DALLAS — The American Heart Association will present the inaugural Jack Sarver Prize in Clinical Science and Jack Sarver Prize in Basic Science to two researchers at its Scientific Sessions 2025, Nov. 7-10 in New Orleans. Dr. Zainab Mahmoud of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Dr. Zhao Zhang of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas will receive the awards on Nov. 8. The prizes, established through a gift to the association, honor Jack Sarver, who died of heart disease in 1979 at age 58, and aim to end the family’s heritage of heart disease.
Dr. Mahmoud’s abstract, “Aspirin Prophylaxis for Preeclampsia Prevention in Nigeria: A Mixed Methods Study,” addresses high maternal mortality in Nigeria, where more women die around childbirth than in any other country. Preeclampsia is a leading cause. Her study assessed aspirin use among at-risk pregnant women and identified barriers such as poor guideline dissemination, limited awareness, delayed prenatal care, and cost. She concluded that overcoming these obstacles could make this low-cost intervention a powerful tool to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria and similar settings.
Dr. Zhang’s abstract, “Forward Genetic Screen Identifies HELZ2 as a Central Regulator of APOB mRNA Stability Linking Hepatic Steatosis and Atherosclerosis,” investigates how genetic factors affect apolipoprotein B (APOB), a protein key to lipid transport. His research used a mouse model to explore mechanisms behind metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and atherosclerosis. The study discovered a rare dominant mutation implicating HELZ2 protein as a potential therapeutic target for both conditions.
“We are honored to recognize Dr. Zainab Mahmoud and Dr. Zhao Zhang with the first-ever Jack Sarver Prize awards,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., volunteer president of the American Heart Association. “Their research touches on the very foundation on which this award was established — preventing cardiovascular disease to improve lives for generations to come.”
Dr. Mahmoud, a physician-scientist focusing on cardio-obstetric care, holds degrees from Trinity College Dublin, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Imperial College London. She completed her internal medicine residency at Pennsylvania Hospital and a cardiology fellowship at Washington University. She received the 2023 Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red Award.
Dr. Zhang earned his bachelor’s from Shandong University and a Ph.D. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After postdoctoral training with Dr. Bruce Beutler at UT Southwestern, he began his independent career there in 2020, using forward genetics to uncover mechanisms of cardiometabolic disease.
Submissions for the next award cycle open in spring 2026. Established investigators may receive over $35,000 to further their research. Visit Professional Membership Awards for details.
