The American Heart Association is presenting its 2021 Distinguished Scientist in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology to Kathryn J. Moore, Ph.D., FAHA, of New York University Grossman School of Medicine. The Association designates Distinguished Scientist awards in several categories to members who have significantly advanced the understanding of cardiovascular, stroke or brain health. The six 2021 Distinguished Scientist awardees will be recognized during the Association’s Scientific Sessions 2021, which will be fully virtual, Saturday, Nov. 13 through Monday, Nov. 15, 2021.
Dr. Moore’s groundbreaking work has helped to identify new therapeutic targets for the treatment of arteriosclerosis. Throughout her career she has explored how the immune system affects arteriosclerosis and, more recently, the links between myocardial infarction and cancer progression. She is internationally recognized for her research on the molecular pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases, and the roles that non-coding RNAs and dysregulated immune responses play in those settings. By forging new links between lipids, metabolism and innate immunity, her discoveries have revealed fundamental insights into pathways that regulate cholesterol homeostasis and vascular inflammation.
“Congratulations to Dr. Moore for her incredible research contributions that have helped forge new paths in our understanding of the biological origins of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease,” said Association President Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M., FAHA.
Dr. Moore is the Jean and David Blechman Professor of Cardiology, professor in the department of cell biology and the director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at New York University Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. She also leads The Kathryn Moore Lab at NYU, focused on identifying molecular mechanisms that underpin metabolic dysregulation and chronic inflammation in cardiometabolic diseases and integrating basic science discovery, preclinical and translational research in the areas of noncoding RNA biology, innate immunity and lipid metabolism.
Dr. Moore earned her Ph.D. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her early research focused on the immune response to pathogens, and she became fascinated with the mechanisms of “sterile” inflammation and pursued postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in the areas of autoimmunity and atherosclerosis. She joined the Harvard Medical School faculty as an assistant professor in 2001, before moving to New York University in 2009.
Dr. Moore has been the recipient of numerous awards for her contributions in the fields of innate immunity and vascular biology, including the AHA’s Special Recognition Award, the Jeffrey Hoeg Arteriosclerosis Award for Basic Science and Clinical Research, and the National Institute of Health’s Outstanding Investigator Award. In addition, Dr. Moore was recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences.