Jennifer S. Lawton to receive 2026 American Heart Association Basic Research Prize

Dr. Jennifer S. Lawton will receive the 2026 Basic Research Prize from the American Heart Association. The award will be presented during the association’s Scientific Sessions in Chicago, scheduled for November 6–9, 2026.

Dr. Lawton, a faculty member at the University of Maryland and former chief of the division of cardiac surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is recognized for her translational research in myocardial and neuroprotection during cardiac surgery. Her work has focused on adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels and the cardioprotective effects of diazoxide to reduce myocardial injury during ischemia and reperfusion.

Her research includes the first FDA-regulated, first-in-human Phase I Safety and Feasibility Trial of Cardioplegia with Diazoxide (CPG-DZX), as well as studies investigating neurologic injury during circulatory arrest to improve protective strategies during surgery.