Suzanne Oparil, M.D., FACC, FAHA, FASH, FAPS, distinguished professor of Medicine, professor of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, and director of the Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program of the Division of Cardiovascular Disease in the Department of Medicine, has been named recipient of the 2016 Excellence Award in Hypertension Research by the American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Hypertension Selection Committee. This Awardhonors excellence in research and discoveries in the field of hypertension and the nominee’s impact on their fields throughout their career. Oparil was carefully selected for her outstanding lifelong contributions to hypertension research and for her overall impact on the field of hypertension. Oparil is a cardiologist with a special interest in the fundamental mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and in applying this information to the development of novel treatments. Her research ranges from molecular and cellular studies to whole animal studies to clinical trials. She has made a number of innovative discoveries with major clinical impact and was involved in early research of the fundamental mechanisms of vascular disease.
She has made many groundbreaking observations that have greatly impacted clinical medicine and continue to influence novel treatments for hypertension. Early in her career, she observed that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was capable of generating a vasoconstrictor hormone, angiotensin II. The work of Oparil and colleagues led to the development of ACE inhibitors. She identified endothelin as a major mediator of hypoxic-mediated pulmonary hypertension in animal models, a discovery that led to the development of endothelin receptor antagonists for the treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Her recent research investigated novel pathways by which estrogens protect against vascular injury; which has led to important clues about how female sex hormones protect blood vessels.
Oparil served as president of the American Heart Association, the American Society of Hypertension and was the first female president of the American Federation for Clinical Research (later renamed American Federation for Medical Research). She has received numerous honorary memberships, lectureships and distinguished awards for her contributions to academic medicine, particularly the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Most recently, as a testament to her exceptional accomplishments, Oparil was selected as a distinctive member of the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame, Class of 2016 for her exemplary service to healthcare throughout the State of Alabama.
She is member of a number of prestigious societies, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), and the Association of University Cardiologists. Oparil has held important advisory positions with the National Institutes of Health, including membership on task forces, expert panels and peer-review and guidelines committees. She is a remarkable leader in hypertension research and continues to break new ground in cardiovascular research.
Oparil will be honored for this prestigious award during the upcoming AHA Council on Hypertension 2016 Scientific Sessions in September in Orlando, Fla.