The American Heart Association has selected Dr. Fatima Rodriguez, an associate professor of medicine and section chief of preventive cardiology at Stanford Medicine, as the recipient of the 2025 Joseph A. Vita Award. This prestigious recognition will be presented during the opening session of the Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans on November 9, 2025. The award honors scientists whose research published in the Association's journals within the past five years has significantly advanced cardiovascular biology or health. According to Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, the Association's 2025-2026 volunteer president, Dr. Rodriguez exemplifies the award's values through innovative, impactful, and patient-centered work that has improved cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention strategies.
Dr. Rodriguez's multidisciplinary research program focuses on cardiometabolic disease prevention, leveraging technology and data science to personalize cardiovascular risk prediction and address outcome disparities across populations. Her work, funded by organizations including the American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, has transformed cardiovascular research direction through evidence-based interventions. The Joseph A. Vita Award is named after the late cardiovascular scientist who founded the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) and is selected by the editors-in-chief of the American Heart Association's 14 peer-reviewed scientific journals. More information about the Association's scientific journals can be found at https://www.ahajournals.org.
With over 270 peer-reviewed publications and previous honors including the 2022 Douglas P. Zipes Distinguished Young Scientist Award, Dr. Rodriguez's contributions extend beyond research into clinical practice and advocacy. As a fellow of multiple professional organizations and president-elect of the Association's Bay Area Board, her work continues to influence cardiovascular care standards and patient outcomes worldwide. Dr. Rodriguez connected her career focus to personal family experiences with heart disease, emphasizing her commitment to developing more personalized and equitable treatment strategies. Her educational background includes a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a master of public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, followed by residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital and cardiology fellowship at Stanford University.
The significance of this award extends beyond individual recognition to highlight the critical importance of personalized medicine in cardiovascular care. Dr. Rodriguez's research represents a paradigm shift toward more targeted prevention strategies that account for individual risk factors and population disparities. This approach has particular relevance for addressing health inequities in cardiovascular outcomes across different demographic groups. The American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025, where the award will be presented, serves as the premier global cardiovascular science conference, bringing together researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to advance cardiovascular health worldwide. Details about the conference are available at https://professional.heart.org/en/meetings/scientific-sessions.
Dr. Rodriguez's work demonstrates how integrating technology and data science with traditional cardiovascular research can create more effective prevention strategies. Her focus on cardiometabolic disease prevention addresses one of the most pressing challenges in global health, as cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of mortality worldwide. The recognition through the Joseph A. Vita Award validates the importance of her patient-centered approach and its potential to improve outcomes for diverse populations. This award also underscores the American Heart Association's commitment to supporting research that translates scientific discovery into clinical practice and public health impact.
