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NEW YORK – March 18, 2019 — Martin B. Leon, MD, has been awarded the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award by the American College of Cardiology in honor of his contributions to the cardiovascular profession. Dr. Leon is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) and is currently CRF’s Co-Director, Medical Research and Education. He will be recognized for these achievements at the ACC Convocation, Inauguration and Awards Ceremony on March 18 during the ACC’s 68^th Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has had a lifetime of outstanding achievements in the field of cardiovascular disease and has served as a role model through service, basic or clinical research and teaching.

“Dr. Leon’s dedication to improving cardiovascular health and enhancing patient care is a testament to his expertise and professionalism,” said ACC President C. Michael Valentine, MD, FACC. “It is a privilege to be able to honor Dr. Leon with the Lifetime Achievement Award and celebrate his tremendous contributions to the cardiovascular field.”

Dr. Martin Leon is the Mallah Family Professor of Cardiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Director of the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy (CIVT) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Previously, Dr. Leon was also the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and currently serves on the Executive Board of the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Heart Valve Center.

A distinguished pioneer in interventional cardiovascular medicine, Dr. Leon has been the national principal investigator for over 75 clinical trials that have helped shape the field including STRESS, STARS, Gamma-one, SIRIUS, ENDEAVOR, and most recently, the PARTNER trials, studying the value of transcatheter valve therapy for patients with aortic stenosis. He has co-authored more than 2,000 peer reviewed scientific publications and abstracts, which have appeared in the most prestigious medical journals. As a practicing interventional cardiologist, Dr. Leon has performed over 10,000 procedures during his career.

He is the Founder and Director of Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), the world’s premier scientific symposium dedicated to interventional cardiovascular medicine, which celebrated its 30^th anniversary last year. He has also been the Director or Co-Director of more than 100 international educational programs in the field. Dr. Leon has received 20 international career achievement awards and was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Athens.

Dr. Leon was previously the Director of Cardiovascular Research and Education at the Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute in New York as well as Director of Clinical Research at the Washington Cardiology Center at the Washington Hospital Center and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. He also served as a Clinical Associate, Senior Investigator, and Director of the Catheterization Laboratories in the Cardiology Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He was a founder of the Washington Cardiology Center and the Cardiology Research Foundation in Washington, DC.

Dr. Leon received his medical degree from the Yale School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine internship and residency as well as a cardiology fellowship at the Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Nineteen Distinguished Awards will be presented at the Annual Scientific Session this year, each recognizing an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine. Recipients are nominated by their peers and then selected by the American College of Cardiology Awards Committee.