Dr. Tara Narula, a cardiologist who has contributed over the years to CBS, CNN, NBC and Oprah Winfrey’s magazine, has been named chief medical correspondent at ABC News, a position that in recent years has become more prominent as news outlets grapple with telling viewers details about care and treatment when scientific research has become increasingly politicized.
Narula is a board-certified cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, where she serves as the associate director of the women’s heart program. She is also an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell and the director of communications for the Katz Institute of Women’s Health at Northwell. She also serves as a fellow of the American College of Cardiology.
She logged a stint as a medical correspondent at CNN in 2022 and 2023 before becoming a contributor to NBC News.
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“We are incredibly excited for Dr. Narula to join ABC News, working across our programs and stations, as part of our ongoing commitment to offer our audiences fact-based health and medical news,” said Debra OConnell, president, ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, in a statement.
ABC News elevated its previous chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jen Ashton, to a prominent role. Ashton was a co-host on the afternoon news program “GMA3,” where she helped to inform audiences of the latest developments during the coronavirus pandemic.
These correspondents — others include CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta and CBS News’ Jonathan LaPook — often help translate complicated information about biology, disease and science to a lay audience. Their jobs have been made more difficult in recent years by misinformation about everything from treatment to effectiveness of medicine that is disseminated by social media.
After graduating from Stanford University with degrees in economics and biology, Dr. Narula obtained her medical degree at USC Keck School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Harvard University/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and her fellowship training in cardiology at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Narula joined Lenox Hill Heart & Vascular Institute of New York in 2010, where she continues to provide outpatient consultative care.
Dr. Darien Sutton, ABC News medical correspondent, will continue to report across ABC News programs and platforms, along with Dr. Narula.
“I am honored to join one of the most trusted news organizations in this role,” said Dr. Narula, in a statement. “I learned early on from my father who is a physician that working in the medical field is a privilege, and now, I look forward to reporting on new health and medical advancements in wellness and resiliency, and helping people live their best lives.”