Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D., distinguished university professor of epidemiology & population health, has been selected to receive the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association (AHA). The award, the AHA’s highest honor, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to cardiovascular disease and stroke research.

Dr. Wassertheil-Smoller joined the Einstein faculty in 1969. She has served as the principal investigator of the Women’s Health Initiative and now as co-principal investigator of the Hispanic Community Health Study.

Her research has focused on hypertension, stroke risk, the impact of depression on cardiovascular health, and cardiovascular disease, particularly in older women.

Key findings of her work informed national guidelines on when to initiate hypertension treatment, identified depression as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease-related deaths, and found that hormone therapy, compared to placebo, increased stroke risk and doubled the risk of dementia.

She is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the American Heart Association. In addition, she is a noted author of multiple books, including a textbook on statistics now in its fifth edition. She is also a Holocaust survivor.