The International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences honored Robert J. Shmookler Reis, PhD, a professor and researcher in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, with an award that recognizes advancements in clinical science.
Reis received the Jawahar (Jay) Mehta Annual Award for Clinical Scientist during the organization’s North American Section conference in Tampa, Fla.
Reis is a professor in the Department of Geriatrics and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He also serves as a senior research career scientist in the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.
His internationally recognized research focuses on genetic factors in longevity and age-associated diseases. He and his collaborators have also published five papers in the cardiology field, including two in 2023.
The most recent paper demonstrated an increase in protein aggregation in hearts and brains after a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. Protein aggregation is associated with aging and with neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
“I’m a biologist and geneticist, rather than a cardiologist, so I feel especially honored to be recognized by such a renowned group of experts in the field of cardiovascular science,” he said.