Embargoed until 7 a.m. CT / 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021
DALLAS, Nov. 3, 2021 – The American Heart Association (AHA), a global force for longer, healthier lives, will present the inaugural Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award for Best Scientific Publication on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in Women to Clare Oliver-Williams, Ph.D., M.P.H. She will receive the award during the Presidential Session on Sunday, Nov. 14 at the Association’s Scientific Sessions 2021. The meeting will be fully virtual, Saturday, Nov. 13 through Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, and is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science for health care worldwide.
The Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Award Research Goes Red® Award for Best Scientific Publication on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in Women is named in honor of Dr. Nanette K. Wenger’s pioneering career in cardiovascular medicine. Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., FAHA, is an emeritus professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine, consultant to the Emory Heart and Vascular Center, founding consultant to the Emory Women’s Heart Center and director of the Cardiac Clinics and Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Laboratory at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
The Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award for Best Scientific Publication on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in Women will be given annually in recognition of the best research article focused on cardiovascular disease and stroke in women published during the previous year in any of the Association’s 14 peer-reviewed, scientific journals. The Association’s Research Goes Red® initiative aims to empower women to contribute to health research.
“Congratulations to Dr. Clare Oliver-Williams and her research team on receiving the inaugural Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red Award®,” said Association President Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M., FAHA. “Research to examine the long-term associations between pregnancy and cardiovascular disease is essential to the improvement of heart health for women in all stages of life. It is especially important and gratifying when that research is conducted by early career scientists like Dr. Oliver-Williams, who represent the bright future of cardiovascular science and clinical care.”
Dr. Oliver-Williams, who is an early career research scientist, was selected for the inaugural Nanette K. Wenger Award in recognition of her manuscript, ”Future Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Women with Gestational Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis,” published on July 7, 2020 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. This article was ranked the highest out of 54 papers selected from the Go Red collection of research on women and cardiovascular disease and published in one of the Association’s 12 scientific journals between June 1, 2020 and May 29, 2021. Her manuscript was selected by a group of 50 experts in cardiovascular disease and stroke. Of the submitted papers, six countries were represented, and 61% of first authors were female. Papers were graded based on scientific impact, innovation, methodology, and quality of the data and evidence supporting the hypothesis and conclusions.
“I am delighted and honored to receive the first Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Award from the American Heart Association,” said Dr. Oliver-Williams. “Ever since my first niece was born, I have known that I wanted to understand more about pregnancy and maternal health. Yet it was only once I met Dr. Angela Wood that my eyes were opened to the much broader time span in which pregnancy plays a part in women’s health. Pregnancy might feel like it lasts 10 months at most, however, it echoes throughout the decades of a woman’s life. This award matters so much, both to me and to the wider community of researchers focused on women’s health.”
“Many of us working in women’s health research have struggled to have our research seen as important, seen as more than a side issue,” Dr. Oliver-Williams added. “Awards like the Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Award help to highlight our research, as well as shining a light on the importance of heart health for women at all stages of their life. And that, at the end of the day, is the name of the game – improving the health and lives of women. Personally, this award will be indispensable. It provides me with an incredible career and morale boost, which is much appreciated, and these funds will allow me to cover the most indispensable of expenses for working mothers: childcare. Thank you!”
Dr. Oliver-Williams is a graduate of Cambridge University, where she earned both a master’s of public health in epidemiology and a doctorate in public health and primary care. She led the research when she was a junior research fellow at Homerton College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, and she now is an honorary research associate in the department of public health and primary care at the University of Cambridge, both in Cambridge, England. Dr. Oliver-Williams is also a specialty trainee registrar in public health for the Central Bedfordshire Local Authority. Her research has been published in more than 50 peer-reviewed papers.
“We are delighted for Dr. Oliver-Williams’s well-deserved recognition from the American Heart Association,” said Martin R. Bennett, M.A., Ph.D., FRCP, FMedSci, head of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cambridge University. “We are honored to be part of her professional growth as she continues to research the long-term health effects caused by pregnancy-associated conditions.”
Dr. Oliver-Williams researches cardiovascular risk factors that are specific to women. She is currently exploring the effects of reproductive health on other health conditions, specifically how cardiovascular risks may be identified from patients’ obstetrics health histories.
“I applaud Dr. Oliver-Williams and her research colleagues for this valuable research paper on the association of hypertension during pregnancy with cardiovascular disease risk. I am honored for this award to be given in my name to support young researchers – you are the future of cardiovascular medicine! Thank you for your continuing efforts to close the data gap on cardiovascular disease in women,” said Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., FAHA, an emeritus professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine, consultant to the Emory Heart and Vascular Center, founding consultant to the Emory Women’s Heart Center and director of the Cardiac Clinics and Echocardiographic Laboratory at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
Additional Resources:
- Multimedia is available on the right column of the release link: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/clare-oliver-williams-ph-d-to-be-recognized-with-the-inaugural-dr-nanette-k-wenger-research-goes-redR-award-for-best-scientific-publication-on-cardiovascular-disease-and-stroke-in-women?preview=38cb378673e6896774803e4a1fd5737d
- New Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Award for Best Scientific Publication on CVD and Stroke in Women
- For more news from Scientific Sessions 2021, follow us on Twitter @HeartNews #AHA21
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The American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2021 is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science for health care professionals worldwide. The three-day meeting will feature more than 500 sessions focused on breakthrough cardiovascular basic, clinical and population science updates in a fully virtual experience Saturday, Nov. 13 through Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. Thousands of leading physicians, scientists, cardiologists, advanced practice nurses and allied health care professionals from around the world will convene virtually to participate in basic, clinical and population science presentations, discussions and curricula that can shape the future of cardiovascular science and medicine, including prevention and quality improvement. During the three-day meeting, attendees receive exclusive access to more than 4,000 original research presentations and can earn Continuing Medical Education (CME), Continuing Education (CE) or Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits for educational sessions. Engage in Scientific Sessions 2021 on social media via #AHA21.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a leading force for a world of longer, healthier lives. With nearly a century of lifesaving work, the Dallas-based association is dedicated to ensuring equitable health for all. We are a trustworthy source empowering people to improve their heart health, brain health and well-being. We collaborate with numerous organizations and millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, advocate for stronger public health policies, and share lifesaving resources and information. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
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