Volunteer Structure
Volunteer scientists establish and direct the American Heart Association's research policies and programs. In partnership with science volunteers, AHA staff provide administrative support to implement the plans.
The AHA Research Committee and Subcommittees are composed of research volunteers nominated by affiliates and scientific councils. The AHA Research Committee ensures that all research award programs are administered according to published standards. The AHA Research Committee recommends research policy for the association, ensures quality peer review through a consistent process and evaluates program success.
Subcommittees, made up of AHA Research Committee members and other volunteers, are responsible for the oversight of:
- Maintaining a progressive portfolio of award offerings
- Recommending allocation of funds based upon program priorities and the scientific merit of applications.
- Long-range planning.
- Topics relevant to the scientific community.
- Strategic partnerships with other organizations.
Peer Review Committees with expertise in particular scientific areas conduct the actual evaluation of scientific merit of research applications.
Peer Review Committees include scientist volunteers who have experience in biomedical, clinical, population, and translational research. The chairman and co-chairman of each committee are responsible for recruiting members familiar with the science that will be reviewed. All association Peer Review Committees must adhere to association-wide standards established for peer review.
One element of the AHA’s strategic research direction is the inclusion of lay reviewers to the peer review process. A lay reviewer may be assigned to assess an application’s potential impact on the AHA mission. Lay reviewers are individuals without formal training as scientists who have strong interest in advancing the prevention and/or management of heart diseases and stroke and assisting in review of American Heart Association research applications.
2020-21 AHA Research Committee
| Chairperson: Joseph Wu, MD, PhD Director Stanford Cardiovascular Institute |
Daniel W. Jones, MD, FAHA Director of Clinical and Population Sciences University of Mississippi Medical Center |
| Matthew Allison MD, MPH, FAHA Professor & Chief University of California, San Diego School of Medicine |
Walter J. Koroshetz, MD Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NIH/NINDS |
| Mary Ann Bauman, MD Former Medical Director INTEGRIS Health (retired) |
Jamie Lohr, MD, FAHA Associate Professor of Pediatrics University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital |
| Ivor Benjamin, MD, FAHA, FACC AHA Past President Professor of Medicine, Physiology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Cell Biology, and Surgery Medical College of Wisconsin |
William Mahle MD, FAHA Co-chief, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center Professor of Pediatrics Emory University School of Medicine |
| Maria C. Carrillo, PhD Chief Science Officer Alzheimer’s Association |
Keisa W. Mathis, PhD, FAHA Assistant Professor University of North Texas Health Science Center |
| April P. Carson, PhD, MSPH, FAHA Associate Professor and Associate Dean University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health |
Louise D. McCullough, MD, PhD Professor and Chair University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Chief of Neurology, Memorial Hermann Hospital |
| Esa Davis, MD, MPH, FAAFP Director, UPMC Tobacco Treatment Associate Professor of Medicine & Clinical and Translational Science University of Pittsburgh |
Kristin Newby, MD, MHS, FACC, FAHA Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology Duke University Medical Center |
| Meredith Fort, PhD, MPH Research Assistant Professor Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health Colorado School of Public Health |
William H. Roach, Jr., MS, JD
Retired Partner McDermott Will & Emery LLP |
| Karen L. Furie, MD, MPH Neurologist-in-Chief, Rhode Island, Miriam & Bradley Hospital Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Chair of Neurology School of Brown University |
Carlos J. Rodriguez, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA Vice-Chair, Academic Affairs for Cardiology Director of Clinical Cardiovascular Research Albert Einstein College of Medicine |
| David C. Goff Jr., MD, PhD, FACP, FAHA Director, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute |
Mintu Turakhia, MD, MAS, FHRS FACC, FAHA Associate Professor of Medicine Stanford University |
| R. Ariel Gomez, MD, FAHA Harrison Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Biology Director, NIDDK Center of Excellence in Pediatric Nephrology University of Virginia School of Medicine |
Thomas J. Wang, MD, FAHA Chair, Department of Internal Medicine UT Southwestern Medical Center |
| Nathaniel D. Jenkins, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Human Physiology Director, Integrative Laboratory of Applied Physiology and Lifestyle Medicine University of Iowa |