Doctor Stories
Renowned Stanford Medicine Cardiologist and Researcher Awarded for Leadership and Diversity by Top Organizations
05.25.2022
Stanford Medicine is pleased to announce that Hannah Valantine, MD, professor of cardiovascular medicine, has received significant accolades for her work in the field of heart transplantation, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Valantine is the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). In addition, Valantine recently received the 2022 Pamela S. Douglas Distinguished Award for Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion by the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
These honors speak to Valantine’s decades-long commitment to improving heart transplantation outcomes and her vital contributions to DEI in cardiology. As an integral member of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Valantine continues her dual focus on organ transplant rejection and representation in the scientific workforce.
“I’m excited to implement additional systemic changes that will further improve diversity, equity, and inclusivity at Stanford,” said Valantine. “I’m also focusing on clinical and translational research, expanding on my earlier laboratory-based research on the mechanisms of allograft failure and vasculopathy.”
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ISHLT Lifetime Achievement Award
Hannah Valantine, MD
As the recipient of the 2022 ISHLT Lifetime Achievement Award, Valantine becomes the third member of Stanford Medicine to receive this significant honor. This recognition speaks to her lifelong commitment to advancing cardiovascular science and patient care.
ISHLT grants this award annually to an individual with an unparalleled contribution or advancement within the field of heart and lung disease. Recipients have distinguished themselves through significant work toward improving patient care.
Champion for diversity and inclusion
Valantine has been a powerful advocate for diversity and inclusion for decades, earning her the ACC recognition for this crucial aspect of the cardiovascular profession. The ACC grants the Pamela S. Douglas Distinguished Award to a member who has championed inclusivity in the workforce. Awardees are a voice that engages diverse perspectives and backgrounds in the cardiovascular field.2
“I am deeply honored to be the recipient of the ACC’s Pamela S. Douglas Distinguished Award,” said Valantine. “This award highlights the importance of leading or actively engaging in activities to foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinics and institutions.”
Valantine’s career in DEI began in 2004. For 10 years, she served in the inaugural position of Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Leadership at Stanford Medicine. Valantine then served as the inaugural Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity at the NIH from 2014-2020. Today, she is back at Stanford Medicine, where she continues her pivotal work.
Stanford Medicine has already made important progress in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Under the leadership of Lloyd Minor, Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, women now comprise 47% of all department chairs. This is in marked contrast with most peer institutions. Among the top 10 NIH-funded research institutions in the United States, only 19% of department chairs are women.3
Valantine is partnering with Stanford Medicine to create an integrated approach that includes:
"This award highlights the importance of leading or actively engaging in activities to foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinics and institutions."
- Additional training and tools to combat conscious and unconscious bias and racism
- Advising leaders in the Department of Medicine on how to further advance faculty diversity in gender, race, and ethnicity
- Gathering diverse groups to conduct team science and apply for NIH grants
Throughout her career, Valantine has led research to understand differences and disparities across racially diverse patient populations. Her continued efforts will enhance Stanford Medicine’s reputation as an institution committed to equity for all.
Pioneer in heart transplantation research
Stanford Health Care was the first U.S. transplant center to perform cardiac transplantation. And in the 1980s, Valantine was on the front lines of this exciting new procedure with her colleagues at Stanford Health Care.
Today, more than 30 years later, her passion for improving heart transplantation continues. Alongside Stanford Medicine scientists, Valantine recently developed donor-derived cell-free DNA technology, a novel tool used to monitor organ transplant rejection. Her research continues to establish this blood biomarker as a reliable indicator of allograft injury early, during acute rejection, and to help distinguish different types of rejection.
Results of the heart transplant study reveal that donor-derived cell-free DNA detects acute rejection earlier than the standard biopsy. Read the full article in Circulation.
The study came after initial findings from the Genomic Research Alliance for Transplantation (GRAfT) replicated the technology’s abilities. Created by Valantine, GRAfT is a consortium of five heart and lung transplant centers in Washington, D.C. GRAfT enrolls and actively follows transplant patients, almost half of whom are African Americans. The substantial inclusion of racial ethnic groups in GRAfT will allow for further studies by Valantine and her colleagues to understand why African Americans face a particularly high risk of organ rejection, with the goal of developing new anti-rejection drugs.
Elected to National Academy of Medicine
In recognition of her exceptional achievements, Valantine’s peers elected her to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2020, one of the highest honors in health and medicine. This private, nonprofit institution serves as an evidence-based advisor to advance medicine, health, science, and technology.4
Valantine’s induction into this honorific society acknowledges her national leadership in scientific workforce diversity and cardiac transplantation research. Her data-driven approach in these two important areas has led to game-changing policies and new programs that enriched the nation’s biomedical talent pool and have generated paradigm-shifting innovations in patient care.
In addition to this prestigious ISHLT award, Valantine has received the 2022 Pamela S. Douglas Distinguished Award for Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion from the American College of Cardiology.
Dedicated to patient care and research
Today, Valantine remains committed to cardiology science and research while caring for patients. She sees patients in the Stanford Health Care Advanced Heart Failure Program and Heart Transplant Program.
In recognition of her exceptional achievements, Valantine’s peers elected her to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2020, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
Stanford Health Care continues to be recognized as a top-ranked heart transplant and heart failure hospital for its high volumes, excellent outcomes, innovations, and expertise. Stanford Health Care is ranked among the nation's top 10 Cardiology & Heart Surgery programs.5
Learn more about Hannah Valantine, MD and the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute.
References:
- National Institutes of Health. Statement on the Retirement of Dr. Hannah Valantine. Accessed 4/8/2022.
- American College of Cardiology. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Distinguished Awards. Accessed 4/8/2022.
- Valantine HA. Where Are We in Bridging the Gender Leadership Gap in Academic Medicine?. Acad Med. 2020;95(10):1475-1476. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000003574
- National Academy of Medicine. About the National Academy of Medicine. Accessed 4/8/2022.
- U.S. News Rankings 2021-22 Best Hospitals for Cardiology & Heart Surgery. U.S. News & World Report. Accessed 4/8/2022.
About Stanford Health Care
Stanford Health Care seeks to heal humanity through science and compassion, one patient at a time, through its commitment to care, educate and discover. Stanford Health Care delivers clinical innovation across its inpatient services, specialty health centers, physician offices, virtual care offerings and health plan programs.
Stanford Health Care is part of Stanford Medicine, a leading academic health system that includes the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Children’s Health, with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Stanford Medicine is renowned for breakthroughs in treating cancer, heart disease, brain disorders and surgical and medical conditions. For more information, visit: www.stanfordhealthcare.org.