Prof Jawahar 'Jay' L Mehta
Stebbins Chair in Cardiology and Distinguished Professor
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) | Arkansas, USA
Janam Bhumi:
Multan, Undivided India
Dharma Bhumi:
Multan, Undivided India
Karma Bhumi:
Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Healer of Hearts, Keeper of Humanity
The ‘Jawahar’ Factor: “Heart disease is not just in your arteries. It’s in your head, your home, and your society.”
THE MAN
When you go from being middle-class citizens of an undivided country to ‘refugees’ in your own, albeit divided, country, it changes you as a person, for the better or the worse.
Prof Jawahar ‘Jay’ Mehta, born in 1946 in Multan, was barely a year old when the largest forced migration in human history uprooted millions, forcing them to choose between a fractured motherland. For the Mehta family it meant overnight upheaval of livelihood, status, and a place to call their own. As a young’un, Prof Mehta hardly remembers much, but he says, “I know we lost a lot and that we were grateful just to be alive.”
Growing up in makeshift refugee camps, surrounded by poverty, Prof Mehta studied in the school of hard knocks, learning how to survive, adapt and succeed. After years of uncertainty, his parents, Mohan Lal and Ishwar Devi, and grandparents were able to buy a piece of land in Bhiwani, Haryana to settle. What Prof Mehta and his siblings, Ramesh, Narendra, Shashi, and Anita, lacked in material comforts; they gained in emotional wealth. Elders passed down not just stories, but strength. Prof Mehta would not have decided to be a physician had it not been for his family elders’ wishes. He says, “In retrospect, I had other talents—I could have been a successful entrepreneur or a politician. I’m very interested in geopolitics. But my grandparents pushed me toward medicine.”
He does not have any regrets, though. “If you’re good, it doesn’t matter what you pursue—you’ll do well. I’ve succeeded in medicine way beyond what I ever imagined.” Indeed, his reputation as a distinguished cardiologist and researcher is definitive proof of his success and more.
THE JOURNEY
After Prof Mehta earned his MD from Punjab University, he was selected to be one of the first 10 residents at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, where he spent two years.
Then, he decided to relocate to the US. Recalling his decision, Prof Mehta says, “In 1967, I heard about America, where a young Kennedy became president. At the time, most bright students went to the UK for further studies; few chose the US. I wanted to explore the US, a place where young people had real opportunities.”
The US welcomed him, and he embraced the country. He trained in internal medicine and cardiology at top-tier institutions such as Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
This was followed by his first faculty appointment at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where his research focus formed—platelets, thrombosis, and the inner workings of the heart. His early contributions to understanding platelet biology laid the foundation for antiplatelet therapies, including the use of aspirin in heart disease. In the early 1980s, he was selected by the Swedish government for a doctoral programme at Uppsala University. “That place changed everything for me,” he reflects. “The culture of scientific rigour and humility shaped my thinking.”
In 2000, he was recruited to UAMS, Little Rock, AR to lead the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine as endowed Stebbins Chair. His research work there made him a global pioneer in the biology of the LOX‑1 receptor, a key player in the development of vascular disease. LOX-1 is a promising therapeutic target now being explored by major pharmaceutical companies. Based on his clinical expertise, he was named among the top 27 cardiologists in the US by Forbes magazine.
Over the years, Prof Mehta also explored the nexus between psychosocial stress and heart health, pioneering ideas on how loneliness, emotional trauma, and mental stress manifest in cardiac issues. “The heart is not just a pump,” he often says. “It’s an emotional organ too.” His book ‘Heart Disease- It is all in your head’ is an Amazon bestseller.
His career has been prolific. From serving as the Division Chief at UAMS and the affiliated Central Arkansas Veterans Affairs Medical Center to being a distinguished Professor of Medicine, Physiology/Biophysics, and Pharmacology/Toxicology. He has trained over 100 clinical and research postgraduates and collaborated with clinicians and scientists from around the world. He has published over 1400 scientific papers. Google’s citation score of 161039 and h-index of 125 places him in the top 0.05% of all clinicians and scientists worldwide. The US Department of Veterans Affairs named him a distinguished Clinician-Scientist.
Prof Mehta is an institution unto himself.
THE SPIRIT WITHIN
Prof Mehta, together with his wife Dr Paulette Mehta, has turned their values into action. In 2017, they endowed Jay and Paulette Mehta Lectureship in Internal Medicine at UAMS. Being prolific authors and creative thinkers, they also instituted the Drs Paulette and Jay Mehta Award in Creative Writing at UAMS in 2020, a unique initiative that seeks to use creative expression as tools to process emotional experiences in healthcare.
