Scientist whose work revealed immune system-hypertension link to receive the 2026 Joseph A. Vita Award

Embargoed until 8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026

DALLAS, Sept. 30, 2026 - A groundbreaking scientist whose discoveries revealed how immune activation and inflammation contribute to high blood pressure will be recognized by the American Heart Association at its annual Scientific Sessions in November. Annet Kirabo, D.V.M., Ph.D., FAHA, professor of medicine in the division of genetic medicine and clinical pharmacology at Vanderbilt Health, will receive the 2026 Joseph A. Vita Award at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026. The meeting, to be held Nov. 6-9, 2026, in Chicago, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science. Dr. Kirabo will be presented with the award during the Opening Session on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Named after late cardiovascular scientist Joseph A. Vita, M.D., this award is presented annually to a scientist whose research has significantly advanced the fields of cardiovascular biology or cardiovascular health within the past five years and whose work has been published in the journals of the American Heart Association. Dr. Vita was the founding editor of the Heart Association's open-access, peer-reviewed Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA). The award recipient is selected by the editors-in-chief of the Association's 14 peer-reviewed scientific journals and celebrates research that transforms or changes the direction of cardiovascular science.

"Dr. Annet Kirabo exemplifies the spirit of the Joseph A. Vita Award, which recognizes research that changes the direction of cardiovascular science," said Manesh R. Patel, M.D., FAHA, the American Heart Association's 2026-2027 volunteer president, the Richard S. Stack, M.D. Distinguished Professor of Medicine, chief of the division of cardiology and vice president of heart and vascular services at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. "Her pioneering discoveries represent a paradigm shift in cardiovascular biology, reshaping our understanding of hypertension by revealing how immune activation and inflammation drive cardiovascular disease. Through innovative, multidisciplinary research, she has uncovered potential therapeutic targets, including reactive lipid molecules called isolevuglandins and sodium-sensing pathways in immune cells, that have opened exciting possibilities for preventing and treating hypertension and related cardiovascular and kidney diseases."

Dr. Kirabo is internationally recognized for discoveries that have redefined the role of immune activation and inflammation in hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Her groundbreaking research demonstrated that lipid oxidation-derived protein adducts, which are proteins altered when they bind to highly reactive molecules produced during the oxidation of fats, act as neoantigens that trigger antigen-presenting cell activation, T-cell responses, vascular dysfunction and hypertension. These discoveries fundamentally changed scientific understanding of how the immune system contributes to blood pressure regulation. Today, her laboratory combines immunology, vascular biology, genomics, metabolomics and single-cell technologies to identify new therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular and kidney disease.

Her research spans the full spectrum of discovery science, from defining fundamental disease mechanisms to advancing translational research with the potential to transform patient care. With more than 230 scientific publications, sustained National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and numerous influential articles published in the Heart Association's journals, Dr. Kirabo's work has established new directions in cardiovascular science and continues to influence investigators worldwide.

Beyond her scientific discoveries, Dr. Kirabo has been an active Heart Association volunteer since 2009. She has served on the Council on Hypertension Communications Committee since 2018, including as chair from 2022 to 2024, and on the Council Operations Committee since 2024. She also has reviewed Association research proposals since 2017 and chaired sessions at scientific meetings in 2018, 2022 and 2023. Dr. Kirabo has served on the editorial board of the Hypertension journal since 2018 and as an associate editor of Circulation Research since 2019.

"I am deeply honored to receive the Joseph A. Vita Award from the American Heart Association, an organization that has supported my career from my predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships through my development as an independent investigator," said Dr. Kirabo. "Scientific discovery, mentorship and advancing new treatments for cardiovascular disease have been the primary focus of my career, and it is both rewarding and humbling to be recognized for it."

Dr. Kirabo earned her doctor of veterinary medicine degree with honors from Makerere University in Uganda before completing a master of science in cell and molecular biology at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and a doctorate in physiology and functional genomics at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She completed postdoctoral training in cardiovascular disease and inflammation at Vanderbilt University, where she now leads an internationally recognized research program and mentors the next generation of cardiovascular scientists.

A dedicated mentor and educator, Dr. Kirabo has trained dozens of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career investigators, many of whom have gone on to faculty positions and independent research careers. Her commitment to mentorship, scientific collaboration and innovation continues to shape the future of cardiovascular research while expanding opportunities for emerging scientists around the world.

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About the American Heart Association

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