The American Heart Association has announced that Cheryl A.M. Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H., FAHA, will receive its 2026 Chairman's Award. Anderson, the founding dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California, San Diego, is being recognized for more than two decades of volunteer leadership that has advanced the Association's mission through science, advocacy, community engagement, and donor stewardship. The award will be presented during the Association's Scientific Sessions 2026, taking place Nov. 6-9 in Chicago, a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements in cardiovascular science. The recognition underscores the vital role that volunteer scientists play in shaping public health strategy and translating evidence into action.
The Chairman's Award specifically honors medical and science volunteers whose leadership advances the Association's goals beyond their scientific contributions. Anderson, an internationally recognized nutrition and cardiovascular disease epidemiologist, has helped shape the Association's strategy, strengthen its volunteer community, and drive evidence-based changes in communities nationwide. Lee A. Shapiro, J.D., 2025-27 volunteer chairperson of the Association's National Board of Directors, said, "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. 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." This highlights why the award matters: it celebrates leaders who bridge the gap between research and real-world health improvements.
Anderson's commitment to community health is exemplified by UC San Diego's Revive and Survive initiative, developed with the American Heart Association's San Diego team. The initiative recently achieved 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 goal of creating a Nation of Lifesavers. This effort demonstrates the tangible impact of volunteer leadership on saving lives and improving community resilience.
In addition to her work on CPR training, Anderson has 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 also 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." These contributions are critical because they translate research into clinical practice and public policy, ultimately shaping how cardiovascular disease is prevented and managed.
Anderson's service to the Association began in 2004, and she has since 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, fostering collaboration among professional members, councils, and volunteers. Her research has deepened understanding of how sodium, nutrition, and healthy eating patterns influence cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions, shaping behavioral strategies and public health guidance worldwide.
As founding dean of UC San Diego's Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, Anderson 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," Anderson said. "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." Her leadership and research have far-reaching implications for public health, as they inform strategies to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and promote health equity. For more information about the American Heart Association, visit heart.org and stroke.org.
