Public Health and Nutrition Research Champion to Receive 2026 Chairman's Award

DALLAS - November 4, 2026 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) - Cheryl A.M. Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H., FAHA, founding dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), will receive the American Heart Association’s 2026 Chairman’s Award for more than two decades of volunteer leadership advancing the Association’s mission through science, advocacy, community engagement and donor stewardship. She will be recognized during the Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026, Nov. 6-9 in Chicago, a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science.

The Chairman’s Award recognizes medical and science volunteers whose leadership advances the Association’s goals beyond their scientific contributions. An internationally recognized nutrition and cardiovascular disease epidemiologist, Dr. Anderson has helped shape the Association’s strategy, strengthen its volunteer community and translate evidence into action in communities across the country.

“Few volunteer leaders have shaped the work of the American Heart Association as broadly or deeply as Dr. Cheryl Anderson, and it is a privilege to recognize her with the 2026 Chairman’s Award,” said Lee A. Shapiro, J.D., 2025-27 volunteer chairperson of the Association’s National Board of Directors. “Her impact extends beyond her scientific accomplishments. She brings people together around bold goals, mentors emerging leaders and turns evidence into action that strengthens the Association and the communities we serve.”

Dr. Anderson’s extraordinary commitment to advancing community health was most recently demonstrated through UC San Diego’s Revive and Survive initiative, developed in partnership with the American Heart Association’s San Diego team. The initiative recently reached its goal of training 1 million people in San Diego in bystander CPR, uniting 49 partners across public health, public safety, education, business and community organizations around the shared community and Association goal of creating a Nation of Lifesavers.

Dr. Anderson has also helped advance the emerging field of Food is Medicine. As part of the volunteer leadership team guiding the Association’s inaugural Food is Medicine research planning efforts, she helped shape a scientifically rigorous portfolio focused on how nutrition interventions can support engagement, adherence and lasting behavior change. She has championed nutrition-related public policy through the Association’s Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health and influenced national and international policy through service on the National Academy of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board and the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Most recently, she represented the Association on the writing committee for the 2026 multi-society Joint Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia and co-authored the Association’s 2026 scientific statement, “Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health.”

This record of impact reflects more than two decades of service to the Association. A dedicated volunteer since 2004, Dr. Anderson has served on the National Board of Directors and chaired the Council Operations Committee, the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention and the Nutrition Committee for the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. She has also served on the Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee and the Advocacy Coordinating Committee, helping strengthen collaboration among professional members, councils and volunteers.

Dr. Anderson’s research has deepened our understanding of how sodium, nutrition and healthy eating patterns influence cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions. Her work has shaped behavioral strategies and public health guidance worldwide, while her community-driven research has advanced cardiovascular health in diverse populations. As founding dean of UC San Diego’s Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, she has led significant growth in interdisciplinary education, research and innovation. She also serves as a professor in the division of nephrology and hypertension and the department of radiation medicine and applied sciences and holds the Hood Family Endowed Dean’s Chair in Public Health.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award from the American Heart Association, an organization I admire for its commitment to research, advocacy and developing the next generation of cardiovascular health leaders,” said Dr. Anderson. “For more than two decades, I have been inspired by what we have accomplished together, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue advancing our shared goal of making the healthy diet choice the default.”

Dr. Anderson earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a master of public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master of science in epidemiology and doctorate in nutrition sciences from the University of Washington, where she completed postdoctoral training in epidemiology. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2016. She is deputy editor of the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Care and serves on the editorial committee for the Annual Review of Nutrition.

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

For Media Inquiries:

American Heart Association Communications & Media Relations in Dallas: 214-706-1173; [email protected]

Michelle Kirkwood: [email protected]

For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org and stroke.org

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