Winners of 4th annual Katz Prizes in Cardiovascular Research announced

Columbia University Medical Center today announces the winners of the 4th annual Katz Prizes in Cardiovascular Research, with the senior scientist prize being awarded to an internationally renowned researcher from the National Institutes of Health, and the young investigator prize recognizing a cardiovascular researcher actively studying left ventricular assist devices and heart function.

The senior scientist award goes to Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. The young investigator award goes to John P. Morrow, assistant professor of internal medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Columbia University Medical Center.

The awards will be presented Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, at a dinner at Columbia University Medical Center, following afternoon lectures by the winners. Lewis Katz, entrepreneur and philanthropist, created these prizes in 2006 to recognize outstanding contributions in cardiovascular research, by both senior scientists and young investigators working on pertinent questions related to cardiovascular health.

"Part of what makes these awards so special is that the awardees who receive them are judged by an independent panel of their peers, who are themselves some of the best minds and clinicians in the field of cardiology," Lewis Katz said. "It is for me an honor to be associated with a ceremony that ultimately recognizes the top talent fighting a top health concern."

"We are proud to award our 2009 Katz Prizes to these luminaries in cardiovascular science," said Allan Schwartz, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. "These clinician-scientists represent the vanguard in cardiovascular research. Dr. Nabel's work in the molecular genetics of vascular diseases has led to a fundamental shift in the way cardiovascular disease can be prevented; Dr. Morrow's efforts focus on the translational nature of cardiac electrophysiology and ventricular device research."