Virginia Howard, PhD, Distinguished Professor at the UAB School of Public Health, received this year’s Population Research Prize at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024. Her research career focuses on stroke and many factors contributing to the unequal burden of stroke.

Howard is the lead stroke epidemiologist for the national Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study, a 25-year cohort study, sponsored by the NIH. She has been one of the lead clinical trial epidemiologists for five major stroke primary or secondary  prevention multicenter clinical trials. She is a longtime co-director of the Analysis Core and mentor on UAB’s Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research funded by National Institute on Aging.