Dr. Jaime Burkle

As he was starting medical school, Dr. Burkle’s sister underwent open-heart surgery—an experience he says solidified his conviction to pursue cardiology and work to prevent heart problems in other people.

Today Dr. Burkle sees it as his mission to use leading-edge science and imaging to help prolong patients’ lives and improve the quality of their lives. To that end, he holds six board certifications, including Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases, Nuclear Cardiology, Comprehensive Echocardiography, Vascular Ultrasound, and Clinical Lipidology. “To be a good cardiologist, you must first be a good internist,” he says. “That way, you will evaluate your patients in a global way and not focus on just one organ but rather all 11 organ systems of the body.”

Dr. Burkle received his medical degree from La Salle University Medical School in Mexico City and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. He also completed an Advanced Echocardiography Training at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Burkle has spent much of his medical career in Georgia, first joining the Atlanta Cardiology Group, the largest private cardiology practice in Atlanta, and later helping to found the Piedmont Heart Institute, which grew into one of the largest private practices in the Southeastern United States, with more than 150 cardiologists. Dr. Burkle also served as Medical Director of the Piedmont Executive Health Program and established a reputation as the go-to cardiologist for Fortune 500 CEOs, NFL players, and NBA players in the greater Atlanta area. More recently, Dr. Burkle became the Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Prevention, Metabolism, and Lipids at the Georgia Heart Institute.

As a physician, Dr. Burkle combines his passions for preventive medicine, executive health, and innovative science and research. He loves incorporating the newest technologies, treatments, and diagnostics into the care he provides, from
intravenous infusions to subcutaneous injections to the latest developments in lipid-lowering therapies. Dr. Burkle works with patients to develop individualized lifestyle and treatment plans, equipping them with the education and tools to mitigate their risk of cardiovascular disease.

“I particularly like focusing on the patient who is at risk of developing heart disease but does not yet have heart disease, and tackling the underlying risk factors—specifically cholesterol problems, blood pressure, and obesity and metabolic disorders,” Dr. Burkle says.

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Burkle is deeply involved in teaching and mentorship. He has served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Augusta University and the University of Georgia, overseeing cardiology rotations for medical students and training cardiovascular fellows at the Georgia Heart Institute, which has the second-largest training program in the state of Georgia.

Dr. Burkle is also involved in cardiovascular research, serving as principal investigator for two clinical trials of medications aimed at patients who have severely elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Dr. Burkle, who is fluent in Spanish, enjoys traveling with his wife, participating in car shows with his son, and closely following motorsports, including Formula One and NASCAR.