On April 30, the area’s most prominent physicians, community and business leaders will come together at the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Annual Boston Heart & Stroke Ball to honor Elliott M. Antman, MD, with the Paul Dudley White Award.
This esteemed award is named in honor of one of Boston’s most revered cardiologists, Dr. Paul Dudley White, founding father of the American Heart Association, and represents the organization’s most prestigious tribute. It has been bestowed annually for more than 40 years to a Massachusetts physician. A committee of Massachusetts doctors selected Antman to be this year’s award recipient.
Antman is the immediate past president of the American Heart Association. He is also a professor of medicine and associate dean for clinical/translational research at Harvard Medical School, a senior investigator in the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Study Group, and a senior physician in the Cardiovascular Division of Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Heart & Stroke Ball Co-chair Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, praised Antman as “a revered mentor and professional role model whose interests in education, training, and the future of clinical research help define his current work at Harvard Medical School and beyond.”
“A devoted husband and exceptional grandfather, Dr. Antman’s generosity of spirit is exceptionally well recognized by this prestigious award,” said O’Gara, who is also a senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
A highly respected leader in cardiovascular research, Antman has authored or co-authored more than 700 scientific articles and led numerous multicenter trials. He has been an American Heart Association volunteer since 1977 and, among his many leadership roles, chaired the association’s Committee on Scientific Sessions Program in 2011 and 2012.
As president of the American Heart Association from 2014 to 2015, Antman emphasized the importance of technology and data strategies in advancing cardiovascular and brain health and improving patient outcomes. He chaired the organization’s first-ever Data Summit in April 2015 and provided key guidance for the association’s inaugural Health Tech Summit in September 2014.
Fellow Heart & Stroke Ball Co-chair Lee H. Schwamm said Antman “helped shape the scientific and professional approach to heart disease and stroke,” while serving as president of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
Schwamm, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, and executive vice chairman of neurology and director of the Stroke Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, also praised Antman’s contributions to the field of cardiology, specifically in the area of acute coronary ischemic syndromes. Through the development of biomarkers, Antman has helped “improve detection of events and risk of future events,” said Schwamm.
Antman lives in Weston with his wife, Dr. Karen Antman, who is the dean of Boston University School of Medicine and provost of the Boston University Medical Center. The couple has a daughter and a son, both physicians, and five grandchildren.
The Heart & Stroke Ball will bring together nearly 500 of Boston’s most prominent business, health care and community leaders for an inspirational evening of dinner, dancing, live entertainment, and an auction. Held at the InterContinental Boston, it is the premier social event benefiting the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association in its mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
This year’s Boston ball, which aims to raise $1 million, will be hosted by Jenny Johnson, the co-host of NESN’s “Dining Playbook,” and prior to that, co-host of NECN’s “TV Diner.” Last year, the national Heart & Stroke Ball campaign raised just over $51 million nationwide, which helped the American Heart Association fund more than $123 million of research and programs across the country.
SharkNinja is the legacy sponsor of the Heart & Stroke Ball. Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Philips, and the Cardiovascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are the event’s sponsors. Boston Magazine is the media sponsor. For more information, visit bostonheartandstrokeball.heart.org.