The American Heart Association has named Cheryl A.M. Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H., FAHA, as the recipient of its 2026 Chairman’s Award. Anderson, the founding dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California, San Diego, will be recognized during the Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026, taking place Nov. 6-9 in Chicago. The award honors medical and science volunteers whose leadership advances the organization’s goals beyond their scientific contributions, and Anderson’s selection underscores the growing importance of translating research into community-level action to combat cardiovascular disease.
An internationally recognized nutrition and cardiovascular disease epidemiologist, Anderson has helped shape the Association’s strategy, strengthen its volunteer community, and turn evidence into action across the country. Lee A. Shapiro, J.D., 2025-27 volunteer chairperson of the Association’s National Board of Directors, said, “Few volunteer leaders have shaped the work of the American Heart Association as broadly or deeply as Dr. Cheryl Anderson, and it is a privilege to recognize her with the 2026 Chairman’s Award. Her impact extends beyond her scientific accomplishments. She brings people together around bold goals, mentors emerging leaders and turns evidence into action that strengthens the Association and the communities we serve.”
Anderson’s commitment to community health is exemplified by UC San Diego’s Revive and Survive initiative, developed with the Association’s San Diego team. The initiative recently reached its goal of training 1 million people in San Diego in bystander CPR, uniting 49 partners across public health, public safety, education, business and community organizations around the shared goal of creating a Nation of Lifesavers. This milestone demonstrates the power of cross-sector collaboration in improving cardiac arrest survival rates.
Anderson has also been instrumental in advancing the emerging field of Food is Medicine. As part of the volunteer leadership team guiding the Association’s inaugural Food is Medicine research planning efforts, she helped shape a scientifically rigorous portfolio focused on how nutrition interventions can support engagement, adherence and lasting behavior change. Her work has influenced national and international policy through service on the National Academy of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board and the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Most recently, she represented the Association on the writing committee for the 2026 multi-society Joint Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia and co-authored the Association’s 2026 scientific statement, “Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health.”
A dedicated volunteer since 2004, Anderson has served on the National Board of Directors and chaired the Council Operations Committee, the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention and the Nutrition Committee for the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. Her research has deepened understanding of how sodium, nutrition and healthy eating patterns influence cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions. As founding dean of UC San Diego’s Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, she has led significant growth in interdisciplinary education, research and innovation. “I am deeply honored to receive this award from the American Heart Association, an organization I admire for its commitment to research, advocacy and developing the next generation of cardiovascular health leaders,” Anderson said. “For more than two decades, I have been inspired by what we have accomplished together, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue advancing our shared goal of making the healthy diet choice the default.”
Additional multimedia is available on the right column of the release link. The recognition of Anderson’s work comes at a critical time, as cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally. Her leadership in nutrition policy and community health interventions highlights the importance of evidence-based strategies to improve public health. The Association continues to provide resources and information through heart.org and stroke.org.
