Dr. Emelia J. Benjamin, professor of medicine at Boston University, will receive the 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in November. The award recognizes individuals with sustained excellence in teaching and mentoring the next generation of faculty researchers, educators and healthcare professionals, with recipients acknowledged for their lasting impact on cardiovascular care through extensive mentoring of residents and fellows. This recognition matters because it highlights the critical role mentorship plays in advancing medical science and ensuring a diverse, well-prepared workforce to tackle cardiovascular diseases, which remain a leading cause of death globally.
Dr. Benjamin holds the Jay and Louise Coffman Professor in Vascular Medicine position at the BU Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and serves as professor of epidemiology at the BU School of Public Health. She has developed and led ongoing faculty development programs supporting early- and mid-career clinicians and researchers from diverse backgrounds. Her mentoring extends to directing multi-institutional research fellowships supported by the Heart Association and National Institutes of Health, including an international atrial fibrillation genetics fellowship and the NIH K12 program, Boston University Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health. These initiatives are important because they provide structured pathways for underrepresented groups in medicine, addressing disparities in cardiovascular research and care. The legacy of Dr. Benjamin's career is reflected in the success of her trainees, many of whom received NIH Career Development Awards and launched numerous careers in cardiovascular research.
In her roles for the Heart Association, Dr. Benjamin has been a strong advocate for early-career scientists, including serving as former chair of the Council on Functional Genomics and Translational Biology to develop a strong Early Career Committee and participating on many Early Career Panels while mentoring individual members. Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, the American Heart Association's 2025-2026 volunteer president, stated that Dr. Benjamin is a distinguished scientist and powerful advocate for the next generation of cardiovascular researchers. Her commitment to training diverse and talented early career professionals continues to shape the future of cardiovascular science and medicine. Among her many honors are several of the Heart Association's highest awards, including a Distinguished Scientist Award, Gold Heart Award, Population Research Prize, Paul Dudley White Award, and multiple mentoring awards. This accumulation of accolades underscores the breadth and depth of her contributions, which extend beyond research to foundational support for the field's sustainability.
Dr. Benjamin has also been recognized with the Louis B. Russell Jr. Memorial Award for her work supporting women and people from diverse backgrounds in cardiovascular science and advancing equitable health in under-resourced communities. An elected member of the Association of American Physicians, she received the Dr. Daniel D. Savage Memorial Science Award from the Association of Black Cardiologists for her impactful research in atrial fibrillation epidemiology and the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine's Diversity and Inclusion Award for her advocacy and leadership in equity and inclusion. These recognitions are significant as they emphasize the importance of inclusivity in medical research, which can lead to more comprehensive health solutions. Dr. Benjamin has informally guided hundreds of colleagues and formally mentored more than 60 faculty members and trainees, many of whom have secured independent research funding and faculty positions worldwide.
In addition to serving as a leading investigator with the Framingham Heart Study, she has authored more than 800 peer-reviewed publications focusing on the genetics, epidemiology, clinical outcomes and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. Her leadership roles include co-chairing the 2008 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Atrial Fibrillation Prevention Workshop and contributing to the 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation. This extensive body of work, combined with her mentorship, ensures that her influence permeates both current clinical practices and future innovations, making this award a testament to her holistic impact on cardiovascular health. The implications of this announcement extend to encouraging similar mentorship efforts across the medical community, potentially accelerating advancements in heart disease prevention and treatment through a more robust and diverse scientific workforce.
