Two SOM faculty to receive national honors at AHA hypertension meeting
Two Tulane University School of Medicine faculty members will be honored for their pioneering research at the American Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension Scientific Sessions in Baltimore next week.
Heddwen L. Brooks, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Physiology, will receive the Harriet Dustan Award, which recognizes female scientists who have made outstanding contributions to understanding and treating high blood pressure. Brooks will deliver the Harriet Dustan Lecture, “Sex Differences in Immune-Mediated Hypertension: Why Menopause Matters.” Her work focuses on how hormonal changes, such as those that occur during menopause, can affect the immune system’s role in raising blood pressure — research that could help improve prevention and treatment for women.
Jia L. Zhuo, MD, PhD, director of the Tulane Hypertension & Renal Center of Excellence, will receive the Lewis K. Dahl Memorial Lecture Award, which honors major discoveries in how salt, kidney function and other biological factors contribute to high blood pressure. Zhou will deliver the following lecture: “From Endocrine, Paracrine to Intracrine Angiotensin II: What Else Is Left for Angiotensin II-Dependent Hypertension Research?” His research explores the hormone angiotensin II, which helps regulate blood pressure, and the many ways it can influence hypertension — work that could lead to new treatment approaches.
The Harriet Dustan Award and the Lewis K. Dahl Memorial Lecture are respected honors in hypertension research, recognizing work that has shaped the field and influenced how doctors understand, prevent and treat high blood pressure. Past recipients have been leaders whose discoveries have guided decades of medical practice and improved millions of lives worldwide.
The American Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension Scientific Sessions is the premier annual meeting devoted to advances in hypertension research and treatment. It brings together scientists, clinicians and public health experts from around the world to share the latest discoveries, clinical practices and public health strategies aimed at reducing the burden of high blood pressure and its complications.
