We are deeply saddened to hear the news that Dr. Lauren Gray Gilstrap, BA and BBA ’06, has passed away. Lauren was valedictorian of her high school class and then became a proud Texas Longhorn, receiving a BA in Plan II Honors and a BBA in the business honors program from The University of Texas at Austin, both with highest honors. During her time at UT-Austin, she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Truman Scholar. Her McCombs professor, Karen Stedatole, who had kept in touch over the years, says of Lauren: “She was without a doubt the best student I’ve ever had… She was a force to be reckoned with while at UT, then Harvard Medical School where she graduated top of her class.”

Lauren received her MD from Harvard Medical School in 2010. She completed an internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and fellowships in cardiovascular medicine as well as in heart failure and cardiac transplantation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. During her residency and fellowships in Boston, she also obtained a Master’s degree from Harvard’s School of Public Health.

Lauren and her family moved to Hanover in 2018, and she joined the faculty at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in the Heart and Vascular Center, with a joint appointment in The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. Lauren also taught as an assistant professor at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. In 2021, she became the Program Head for Advanced Heart Disease and Transplant Cardiology in the Heart and Vascular Center. Lauren’s research focused on improving the quality of clinical care for patients with heart failure, and—during her time at Dartmouth—she was recognized as an outstanding clinician and educator as well as a sought-after mentor for students, residents, fellows, and faculty.

Lauren is said to have lived life to the fullest and excelled at virtually everything she did. She always pushed herself to be the best and, in so doing, helped bring out the best in others. She is survived by her wife, Janet Milley, and her two children, Katelyn and David.

The McCombs School of Business recognizes the life and accomplishments of Lauren, and she will be deeply missed.

Read more about the life of Dr. Lauren Gray Gilstrap here and here.