For Release: January 7, 2009
Contact: dms.communications@dartmouth.edu, 603-650-1492
Dartmouth Researcher John Hwa to Receive Heart Association Award
Dr. John Hwa
Hanover, N.H.—A Dartmouth Medical School physician-scientist will be honored by the American Heart Association (AHA) for his research to help understand and detect cardiovascular disease.
Dr. John Hwa, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology and of medicine (cardiology), is the inaugural recipient of a special award, to be presented Jan 30 at the AHA annual Heart Gala at the Sky Meadow Country Club Nashua, NH.
"We raise money to support research and education," said Rosanne Cronin, Heart Gala director, "and we wanted to put a face on who is providing the research we fund. We met with Dr. Hwa, and were immediately taken with his dedication to find solutions to save lives. He inspired us to create an award for those unsung heroes who work countless hours to reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke."
"The prevention of heart disease is incredibly important," said Hwa, pointing out that treating heart disease in the United States costs more than $200 billion annually. "If we can better identify patients who are likely to develop severe heart disease, we can start treatment before the disease develops, and improve the patient's quality of life, and reduce health costs in the process."
Research is really the frontier of medicine.
—Dr. John Hwa
After training as a p[physician and cardiologist in Sydney, Australia, Hwa earned a PhD in physiology and biophysics from Case Western Reserve University. He joined DMS in 2000 and a 2002 AHA Scientist Development grant helped him get his lab up and running. His is now a full-time researcher with as many as 10 people working in his lab.
Hwa's current project with the American Heart Association's National Established Investigator Award focuses on identifying people at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease based upon their genetics. His group has undertaken a large-scale genetic screening study, the Pharmacogenetics of Prostacyclin (POP) Trial, looking at thousands of cardiology patients and healthy volunteers to identify how genetic variations between individuals may influence the development of cardiovascular disease.
"Research is really the frontier of medicine," Hwa said. "Rather than helping just one person, you can potentially help thousands or even millions of people. I hope my research will lead to a better understanding of how heart disease develops and progresses, and that it will open new avenues for therapies."
-DMS-
