The American Heart Association will award its 2026 Clinical Research Prize to Dr. Katherine R. Tuttle, a physician-scientist whose three decades of work have reshaped the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and illuminated its deep connections to cardiovascular disease. The recognition, announced by NEWMEDIAWIRE, will take place during the Association's Scientific Sessions 2026, to be held Nov. 6-9 in Chicago. Dr. Tuttle will receive the award on Sunday, Nov. 8, during the Presidential Session.
Dr. Tuttle serves as executive director for research at Providence in Spokane, Washington, and as professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Her research focuses on diabetes, CKD, and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, an integrated framework that recognizes the interrelated effects of kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Her pioneering studies helped establish SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists as breakthrough therapies that reduce the risks of kidney failure, major adverse cardiovascular events, and premature death in people with and without diabetes.
The implications of this award extend beyond one career. Dr. Tuttle's work has been central to moving kidney care from a siloed specialty into the mainstream of cardiovascular prevention and treatment. By demonstrating that therapies originally developed for diabetes can protect both the heart and kidneys, she has helped accelerate a shift toward integrated care models that could alter outcomes for millions of patients worldwide. Her leadership in the CURE-CKD Registry, one of the nation's largest real-world databases of patients with CKD, diabetes, and hypertension, encompassing more than seven million health system patients across Providence and UCLA Health facilities in seven states, provides a foundation for translating clinical trial findings into everyday practice.
Manesh R. Patel, M.D., FAHA, the American Heart Association's 2026-2027 volunteer president, praised Dr. Tuttle's impact. "Dr. Tuttle has fundamentally changed the care of patients living with chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic conditions," Patel said. "Her visionary clinical research has deepened our understanding of the connection between kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, and helped advance an integrated approach to cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic health."
Dr. Tuttle has also played a leading role in shaping clinical guidelines. She served on the writing committee for the 2026 AHA/ACC/ADA/ASN Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome, a document expected to influence how clinicians screen, diagnose, and treat CKM conditions. Her involvement in major trials such as AWARD-7, FLOW, and REMODEL, as well as executive committee roles for FINE-ONE, FIND-CKD, ZEUS, TRIUMPH-Outcomes, EASi-Kidney, and EMPA-KIDNEY, has helped define the evidence base for next-generation therapies.
"I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the American Heart Association," said Dr. Tuttle. "Throughout my career, I have focused on collaboration to advance clinical research and improve the lives of people living with cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic diseases."
Dr. Tuttle's honors include the National Kidney Foundation's Garabed Eknoyan Award in 2017, the American Association of Kidney Patients' Medal of Excellence in 2020, and the American Society of Nephrology's John P. Peters Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. In 2025, she was elected to the Association of American Physicians and named a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher. She has authored more than 500 peer-reviewed publications.
Additional multimedia is available on the release link. The American Heart Association, a leading source of health information for more than a century, continues to drive breakthroughs in cardiovascular science and care through its Scientific Sessions and related initiatives.
