“Aikyaa Heart Health & Wellness is more than an online space for me. It is a deep calling.”

I am Dr. Purnima Hirudayaraj. In Sanskrit, Hirudayaraj means “King of Hearts.”

I am board-certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Lifestyle Medicine, and Obesity Medicine, with additional training in Nutrition Science from Stanford University. I live and practice in Houston, Texas.

My Academic Roots & Training

My medical journey began at Madurai Medical College in India in 1989, followed by residency and cardiology training in the United Kingdom, where I earned my MRCP.

I completed Internal Medicine training at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and a fellowship in Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. I later served as Assistant Professor of Cardiology at UTHealth McGovern Medical School before transitioning to independent practice.

Why I Created Aikyaa

I have been in medicine for nearly thirty years. Caring for the heart, from the heart, has always been inherent in me, and cardiology became my specialty. But the roots of this work were laid long before, through personal experiences with illness within my own family and community.

I lost my father at 64 to severe obesity and the many complications that came with it. There was little structured lifestyle guidance then, and very limited focus on prevention. He was cared for with the tools available at the time, but many of the approaches we now recognize as essential simply did not exist. That loss stayed with me.

Years later, my closest friend suffered a heart attack and stroke while carrying many of the silent cardiometabolic risks common in South Asians. Acute cardiovascular care saved her life, and she survived. But it deeply affected me. I could not stop thinking: this should have been prevented.

As a South Asian physician, I have seen this pattern repeat itself too many times, heart disease arriving earlier than expected, diabetes developing despite seemingly normal weight, metabolic illness moving silently through generations. This is not just my family’s story. It is the story of an entire community.

For most of my career, I worked in acute cardiology. Saving a critically ill patient brings a profound intensity and fulfillment that is difficult to put into words. But over time, something shifted in me. I found myself becoming more drawn to prevention than rescue, and more fulfilled by guiding people toward wellness than caring for them only after illness had reached a critical stage.

I began asking myself a different question: What if someone never had to get there in the first place?

I realized that my deepest sense of purpose lies in helping people avoid reaching that point altogether, and I began searching for ways to do that.

My own health journey deepened this transition further. Navigating my own metabolic health challenges without clear answers led me to pursue additional training in Lifestyle Medicine, Obesity Medicine, and Nutrition Science.

In that process, I came to appreciate more deeply that many chronic diseases we traditionally approach as separate conditions are in fact profoundly interconnected. Cardiometabolic health, inflammation, nutrition, sleep, stress, movement, emotional well-being, and community all influence one another in ways we are continuing to understand more fully through science.

I also realized that when people truly understand what is happening within their own bodies, something changes. They become active participants in their health, and that awareness can extend outward into families and communities over time.

That is where I find meaning now, in educating and empowering people using the knowledge, experience, and training I have been fortunate to receive.

Aikyaa came from all of that. From years of medical experience, personal loss, watching people I love struggle, and a deep belief that prevention should not be an afterthought. Prevention should be the foundation.

Aikyaa means harmony, unity, oneness. The name reflects the interconnected perspective that remains at the heart of my work.

Why South Asian Heart Health Matters to Me

As someone of South Asian origin, I have seen firsthand how heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome weigh on our community and have personally lost loved ones to these conditions.

South Asian heart health is deeply personal to me. This inspired the creation of the Aikyaa South Asian Heart Initiative (SAHI), a program dedicated to addressing the unique and heightened cardiometabolic risks faced by South Asians.

Through Aikyaa, I aim to empower South Asians to take ownership of their heart and metabolic health by integrating evidence-based medicine with culturally meaningful dietary, movement, and mindfulness practices.

My Approach to Care

I believe a healthy heart rests on a strong metabolic foundation, and above all, on harmony across body, mind, and lived experience.

My role is not to impose a regimen, but to walk alongside you, supporting your journey toward sustainable cardiometabolic health, at your own pace, with clarity and confidence.

I bring not only clinical expertise, but a shared understanding shaped by personal health challenges and experiences.

I strive to be the kind of physician and guide I would want for my own family. Credible, compassionate, and empowering.

I am grateful to share this space with you and honored to be part of your health journey.

With warmth,

Dr. Purnima Hirudayaraj