BOSTON – On April 29, 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 Philip A. Wolf, 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.
Dr. Philip A. Wolf
A committee of Massachusetts doctors selected Wolf to be this year’s award recipient. He is the first neurologist to receive the award.
Wolf is professor emeritus of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine. He was co-principal investigator on the Framingham Heart Study Physical Examination, Testing and Surveillance from 1983 to 1989 and was the principal investigator from 1989 until 2014.
In 2002, Wolf stepped down from the post of chief of the Cerebrovascular Disease Section of the Department of Neurology at Boston University Medical Center, a position he held for more than 30 years. In that role, he participated in several international cooperative clinical studies of stroke.
Wolf has received many honors during his career. In 1992, he was selected by the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council to receive a Jacob A. Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award and was the first to receive the Humana Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association. He also received the Mihara Cerebrovascular Disorder Research Fund Mihara Award of the International Stroke Society in 1996.
A highly-respected leader in neurology research, Wolf has authored or co-authored over 500 refereed articles, book chapters, and abstracts. His publications are largely focused on the topics of the epidemiology of stroke, dementia and cognitive decline.
Wolf has also been elected to several professional associations, including the American Neurologic Association, the American Epidemiologic Society, and the American Academy of Neurology.
Wolf received his medical degree from the State University of New York College of Medicine at Syracuse and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In 2010, he received an honorary doctor of science degree from his alma mater.
Wolf has completed nine marathons, including five Boston Marathons and two New York City Marathons. He and his wife Bobbie have been married for 48 years. They reside in Boca Raton, Fla., during the winter and Osterville, Mass., during the summer. They have two children and seven grandchildren.