Overview of the ISH Awards

The International Society of Hypertension (ISH) promotes and encourages the advancement of scientific research and knowledge and of its application in all aspects of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases. The Society offers a number of awards and lectureships at each Biennial Meeting and some of these are subject to receiving funding from external sources. The Society is extremely grateful to our corporate members for their generous support of these awards.

Nominations are invited for awards to support basic, clinical and scientific research work into the causes, treatment and prevention of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases. In the spirit of the senior awards, as recognition of outstanding merit by their peers, it should be understood that individuals should neither nominate themselves nor lobby to be nominated.

The Awards Committee assist with the selection of awards to individuals, groups or institutions honoured by the Society. This Committee is chaired by the President of the Society (or nominee) and has at least four other members of whom one is the Secretary of the Society. The Awards Committee will assess applications equally on their merits and eligibility.

The ISH 2010 Awards will be presented at an Awards Ceremony and Presidential Lecture during its 23rd Biennial scientific meeting in Vancouver. Date: Wednesday 29th September 2010 Time: 16:00-17:30 hrs Venue: Vancouver Convention Centre New for 2010, the ISH Presidential Lecture will be given, not by the ISH President, but by Dr. Gary Owens, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville. USA and is entitled Epigenetic Control of Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation and Phenotypic Plasticity in Cardiovascular Disease.

Dr. Owens is the foremost authority in terms of smooth muscle phenotype changes which occur during the development of cardiovascular diseases such as atheroma. Having studied with the famous Seattle group headed by Russell Ross, he has established his group in Charlottesville at the very forefront of cardiovascular research. Having had the opportunity to visit the group in 2009, the ISH President (Professor AM Heagerty) was very impressed by the vibrancy and enthusiasm of many of the young graduate students that Dr. Owens is attracting to his programmes and felt that he would be an ideal candidate to give the 2010 Presidential Lecture. There is no doubt that his lecture will be exciting and at the cutting edge of vascular biological science. We hope to see you there! The ISH would like to thank corporate sponsors for their generous support.