Emily S. Lau, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, a cardiologist and investigator at Mass General Brigham in Boston, has been selected to receive the American Heart Association's 2026 Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award at the Association's Scientific Sessions 2026, to be held Nov. 6-9, 2026, in Chicago. The award will be presented during the annual Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Research Goes Red® Award session on Saturday, Nov. 7. The award honors the best research article on cardiovascular disease and stroke in women published in one of the Association's peer-reviewed journals during the previous year.
Dr. Lau was selected for her manuscript, "Contemporary Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy: Insights from a Real-World Pregnancy Electronic Health Record Cohort," published online in Circulation on Oct. 6, 2025. The study analyzed 56,833 pregnancies among 38,996 individuals treated between 2001 and 2019. It found that maternal cardiovascular disease was present in 4% of pregnancies overall, or 8% after adjusting for age. The age-adjusted prevalence increased from 1% in 2001 to 7% in 2019. Pregnancy-related cardiovascular complications, including maternal death, major adverse cardiovascular events and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, occurred in 15% of pregnancies overall, or 17% after adjusting for age, and also increased over the study period.
Complications within one year after pregnancy were more common among individuals who entered pregnancy with cardiovascular conditions or risk factors, such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or obesity. They were also disproportionately higher among non-Hispanic Black women. "Dr. Lau's research demonstrates the urgent need to make cardiovascular health a routine part of care before, during and after pregnancy," said Jennifer Hall, Ph.D., FAHA, chief of data science and analytics at the American Heart Association. "By documenting how cardiovascular disease and pregnancy-related complications have increased over time, this study identifies an important opportunity to recognize risk earlier, address disparities and help more women protect their heart health throughout their lives."
The findings underscore the period before, during and after pregnancy as a critical window to identify cardiovascular risk earlier and connect patients with preventive care. With maternal cardiovascular disease rising sharply, the study signals a need for routine cardiovascular screening in pregnancy care, which could lead to earlier interventions and reduced complications. The disparities highlighted also point to the need for targeted efforts to address inequities in maternal heart health.
Dr. Lau's manuscript was selected from 130 submissions from 18 countries by 32 expert peer reviewers. "It is a tremendous honor to receive an award bearing Dr. Wenger's name and to share this recognition with my co-authors," said Dr. Lau. "Our findings show that more individuals are entering pregnancy with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy-related cardiovascular complications are also increasing in parallel. Pregnancy provides a critical opportunity to identify risk, strengthen prevention and help women build better cardiovascular health across their lifetime."
The award is named for Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., FAHA, a pioneering figure in women's cardiovascular disease medicine and an emeritus professor at Emory University School of Medicine. The Association's Research Goes Red® initiative aims to empower women to contribute to health research. Additional multimedia is available on the release link. For more information on the American Heart Association, visit heart.org or stroke.org.
