The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has established a new award in honor of Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital.
The first “Valentin Fuster Award for Innovation in Science” was announced at ACC’s 71st Annual Scientific Session in Washington on Monday, April 4. It was presented to Dr. Fuster to honor his significant contributions to cardiovascular medicine as a champion of scientific research and an innovator in the delivery of science through novel mechanisms, and his international voice on the importance of embracing scientific inquiry to improve the care of cardiovascular patients and promote life-long heart health.
The award will be given to a single physician annually for the next 15 years.
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, right, with Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC, President of the American College of Cardiology.
“I am grateful to have this award established in my honor. I am proud to begin this legacy and hope this motivates others to have a significant impact in the field of cardiovascular medicine,” Dr. Fuster said. “I look forward to meeting future honorees and learning about their contributions to combating heart disease and promoting health.”
Dr. Fuster is currently the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), which ranks among the top cardiovascular journals in the world for its scientific impact. He is a past president of both the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, where he served as chair of the Committee on Preventing the Global Epidemic of Cardiovascular Disease, and was a Council member of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Dr. Fuster was also President of the Training Program of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr. Fuster’s research is unparalleled in areas relating to the causes, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease globally, and spans the full range from hardcore basic science and molecular biology through clinical studies and large-scale multinational trials to population health and global medicine. He has 35 worldwide honorary degrees and is the most highly cited Spanish research scientist of all time, according to Google Scholar.
In addition to Dr. Fuster, four other top cardiovascular physicians from Mount Sinai Heart received prestigious honors at the ACC Scientific Session.
George Dangas, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Director of Cardiovascular Innovation at the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was awarded the 2022 Master of the ACC Award by the American College of Cardiology. This recognizes and honors his consistent contributions to the goals and programs of the ACC and his leadership in important College activities. Recipients of this award must be members of the College for at least 15 years and have served with distinction and provided leadership on various College programs and committees.
Robert Rosenson, MD, Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Director of Cardiometabolic Disorders at Icahn Mount Sinai, and Gilbert Tang, MD, MSc, MBA, Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at Icahn Mount Sinai, received the 2022 Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship for their exceptional contributions to JACC for their peer reviews. Dr. Rosenson and Dr. Tang are among five physicians to earn this distinguished honor for 2022. Criteria include reviewing more than 11 papers a year and being on time with their reviews 100 percent of the time. This is the sixth time Dr. Rosenson will receive this award, and the second time for Dr. Tang.
William Whang, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at Icahn Mount Sinai, has been named an Elite Reviewer for the Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship for contributing high-quality critiques to the journal. Criteria include reviewing more than nine papers a year and reviewing on time 85 percent of the time. Dr. Whang is among 10 physicians to receive this honor for 2022. This will be Dr. Whang’s second time receiving the Elite Reviewer award. He is also a two-time past recipient of the Simon Dack award.