NYU Researcher Dr. Judith Hochman to Receive American Heart Association's 2025 Research Achievement Award

Dr. Judith S. Hochman, senior associate dean for clinical sciences and founding director of the Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, will receive the 2025 Research Achievement Award at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025. The award recognizes her decades of research that have directly influenced global clinical practice guidelines in cardiology. This recognition matters because it highlights how rigorous clinical research can transform patient care standards worldwide, moving medical practice from theoretical models to evidence-based approaches that directly impact survival rates and quality of life.

Dr. Hochman served as principal investigator for several pivotal National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded international trials that transformed understanding of revascularization strategies. Her work on the Occluded Artery Trial (OAT) demonstrated no clinical benefit for late angioplasty in stable, post-myocardial infarction patients, despite promising animal model findings. This finding was crucial because it prevented unnecessary invasive procedures for thousands of patients annually, redirecting healthcare resources toward more effective treatments. The SHOCK Trial established the clear survival advantage for early revascularization in patients with cardiogenic shock due to left ventricular failure after acute MI, showing that emergency revascularization reduced mortality rates by 13 absolute percentage points at one-year and long-term. This research directly saved lives by establishing a new standard of care for critically ill cardiac patients.

Her most recent clinical trial, the NHLBI-funded international ISCHEMIA trial compared initial invasive versus conservative treatment strategies for stable coronary artery disease. While finding no significant difference in all-cause mortality, the trial identified substantial quality-of-life improvement among patients with angina who received invasive treatment. These three trials led to new and revised recommendations in the joint clinical guidelines from the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology as well as guidelines from other international medical organizations. The implications extend beyond individual patient care to healthcare system efficiency, ensuring that invasive procedures are reserved for patients who will benefit most.

Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, the American Heart Association's 2025-2026 volunteer president, stated that Dr. Hochman's research has directly impacted patient care across the full spectrum of ischemic heart disease. Dr. Hochman's scientific findings and her role as a member of multiple guideline writing committees have been instrumental in shaping clinical practice standards worldwide. Beyond revascularization research, Dr. Hochman is recognized as a trailblazer in women's cardiovascular health. In the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction IIIb (TIMI IIIb) trial, she was among the first to study sex differences in women with acute coronary syndromes and to recognize the substantial incidence of women with these syndromes having no obstructive coronary disease. Her leadership roles for the National Institutes of Health's Women's Health Initiative Advisory Committee reflect her enduring commitment to advancing women's health.

Dr. Hochman expressed honor at being recognized by the American Heart Association, noting her passion for improving patient outcomes through rigorous science. She acknowledged her first grant from the Heart Association and critical support from the NIH for randomized clinical trials. Her decades-long commitment to the organization includes service on multiple committees, and she has previously received several other prestigious awards from the association, including the 2023 Distinguished Scientist Award. Dr. Hochman's research contributions extend beyond clinical trials to include more than 500 peer-reviewed publications and service on editorial boards for several scientific journals, including Circulation, JAMA Cardiology, and the European Heart Journal. Her work continues to influence cardiovascular care standards and improve patient outcomes globally through evidence-based medicine, demonstrating how sustained academic research can create lasting healthcare improvements that transcend geographic boundaries and benefit diverse patient populations.