NCVH Founder & Chairman

Craig Walker, MD
Cardiovascular Institute of the South
Houma, LA

Dr. Craig Walker completed his pre-medicine collegiate degree in two years and received the Pre-Medicine Award from Nicholls State University. He earned his doctorate from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. Dr. Walker continued his training with a cardiology fellowship at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans and a subsequent

Dr. Walker is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and interventional cardiology. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Cardiovascular Interventionists, the International College of Angiology, the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, the American College of Chest Physicians and the Council on Clinical Cardiology. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at LSU and Tulane Medical Schools. He is Clinical Editor of Vascular Disease Management and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Endovascular Therapy, Endovascular Today, Global Vascular Digest as well as many other vascular-based journals. Dr. Walker is on the Board of Directors of the Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society (OEIS). He has served as an associate director of multiple conferences throughout the US and the world. He is on the Scientific Board of Directors for many of the world’s largest peripheral interventional device companies.

In 1983, Dr. Walker returned to his home town of Houma, Louisiana to establish the Houma Heart Clinic. The clinic grew in size and number of locations therefore the name was changed to Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS), which has become a world-renowned practice with 17 locations, 65 cardiologists and 800+ team members throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. CIS has played a pivotal role in the clinical research and development of most new interventional technologies and Dr. Walker served as the Primary Investigator for many of these clinical trials. Dr. Walker has pioneered multiple new techniques of the treatment of PVD. He has trained more than 1,000 physicians via “hands-on” peripheral vascular training courses and many others via “observational” courses. Many of these physicians are now recognized as world leaders in PVD treatment. Dr Walker was an early advocate of advanced interventional treatment of peripheral arterial and venous disease, and the need for multidisciplinary cooperation to improve outcomes. He has had a deep-rooted focus on improving the diagnosis and treatment of all forms of PVD with specific focus on critical limb ischemia, amputation prevention, and establishing the link between PVD and increased cardiovascular mortality that may be improved by appropriate medical therapy.

Dr. Walker has received many accolades. In 1992, he was selected as one of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce’s Ten Outstanding Young Americans, and was the first native Louisianian to receive this honor. Dr. Walker was inducted into the first Nicholls State University Hall of Fame Class. He received the Honorary Doctorate of Nursing Practice Degree from the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and he was given a Honorary Doctorate from Nicholls State University. He was named a Health Care Hero by New Orleans City Business for his industry achievement and community involvement. Dr. Walker was presented with the James J. Buquet Jr. Award by the Terrebonne Foundation of Academic Excellence (TFAE) for his vision, accomplishments and service. He has received numerous awards from around the world for his teaching efforts. Dr. Walker is a medical inventor and has established numerous medical companies.

Dr. Walker is the author and co-author of more than 300 peer-reviewed medical articles and more than 30 book chapters. He is the co-author of “Something Old & Something New, Louisiana Cooking With a Change of Heart,” a heart-healthy cookbook developed in conjunction with internationally-renowned Chef John Folse.

Dr. Walker founded and is the chairman of New Cardiovascular Horizons. He established the conference to educate and train medical professionals on the latest techniques to treat coronary and peripheral vascular disease. From the beginning, this conference included multiple medical disciplines needed to ideally diagnose and treat PVD. It was the first conference to host a Critical Limb Ischemia Summit to address the challenges and improve therapy of CLI. In an effort to educate others on PVD, CLI and the relationship with cardiovascular diseases in general, Dr. Walker has created 18 regional Saturday conferences throughout the United States. These provide local updates on improvements in cardiovascular care as well as to stress the importance of peripheral, arterial, and venous disease diagnosis and treatment to primary care providers, interventionists, nurse practitioners, cath lab directors, and other allied health professionals. Dr. Walker’s advocacy has included extensive educational projects in China and Japan. He has performed live cases for major conferences throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and China. He has delivered thousands of presentations and lectures throughout the world to both lay and medical audiences. Improving the care of patients with peripheral vascular disease has been Dr Walker’s life-long mission.

About NCVH

NCVH is an educational nonprofit foundation focused on multidisciplinary accredited conferences to advance the field of cardiovascular care using endovascular technologies, pharmacotherapy treatments, peripheral interventions and amputation prevention techniques. 

With a goal to empower healthcare providers with knowledge of head-to-toe vascular treatments, NCVH strives to promote interdisciplinary teamwork and collaboration to address the continuum of patient care. Educational activities include an annual multi-day conference, fellows course and vein forum along with one-day regional meetings around the United States. 

Internationally, NCVH participates with focused educational sessions at various meetings in China and the United Arab Emirates. For a complete list of upcoming events, visit ncvh.org/meetings.