DALLAS - September 24, 2025 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) - Fatima Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, an associate professor of medicine, vice chair of clinical research, and section chief of preventive cardiology at Stanford Medicine, will be awarded the 2025 Joseph A. Vita Award at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025. The meeting, to be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, in New Orleans, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science. Dr. Rodriguez will be presented with this award during the opening session on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025.
Named after late cardiovascular scientist Joseph A. Vita, M.D., this award is presented annually to a scientist whose research has significantly advanced the fields of cardiovascular biology or cardiovascular health within the past five years and whose work has been published in the journals of the American Heart Association. Dr. Vita was the founding editor of the Association’s open-access, peer-reviewed Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA). The award recipient is selected by the editors-in-chief of the Association’s 14 peer-reviewed scientific journals and celebrates the work that transforms or changes the direction of cardiovascular research.
“Dr. Fatima Rodriguez exemplifies what the Vita Award represents,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, the American Heart Association’s 2025-2026 volunteer president, executive director for Northwell’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health, senior vice president of Women’s Health at Northwell, the Partners Council Professor of Women’s Health and professor of cardiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York City. “Innovative, impactful and patient-centered, her work has directly improved our ability to assess cardiovascular risk and target prevention strategies in ways that are more personalized and data-driven.”
Dr. Rodriguez is an expert in cardiometabolic disease prevention. Her multidisciplinary research program leverages technology and data science to personalize cardiovascular risk prediction, uncover drivers of gaps in cardiovascular outcomes across populations and develop evidence-based interventions. Her research is funded by the Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Dr. Rodriguez is a fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA), the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (FASPC). She has served on the Heart Association’s Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee and is president-elect of the Association’s Bay Area Board. She is also a member of the Association’s Publishing Committee since 2023.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award from the American Heart Association, an organization that has championed my work throughout my career,” said Dr. Rodriguez. “Having family experiences with heart disease helped shape my career focus on improving cardiovascular risk prediction and developing more personalized, equitable treatment strategies. This recognition reinforces the importance of continuing our research, clinical practice, teaching and advocacy efforts to ensure better outcomes for our patients and communities.”
Dr. Rodriguez earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a master of public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she was a Zuckerman Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership. She completed her internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a cardiology fellowship at Stanford University before joining the faculty.
She has authored over 270 peer-reviewed publications and has received multiple national honors, including the 2022 Douglas P. Zipes Distinguished Young Scientist Award from the American College of Cardiology.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
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