Awards - Scientific Sessions 2021
General abstract submission open April 14–June 17, 2021
To qualify for Scientific Sessions 2021 awards you must meet these deadlines.
Please carefully check the eligibility and application requirements for each award
- June 11, 2021 – Deadline to have an active AHA membership with Council sponsoring the award.
- June 14, 2021, 6 p.m. CDT – Deadline to apply for awards requiring submission in the Council Awards Application System. NOTE: This deadline does not correspond with the deadline for abstract submission in 2021*.
- June 17, 2021, 6 p.m. CDT – Abstract deadline extension to submit your science Scientific Sessions 2021.
*The abstract deadline has been extended to June 17, 2021, 6 p.m. CDT. Awardees will be selected from applications submitted in the Council Awards Application System by the June 14 deadline. Your abstract control number is required for submission.
Council Awards – Early Career Abstract Awards
These awards are designed to recognize endeavors by early career clinicians and scientists. Candidates will be considered not only for the quality and relevance of their research being submitted to Scientific Sessions but also for their accomplishments, contributions to their fields and expertise as researchers in general. Selected finalists will present their oral abstract at Scientific Sessions.
Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is mandatory for all awards. Hard copies of any part of the application cannot be accepted. Your abstract control number will be required on your award application.
Cournand and Comroe Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Resuscitation (3CPR)
CVSA Resident Prize
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA)
Elaine W. Raines Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award for Early Career Investigators in Training
Sponsored by the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI)
Genomic and Precision Medicine Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Genomic and Precision Medicine (GPM)
Jay D. Coffman Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
Laennec Fellow in Training (FIT) Clinician Award
Sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)
Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health
Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Science Research Prize for Early Career Investigators
Sponsored by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS)
Martha N. Hill Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN)
Melvin Judkins Early Career Clinical Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention (CVRI)
Melvin L. Marcus Early Career Investigator Award in Cardiovascular Sciences
Sponsored by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS)
Samuel A. Levine Early Career Clinical Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)
Vivien Thomas Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA)
Young Hearts Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young (Young Hearts)
Council Awards – Special Recognition Awards
Special Recognition Awards acknowledge clinicians and scientists active in basic, clinical, translational or population cardiovascular research for specific career endeavors and achievements.
Electronic submission through the Council Awards Application System is mandatory for all awards. Hard copies of any part of the application cannot be accepted. Awards are a benefit to AHA members so, if needed, join or renew before applying.
The award submission period is April 14 - June 14, 2021.
Clinical Article of the Year Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) and The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
Excellence in Clinical Practice Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA)
GPM Medal of Honor
Sponsored by the Council on Genomic and Precision Medicine (GPM)
GPM Mentoring Award
Sponsored by the Council on Genomic and Precision Medicine (GPM)
James B. Herrick Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cardiology
Sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)
Katharine A. Lembright Award and Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN)
Kathleen A. Dracup Distinguished Lecture Exemplary Career in Mentoring Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN)
Marie Cowan Promising Early Career Investigator Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN)
Mathy Mezey Excellence in Aging Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) and New York University
Research Article of the Year Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) and The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
Stroke Article of the Year Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) and the Stroke Council
Visiting Professor for Career Development Award
Sponsored by the Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young (Young Hearts)
Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award
Sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)
Council Awards – Best Abstract Awards
These awards are presented for the top-scoring abstracts submitted in the sponsoring council’s abstract categories at Scientific Sessions.
General abstract submission closes Thursday, June 17 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
3CPR Best Abstract Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Resuscitation (3CPR)
ATVB Early Career Award for Outstanding Research
Sponsored by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
ATVB Special Recognition Awards
Sponsored by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
CVSN Best Abstract Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN)
Outstanding Research Awards in Pediatric Cardiology
Sponsored by the Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young (Young Hearts)
Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award
We celebrate the value of science and would love to validate the achievements of you and your team this year. Abstracts submitted to Scientific Sessions may be considered for a Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award. This award recognizes authors that contributed to the highest ranked accepted abstract from each country.
AHA members receive a 50% discount on the abstract submission fee.
Council Named Lectures
Council lectures feature presentations from some of today’s foremost clinicians and researchers as well as those with a lifetime of contributions to the field of cardiovascular disease.
Helen B. Taussig Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young (Young Hearts)
Ancel Keys Memorial Lecturer
Sponsored by the Council on Epidemiology & Prevention (EPI)
Charles T. Dotter Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention (CVRI)
Dickinson W. Richards Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Resuscitation (3CPR)
George E. Brown Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS)
George Lyman Duff Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
GPM and EPI Mid-Career Research Award and Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Genomic and Precision Medicine (GPM) and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI)
James B. Herrick Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cardiology
Sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)
Katharine A. Lembright Award and Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN)
Kathleen A. Dracup Distinguished Lecture Exemplary Career in Mentoring Award
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN)
Kenneth D. Bloch Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS)
Laennec Clinician Educator Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)
Robert I. Levy Memorial Lecturer
Sponsored by the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI)
Russell Ross Memorial Lectureship in Vascular Biology
Sponsored by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
Sol Sherry Distinguished Lecture in Thrombosis
Sponsored by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
Stroke Council Award and Lecture
Sponsored by the Stroke Council
Thomas W. Smith Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS)
William J. Rashkind Memorial Lecture
Sponsored by Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young (Young Hearts)
William W. L. Glenn Lecture
Sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA)
Presidential Session Awards
Chairman’s Award
The American Heart Association began awarding the Chairman’s Award in 2002. Recipients of this award are notable for consistently having gone above and beyond in their leadership and commitment to helping advance the mission of the association. This award honors honor medical and science volunteers who have made contributions to further the AHA’s strategic goals in non-science areas at both the national and local levels.