Prof Mehta has never viewed medicine as just biology, but as an emotional and moral discipline. “I tell my students; it’s not just about prescribing drugs and performing procedures; it’s about understanding humans and saving lives.”
He also practices what he preaches. He has gone beyond the clinical practice norms to share his personal phone number with patients. He considers it a therapeutic act. “Sometimes a call at midnight is all it takes to prevent a heart attack.”
THE LEGACY
The US gave him opportunity, purpose, and success. It also brought Prof Mehta his wife, Dr Paulette Mehta, an esteemed haematologist and oncologist. Paulette was a friend and research partner, who later became his life partner. They reside in Little Rock Arkansas, having raised two brilliant children, Asha, a Stanford, and Wharton graduate, lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and Jason, a Harvard law graduate, lives in Tampa, Florida. The grandchildren – Jasper, Griffen, Maia, Jack, and Zara – are the apples of their eyes. Though not as active as before, Prof Mehta continues to consult on complex patients and with scientific projects.
The phrase ‘Primum non nocere’ (First, do no harm) is the initial lesson that his medical students learn from him. As providence would have it, Prof Mehta had learned it long before, through the trauma of displacement that war brought. A firm believer in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The world is one family), he says, “Power through killing or oppression doesn’t earn peace or respect.”
Prof Mehta chose to use his trauma to heal others. The journey has been a long one. Throughout, Prof Mehta has lived by this one guiding truth. “The only constant is change,” says the reluctant refugee, the thriving immigrant and physician, and an excellent example of the genus Homo sapiens.
MAPPING THE INDIA WITHIN
Bharat: Then and Now
“Growing up, we had very little, but we were surrounded by family and hope. We didn’t know about stress or heart disease back then. People were happy because they had each other.
“Today, India has advanced dramatically, but there’s a loss too. The warmth of everyday togetherness has thinned. Progress sometimes brings loneliness.”
Bharatiya Values that Travelled
“The values I brought from India —honesty, family, service—are universal. Despite differences in language, religion or culture, they bind people together. We didn’t learn ethics from books. They were in how we lived; sitting together, sharing, listening.”
Generations Abroad: A New Bharatiya Identity
“When I came to America, I carried India in my bones. I became successful, and I had to work hard with our children to teach them the Bharatiya values and identity by role-modelling and taking them to India often where they spent time with their grandparents and uncles and aunts.”
Pride, Progress, and the Spirit Of Bharat
“The spirit of Bharat lies in resilience and togetherness. Today, India shines globally in medicine, science, IT, space exploration, and innovation, while carrying forward what made Bharat special—its values of service, humility, and connection.”
Dreams for the Youth and Future of Bharat
“India has transformed—from no penicillin or running water to world-class pharmaceutical industry, and infrastructure. But with innovation, we must ask: have we also expanded our compassion? I wish for India, true progress that includes caring and love for all.
To the youth I would say, “Follow your passion, but introspect. Serve others, avoid conflict. Let your success include silence, humility, empathy. May the youth carry forward its brilliance with heart.”
BACK TO THE FUTURE – IN FIVE MOMENTS
Food Cravings
THEN
I waited for piping hot ‘rotis’, a smattering of ‘ghee’, ‘dal’, and ‘gur’.
NOW
I have adapted to global cuisine, but I still find comfort in simple ‘khichdi’.
Sport Spirit
THEN
I remember playing barefoot with sticks for bats, rolling in dust and joy.
NOW
I follow cricket online, proud of India’s wins, but I miss the noise of street games.
Music Tastes
THEN
Evenings echoed with Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi from a neighbour’s radio, a background score to life.
NOW
I listen to classical music, weaving old memories into my quiet mornings.
Holiday Life
THEN
Holidays were where we laid our hats as refugees. Later, we travelled when we could, to meet family.
NOW
I have travelled the world many times for work and pleasure. But no place like home — India.
Leisure Habits
THEN
We listened to grandfather tell stories under the lantern light; we played.
NOW
I am a nature boy and a keen gardener. I also enjoy writing and having stimulating conversations with friends and colleagues.
AKA
Jawahar L Mehta University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | Jawahar Mehta UAMS | Jawahar Mehta Arkansas USA
