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. This 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. The significance of this honor extends beyond individual recognition, underscoring the foundational role that mentorship plays in cultivating the scientific workforce needed to address complex cardiovascular diseases.
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 structured programs are vital for creating pipelines of skilled investigators, particularly in specialized areas like atrial fibrillation research where Dr. Benjamin has made significant contributions.
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. This advocacy is crucial for retaining talent in the field and ensuring that early-career researchers receive the guidance and resources necessary to thrive.
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 recognition highlights a career dedicated not only to personal scientific achievement but to the systemic support of others.
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 awards signal the growing imperative within medical science to address disparities in both the research workforce and patient outcomes, with mentorship being a key lever for change.
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 blend of high-impact research, guideline development, and dedicated mentorship creates a multiplier effect, where her scientific insights are disseminated and applied through the work of her mentees, ultimately amplifying her impact on public health.
