Ovbiagele to Receive Braunwald Mentorship Award
The American Heart Association will honor Bruce Ovbiagele with its 2026 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award at Scientific Sessions in Chicago.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Heart Disease
Bruce Ovbiagele, professor and associate dean at the UCSF School of Medicine, will receive the American Heart Association's 2026 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award. He will be recognized during the Presidential Session on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago.
Why it matters
The award recognizes sustained excellence in teaching and mentoring faculty researchers, educators and health care professionals. It honors the legacy of Eugene Braunwald, who died in April 2026 at age 96, as a physician-scientist, educator and mentor.
Ovbiagele has authored more than 700 peer-reviewed publications and mentored more than 150 people from 18 countries. Eighty-five percent of his mentees have become faculty members, and 40% have received notable grants.
The players
Bruce Ovbiagele
Bruce Ovbiagele is a neurologist and global health researcher at UCSF who serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Eugene Braunwald
Eugene Braunwald was a physician-scientist and educator whose name is attached to the American Heart Association's mentorship award, and who died in April 2026 at age 96.
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a national nonprofit organization focused on cardiovascular health, which presents the Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award.
The details
Ovbiagele is professor of neurology, health policy and global health at UCSF, chief of staff of the San Francisco VA Medical Center, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Heart Association. He leads NIH-supported research and training programs as principal investigator and is founding president of the Society for Equity Neuroscience (SEQUINS).
Timeline
Nov. 3, 2026: Award announcement released to media, with embargo lifted at 8 a.m. CT.
Nov. 6-9, 2026: AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 held in Chicago.
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026: Ovbiagele to receive the award at the Presidential Session.
Heart Disease Research Landscape
The recognition extends the American Heart Association's long-standing practice of honoring mentorship in cardiovascular research, following the legacy of Eugene Braunwald, a cardiologist whose career shaped heart disease training in the United States. Mentorship of early-career researchers remains a central way the field builds its scientific workforce.
Mentorship programs like this one shape the researchers who develop heart disease treatments, which can affect future care options. The recognition highlights the training pipeline behind cardiovascular science rather than any immediate change to treatment.
The takeaway
Strong mentorship has lasting effects, as measured by the careers and grants of those trained. Readers interested in cardiovascular research can follow the American Heart Association's work on heart disease.
Further reading
Explore more on Heart Disease for context on the research and clinical work behind this award.
Source note: This article includes information reported by American Heart Association.