2020 Chairman’s Award Winner
Sonia Y. Angell, MD, MPH, DTM&H
Columbia University, New York, NY
Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award
The American Heart Association began conferring this award in 1999, in recognition of the many contributions of the luminary cardiologist Eugene Braunwald in teaching and mentoring the next generation of faculty researchers and educators. This award honors individuals whose academic careers have included a long-term record (at least 20–25 years) of successful mentoring of promising young academicians. Recipients have included some of the most prominent researchers and educators in the country, each of whom have had lasting impact on cardiovascular care and research through their extensive mentoring of residents and fellows.
2020 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award Winner
Nanette K. Wenger, MD, FAHA
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Research Achievement Award
One of the American Heart Association’s most distinguished and historic honors, the Research Achievement Award has been conferred annually since 1953. Recipients have included many of the most prominent and recognized cardiovascular researchers in the country, the legacies of which will be felt for decades to come. This is a very distinguished award of national importance and its presentation is a highlight of Scientific Sessions, the association’s annual meeting.
2020 Research Achievement Award Winner
JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, MPH, FAHA
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
Basic Research Prize
The American Heart Association began awarding the AHA Basic Research Prize in 1990. Recipients have included the most prominent cardiovascular basic scientists in the country, each of whom have made discoveries that have had transformational impact in their respective fields. This Prize is awarded each year in recognition of an individual who is making outstanding contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular science, and who currently runs an exceptional cardiovascular basic science laboratory.
2020 Basic Research Prize Winner
Ann Marie Schmidt, MD
New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
Clinical Research Prize
The American Heart Association began awarding the AHA Clinical Research Prize in 2005. Recipients have included the most prominent cardiovascular researchers in the country, each of whom have made discoveries that have had transformational impact in their respective fields. This Prize is awarded each year in recognition of an individual who is making outstanding contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular science, and who currently runs an exceptional cardiovascular basic science laboratory.
2020 Clinical Research Prize Winner
Anne B. Newman, MD, MPH
Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA
Population Research Prize
The American Heart Association began awarding the AHA Population Research Prize in 2005. Recipients have included some of the most prominent population health researchers in the country, each of whom have made seminal discoveries in understanding and/or treatment of cardiovascular disease. This Prize is to recognize and reward an individual who is making outstanding contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular science and who currently heads an outstanding cardiovascular population research laboratory.
2020 Population Research Prize Winner
Michelle A. Albert, MD, MPH, FAHA
University of California San Francisco - NURTURE Center, San Francisco, CA
Joseph A. Vita Award
The Joseph A. Vita Award is sponsored by Scientific Publishing, Office of Science Operations. The award was created in honor of Joseph A. Vita, who served as the first Editor-in-Chief of the AHA’s Open Access journal,
2020 Joseph A. Vita Award Winners
Hooman Kamel, MD
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
Robert W. Yeh, MD, MSc, MBA
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Distinguished Scientist Award
The Distinguished Scientist designation was created in 2003. This prestigious title is bestowed on an elite group of scientists whose work has importantly advanced our understanding of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and brain health. The designation is highly selective and is intended to recognize prominent AHA members who have made major and independent contributions to cardiovascular, stroke and brain health research. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a science volunteer by the AHA.
2020 Distinguished Scientist Award Winners
Joan Heller Brown PhD, FAHA
Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology
University of California San Diego, School of Medicine
La Jolla, CA
Robert M. Carey, MD, FAHA
Dean, Emeritus and Professor of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, VA
Glenn Fishman, MD, FAHA
William Goldring Professor of Medicine and Director, Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology Vice Chair for Research, Department of Medicine
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, NY
Mark T. Gladwin, MD, FAHA
Jack D. Myers Distinguished Professor and Chair
Chairman, Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh and UPMC
Pittsburgh, PA
Jeffrey D. Molkentin, PhD, FAHA
Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Division Director, Molecular, Cardiovascular, Biology, Executive Co-Director, The Heart Institute
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH
Frank Sacks, MD, FAHA
Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Nutrition Department
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Gregg L. Semenza, MD, PhD, FAHA
C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Genetic Medicine, Pediatrics, Oncology, Medicine, Radiation Oncology and Biological Chemistry
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Director, Vascular Program
Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering
Baltimore, MD
Council Awards – Distinguished Achievement Awards
The scientific councils’ Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the affairs of a scientific council over a continuing period, and who have made substantial professional contributions to the field represented by the council. Some councils present this award annually while others present the award every 3 years*.
ATVB Distinguished Achievement Award in Arteriosclerosis
Sponsored by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
BCVS Distinguished Achievement Award
Sponsored by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS)
CLCD Distinguished Achievement Award
Sponsored by the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)
EPI Distinguished Achievement Award*
Sponsored by the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI)