Noel Bairey Merz, MD, professor of cardiology and director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at the Smidt Heart Institutewill receive the 2023 Master of the ACC Award from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in honor of his pioneering contributions to the cardiovascular profession.
She will be recognized at the ACC’s annual scientific session on Monday, March 6 in New Orleans.
The Master of the ACC Award recognizes and honors ACC Scholars who have served with distinction, consistently contributing to college goals and programs, and providing leadership in important college activities.
It is an honor to recognize Dr. Noel Bairey Merz with the Master of the ACC Award. She has made outstanding contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine, helping to advance ACC’s mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health. »
Edward TA Fry, MD, ACC President
Bairey Merz has dedicated her career to cardiovascular clinical care and research, with an emphasis on heart disease in women, preventive cardiology, coronary physiology/pathophysiology, and advanced cardiac imaging.
In fact, Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, executive director of the Smidt Heart Institute, said Bairey Merz “single-handedly established Cedars-Sinai as the world’s leading center for heart disease in women.”
Christine Albert, MD, MPH, professor, chair of the department of cardiology and the Lee and Harold Kapelovitz Distinguished Chair in Cardiology at the Smidt Heart Institute, said the award “is a testament to Dr. Bairey Merz’s vast accomplishments in our field of cardiology. , both as a leader who paved the way, serving as a role model for generations of women and men who aspire to leadership in academic cardiology, and as a pioneer in the treatment and prevention of heart disease in women. Our entire team is very proud to have been chosen to receive this distinguished award. It’s well deserved.
Bairey Merz joined the Cardiology Department at Cedars-Sinai in 1985, working quickly to better understand and prevent cardiovascular disease in women; in the clinic and in the laboratory.
She also played a major role in proving that women’s heart attack symptoms often differed from those of men. For example, women are more likely to experience overwhelming fatigue, jaw pain, and nausea as heart attack symptoms, while men are more likely to experience left arm tingling and chest pain. Since these symptom differences emerged, Bairey Merz has also worked to educate women on how to recognize the symptoms of female heart disease.
Bairey Merz is currently leading the multicenter WARRIOR clinical trial, which she designed. The trial is testing whether the standard treatment used for obstructive coronary heart disease is effective for women with chest pain and without obstruction.
Since 1996, Bairey-Merz has also been the principal investigator of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored multicenter WISE (Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation) clinical trial, studying the detection and evaluation of cardiac artery disorders in women using non-invasive methods.
Her other groundbreaking areas of research include estrogen deficiency and cardiovascular disease in premenopausal women, autonomic cardiac function in women with microvascular coronary dysfunction, and exploring the power of female stem cells to regenerate healthy heart muscle following a heart attack.
Bairey Merz has also been a principal investigator in several surrogate outcome clinical trials sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, testing preventive cardiology interventions on outcomes ranging from advanced imaging to cardiovascular pathophysiology and autonomic nervous system. cardiac.
She has published over 450 peer-reviewed articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, circulation, Journal de l’American College of Cardiology, Journal international de cardiologie and the Women’s Health Journal, among others.
“My mission is to ensure the healthiest possible cardiovascular outcomes for every patient, and achieving equality of care is especially vital because heart disease and risk factors for heart disease often present differently in women than in women. men,” said Bairey Merz, the Irwin and Sheila Allen Chair in Women’s Heart Research. “It means a lot to receive this award from ACC for this work; I am deeply honored and committed to continuing to improve heart health and care for our patients. »
The ACC Annual Scientific Session brings together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the latest findings in treatment and prevention. This year, Bairey Merz will be leading various presentations focusing on women’s heart health, including “Expand Your Differential: Recognizing Unique Presentations of Chest Pain in Women.” » On Saturday March 4, she will present “Beyond Obstruction: Testing and Treatment Options in INOCA and MINOCA.” » On Monday, March 6, she will lead a session on prevention, in addition to receiving the 2023 Master of the ACC Award.
