A cardiologist and investigator at Mass General Brigham in Boston has been selected to receive the American Heart Association's 2026 Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award, recognizing research that documents a sharp rise in cardiovascular disease during pregnancy and underscores the need for earlier risk detection. Emily S. Lau, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, will be honored during the Association's Scientific Sessions 2026, to be held Nov. 6-9 in Chicago, with the award presented on Saturday, Nov. 7.
The award, named for pioneering women's cardiovascular medicine researcher Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., FAHA, is given annually for the best research article on cardiovascular disease and stroke in women published in one of the Association's peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Lau was selected for her manuscript, "Contemporary Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy: Insights from a Real-World Pregnancy Electronic Health Record Cohort," published online in Circulation on Oct. 6, 2025.
The study analyzed 56,833 pregnancies among 38,996 individuals treated between 2001 and 2019 across multiple institutions. It found that maternal cardiovascular disease was present in 4% of pregnancies overall, or 8% after adjusting for age, and that the age-adjusted prevalence rose from 1% in 2001 to 7% in 2019. Pregnancy-related cardiovascular complications—including maternal death, major adverse cardiovascular events and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy—occurred in 15% of pregnancies overall, or 17% after age adjustment, and also increased over the study period.
Complications were more common among individuals who entered pregnancy with cardiovascular conditions or risk factors such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or obesity, and were disproportionately higher among non-Hispanic Black women. The findings point to the period before, during and after pregnancy as a critical opportunity to identify cardiovascular risk earlier and connect patients with preventive care.
"Dr. Lau's research demonstrates the urgent need to make cardiovascular health a routine part of care before, during and after pregnancy," said Jennifer Hall, Ph.D., FAHA, chief of data science and analytics at the American Heart Association. "By documenting how cardiovascular disease and pregnancy-related complications have increased over time, this study identifies an important opportunity to recognize risk earlier, address disparities and help more women protect their heart health throughout their lives."
Dr. Lau's manuscript was selected from 130 submissions from 18 countries published between June 1, 2025, and May 29, 2026, and was evaluated by 32 expert peer reviewers for scientific impact, innovation, methodology and quality of data. "It is a tremendous honor to receive an award bearing Dr. Wenger's name," Dr. Lau said. "Our findings show that more individuals are entering pregnancy with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy-related cardiovascular complications are also increasing in parallel. Pregnancy provides a critical opportunity to identify risk, strengthen prevention and help women build better cardiovascular health across their lifetime."
Dr. Lau serves as co-director of the Mass General Brigham Women's Heart Health Program and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her research examines how biological sex differences and female-specific risk factors contribute to cardiovascular disease, combining molecular profiling, imaging, exercise physiology and data science. The implications of her award-winning study extend beyond recognition: they signal that rising maternal cardiovascular disease is not a isolated trend but a widening public health challenge that demands systematic screening and preventive care before, during and after pregnancy. The American Heart Association provides resources for heart health at heart.org and stroke prevention information at stroke.org. Additional multimedia and details about the award are available through the association's release link.
