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(NewMediaWire) - November 06, 2024 - DALLAS — Jane W. Newburger, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, who is the associate chair for academic affairs in the department of cardiology at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Commonwealth Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, will receive the 2024 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024. The meeting, Nov. 16-18, 2024, in Chicago, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science. The award will be presented during the Presidential Session on Sunday, Nov. 17.

The Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award is bestowed annually to an individual whose academic career has included a long-term record of successful teaching and mentoring of the next generation of faculty researchers, educators and health care professionals. It is based upon a consistent record of molding the careers of multiple individuals during a continuous academic career. The award is named for the luminary cardiologist Eugene Braunwald, and previous recipients have included some of the most prominent researchers and educators in the country, each of whom has had a lasting impact on cardiovascular care and research through their extensive mentoring of residents and fellows.

Dr. Newburger has been a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School for the past 45 years. As a professor, she has encouraged, guided and mentored generations of trainees and early career faculty. In addition to training in clinical care at the bedside, she has been the primary research mentor for nearly 60 mentees, many of whom have achieved academic leadership positions nationally and internationally. She has been a program director of a large T32 program for more than three decades and mentored many fellows and junior faculty through National Institutes of Health Career Development (K) Awards, American Heart Association Early Career Awards and grants from other foundations. Dr. Newburger’s role as a mentor was recognized with Harvard Medical School’s Silen Lifetime Mentoring Award and with its Joseph P. Martin Award for the Advancement of Women Faculty. She  maintains a busy practice of patients with pediatric and congenital heart disease, and as such, has ongoing, first-hand experience with the issues affecting the well-being of this population and the domains in which clinical and translational research can make a difference. 

“We are grateful for Dr. Jane Newburger’s remarkable career as a physician, researcher and a distinguished leader who has mentored and trained countless clinicians,” said Keith Churchwell, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association 2024-2025 volunteer president, associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and adjunct associate professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. “Jane has helped advance pediatric cardiology in numerous ways, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when several cardiac conditions related to the virus presented in children. Her dedication and commitment to training the next generation of clinicians will have a lasting impact for years to come. Thank you for your many contributions to improving cardiac care for our youngest patients and to the Association, Jane!”

Dr. Newburger is an international thought leader whose research has impacted guidelines and practice in pediatric cardiovascular disease. One of her areas of expertise is Kawasaki disease, a disease typically encountered in children younger than age 5 that can cause serious damage to both the heart and blood vessels. According to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kawasaki disease occurs in 9-20 per 100,000 children in the continental U.S. Her research interests include improving the outcomes of children with Kawasaki disease through advancements in diagnosis and treatments. She began her investigative career as the principal investigator of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded multicenter trials of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for treatment of Kawasaki disease. Her other studies in Kawasaki disease have focused on newer treatments, risk prediction for coronary artery aneurysms and long-term impact on cardiovascular health. Dr. Newburger is also an international authority on neurological and developmental outcomes of children born with congenital heart disease. In randomized trials, she demonstrated deleterious effects of prolonged deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and extreme hemodilution during infant heart surgery. She has also characterized the developmental profiles of adolescents after repair of complex congenital heart disease and their association with brain MRI findings, studied genomic predictors of development and demonstrated the impact of sociodemographic adversity on developmental trajectory and neuropsychological well-being.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic Dr. Newburger’s leadership was a critical asset to the Association and clinicians when a new condition, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), was presenting like Kawasaki disease or toxic shock in some children who had tested positive for COVID-19. MIS-C, while rare, is a very serious condition that can cause cardiac issues, but unlike Kawasaki disease, these issues are usually temporary, resolving after five or six weeks. Because of her expertise, Dr. Newburger jumped right into researching MIS-C and its effects. She also became the face of the Association’s response to MIS-C, often quoted in statements about the condition and appearing on news segments, including the PBS News Hour, to relay timely information to the public.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to the American Heart Association and most especially to my mentees for this wonderful award,” said Dr. Newburger. “I have had no greater academic joy than to see my mentees grow into colleagues and to watch them transform the care of children with heart disease. Finally, Eugene Braunwald was a legendary mentor when I was in training, and I am humbled to be a recipient of this award in his honor.” 

Dr. Newburger earned a bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College, a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a master’s in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her medical training at Boston Children’s Hospital, first in general pediatrics and then in cardiology. She is the author of more than 600 peer-reviewed articles, chapters and statements. Dr. Newburger is the former chair of the Association’s Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease Subcommittee and a past member of the Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young. She was previously recognized by the Association in 2009 with the Clinical Research Prize and recognized again this year as a Distinguished Scientist. She also received the Association’s Council Meritorious Achievement Award and the Paul Dudley White Award, and she delivered the Lewis A. Conner Presidential Lecture at Scientific Sessions 2013. In addition, Dr. Newburger has been the recipient of the Distinguished Scientist Award (Clinical) of the American College of Cardiology and the Founder’s Award of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Additional Resources:

• Multimedia is available on the right column of the release link.
• AHA scientific statement: Latest research redefines neurodevelopmental risks, outcomes for congenital heart disease (Feb. 22, 2024)
• For more news at AHA Scientific Sessions 2024, follow us on X @HeartNews, #AHA24

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