Barbara Riegel, Ph.D., R.N., FAHA, Emerita Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor of Gerontology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, will receive the American Heart Association’s 2025 Clinical Research Prize at the Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025, to be held Nov. 7-10 in New Orleans. The award recognizes her groundbreaking research on self-care for chronic illnesses, especially cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Riegel, also a senior research scientist at the Center for Home Care Policy & Research at VNS Health and co-director of the International Center for Self-Care Research affiliated with Linkoping University in Sweden, has dedicated her career to understanding and measuring self-care. She defines self-care broadly to include treatment adherence, condition monitoring and symptom management. Her work has helped bridge the gap between patient experiences and clinical care.
“Dr. Riegel is a driving force in redefining chronic disease care through self-care science,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, the American Heart Association’s 2025-2026 volunteer president. “Her pioneering research and unwavering commitment is shaping care models worldwide and improving the lives of patients and caregivers alike.”
Dr. Riegel developed the internationally recognized Self-Care of Heart Failure Index, the premier evaluation tool to comprehensively measure self-care in patients with heart failure. Through rigorous psychometric testing and continuous refinement, the index has become the global standard, widely used in research, education and interdisciplinary clinical practice and cited in hundreds of peer-reviewed publications. Her most recent research focuses on innovative strategies to support caregivers, including virtual health coaching interventions aimed at promoting caregiver self-care.
Her distinguished research has been recognized with numerous awards from the Heart Association’s Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing, including the Heart Failure Research Prize in 1998, the Katherine A. Lembright Award in 2005, and in 2009, she was named one of the “Top 10 Cardiovascular Scientists.” In 2015, she received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association. Additional honors include the Distinguished Research Lectureship from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the Claire M. Fagin Distinguished Researcher Award from the University of Pennsylvania and the inaugural Nursing Research Award from the Heart Failure Society of America. In 2022, she received an Honorary Doctor of Medicine from Linkoping University in Sweden.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this award from the American Heart Association,” said Dr. Riegel. “I have spent my career focused on research aiming to make a true impact on those living with heart disease and other chronic illnesses.”
Dr. Riegel earned her doctorate in nursing from UCLA and has published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and 36 book chapters. The Clinical Research Prize will be awarded during the Presidential Session on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025.
