Navin Chandra Nanda (born 1937) is an Indian-American cardiologist and Distinguished Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He is known as the "Father of Modern Echocardiography" for his foundational work in cardiac ultrasound. His innovations, including the first imaging of the pulmonary valve and the introduction of color Doppler to the United States.
Nanda was born in Kabarnet, Kenya, in 1937. He received his medical degree (MBBS) and doctorate in medicine (MD) from the University of Mumbai, studying at Seth G.S. Medical College.. He completed a cardiology fellowship at the National Heart Hospital and Institute of Cardiology in London, United Kingdom.
Nanda worked at the University of Rochester (1971-1984), where he reported early echocardiographic imaging of the pulmonary valve, which had previously been considered difficult to visualize using available ultrasound techniques. This work contributed to the development of pediatric echocardiography. He also co-authored <nowiki></nowiki>Clinical Echocardiography<nowiki></nowiki> (1978) with Raymond Gramiak and followed it with a paper on cardiac ultrasound techniques in the journal <nowiki>Radiology</nowiki> the next year.
In 1984, he joined University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He introduced color Doppler to the U.S. and developed techniques for semi-quantifying valve regurgitation. In 1996, he co-authored a <nowiki></nowiki>Circulation<nowiki></nowiki> paper on diagnosing papillary muscle rupture using transesophageal echocardiography.He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Echocardiography since 1989 and has authored many texts, including the Atlas of Transesophageal Echocardiography, a key resource for clinicians.
Nanda received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2006. He received the American College of Cardiology (ACC) International Service Award in 2010. he was also recognized as an awardee at the 5th Annual Gala of the Alabama India Business Partnerships. In 2025, the ACC renamed this award in perpetuity as the "Navin C. Nanda International Service Award," making him its namesake.
Other honors include the American Society of Echocardiography Lifetime Achievement Award (2018), the B.C. Roy Award from the Cardiological Society of India (2023), and the "Icon of the Century in Cardiology" from the Government of India (2019). He holds honorary doctorates and his name adorns several institutions, including a training institute in Jaipur, India.
Nanda is the Founding President of the American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO) and the International Society of Cardiovascular Ultrasound (ISCU). In 2017, an endowed scholar award was established in his name at UAB.