Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious Award From World Heart Federation
President of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital given top honor for his contributions to combating cardiovascular disease worldwide
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, President of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital receives the World Heart Federation Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024
The World Heart Federation (WHF) is honoring Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, President of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, with its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024. This top honor recognizes his remarkable contributions to the WHF mission, and to the entire cardiovascular disease community for his dedication to combating this disease worldwide.
The WHF will present Dr. Fuster with this award on Saturday, May 25, during the World Heart Summit in Geneva, Switzerland.
“I am proud of this award, particularly because it represents Mount Sinai’s worldwide scientific contributions and dedication to advancements in the cardiovascular field,” says Dr. Fuster.
Dr. Fuster is a pre-eminent leader in cardiovascular medicine. His contributions to the field, and to prevention and treatment of heart disease globally, are unparalleled. Dr. Fuster was named Director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai in 1994, became Director of Mount Sinai Heart at its establishment in 2006, and held that position until the end of 2022. He built what is now known as Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital into one of the world’s leading centers for cardiovascular care, cardiac surgery, and advanced research. Dr. Fuster is also General Director of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC).
Dr. Fuster also helped develop a cardiovascular “polypill”—a single pill that includes three medications typically taken separately—that is effective in preventing secondary adverse cardiovascular events in people who have previously had a heart attack. Dr. Fuster and his team showed that the polypill reduces cardiovascular mortality by 33 percent in this population. This medication was recently included by the World Health Organization in its List of Essential Medicines and is pending Food and Drug Administration approval in the United States.
His research into the origin of cardiovascular events, which has contributed to improved treatment of heart attack patients, was recognized in 1996 by the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, the highest international award given by Dr. Fuster’s native Spain. In June 2011 he was awarded the Grand Prix Scientifique of the Institute of France for his translational research into atherothrombotic disease. Recently, he was named a Prince Mahidol Award Laureate in Thailand for his lifelong contribution to the field of medicine, and in 2022, the American College of Cardiology instituted the “Valentin Fuster Award in Science and Innovation,” which will be given to a single physician annually for the next 14 years.
Dr. Fuster has also received the highest awards for research from the four leading cardiovascular organizations: the American Heart Association (Gold Medal and Research Achievement Award), the American College of Cardiology (Living Legend and Life Achievement Award), the European Society of Cardiology (Gold Medal), and the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (Research Achievement Award). In May 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spain granted Dr. Fuster the title of Marquis for his "outstanding and unceasing research efforts and his educational outreach work."
Mount Sinai is a World Leader in Cardiology and Heart Surgery
Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital at The Mount Sinai Hospital ranks No. 1 in New York and No. 4 globally according to Newsweek’s “The World’s Best Specialized Hospitals.” It also ranks No. 1 in New York for cardiology, heart, and vascular surgery, according to U.S. News & World Report®.
It is part of Mount Sinai Health System, which is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. We advance medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest-quality, most accessible and equitable, and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,400 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2023-2024.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.
As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.
Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.
