News Release

Johns Hopkins professor Dr. David Kass named one of seven Distinguished Scientists

American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2022

Grant and Award Announcement

American Heart Association

Embargoed until 7 a.m. CT / 8 a.m. ET Friday, Oct. 28, 2022

DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2022 – The American Heart Association is presenting one of its 2022 Distinguished Scientist awards to David A. Kass, M.D., FAHA, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The Association honors members who have significantly advanced the understanding of cardiovascular, stroke or brain health as Distinguished Scientists. Seven 2022 Distinguished Scientist awardees will be recognized during the Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022, which will be held in person in Chicago and virtually Nov. 5-7.

Dr. Kass’s work has helped medical professionals better understand heart disease and its treatments. He pioneered clinical studies of cardiac resynchronization pacing therapy and later uncovered how the therapy has additional benefits at the molecular and cellular level. This revelation is opening the door to heart failure patients who historically had not qualified for this treatment. He discovered how the protonated form of nitric oxide – nitroxyl – improves heart muscle function. His studies on the molecular pathophysiology of heart failure have revealed mechanisms for growth, fibrosis, protein quality control, and metabolism, identifying new therapies for heart failure, obesity, muscular dystrophy, and potentially immunotherapy for cancer. Several of these are already in clinical trials.

At the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Kass is the Abraham and Virginia Weiss Professor of Cardiology, and professor of medicine, biomedical engineering, and pharmacology and molecular sciences, as well as professor of the graduate programs of cellular and molecular sciences and pathology. He also is an adjunct professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Kass serves as the director of the Johns Hopkins Institute of CardioScience and the co-director of a post-doctoral cardiovascular research T32 program at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Kass earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Doctor of Medicine from Yale University. He completed his residency at the George Washington University Medical Center and completed a fellowship in cardiology at Johns Hopkins University Medical Institutions.

Dr. Kass has published more than 460 peer-reviewed articles and his work has been cited more than 73,000 times. He is a consulting editor for the American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology and a consulting editor for the Association’s flagship peer-reviewed journal Circulation. Dr. Kass has mentored more than 100 physicians and scientists. He holds eight U.S. patents related to the treatment of heart failure, improving heart function and use of nitroxyl for cardiac indications. He was previously awarded the Association’s 2008 Basic Science Research Prize, the 2004 George E. Brown Memorial Lecturer Award, the 1991 Established Investigator Award and the 1989 Melvin Marcus Award.

Additional Resources:

The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here

The American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022 is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science. The 3-day meeting will feature more than 500 sessions focused on breakthrough cardiovascular basic, clinical and population science updates occurring Saturday through Monday, November 5-7, 2022. Thousands of leading physicians, scientists, cardiologists, advanced practice nurses and allied health care professionals from around the world will convene virtually to participate in basic, clinical and population science presentations, discussions and curricula that can shape the future of cardiovascular science and medicine, including prevention and quality improvement. During the three-day meeting, attendees receive exclusive access to more than 4,000 original research presentations and can earn Continuing Medical Education (CME), Continuing Education (CE) or Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits for educational sessions. Engage in Scientific Sessions 2022 on social media via #AHA22.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.orgFacebookTwitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.  

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