Honorees: Dr Aram V. Chobanian

Distinguished Physician, Researcher, Medical Pioneer, Humanitarian,
Academician, Administrator, Author

Aram V. Chobanian has previously served as President ad interim and President of Boston University, 2003-2005; Dean of the School of Medicine, 1988-2003; and Provost of the Boston University Medical
Campus, 1996-2003. He founded the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute at the Boston University School of Medicine in 1973, serving as its Director 1973 -1992. During this time, he oversaw its rapid development into a center for pioneering research into the biological and clinical aspects of cardiovascular disease and Dr. Chobanian played a leading role in the merger of Boston City Hospital With Boston University Medical Center Hospital to create Boston Medical Center. His leadership was also instrumental in the development of the BioSquare Research Park and in Boston University Medical Center’s receiving a $128 million federal grant to build a national biocontainment laboratory. Boston University recently awarded him with an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa in 2006.

In addition, some of his current and past appointments include: President Emeritus, Boston University & Dean Emeritus, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) in 2005; University Professor, (BUSM), 1999; John I. Sandson Distinguished Professor of Health Sciences, 1993; Professor of Pharmacology (BUSM), 1975, and Professor of Medicine, (BUSM) in 1971.

Dr. Chobanian received his A.B. in 1951 from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts in 1955. He has received numerous awards for his basic and clinical research on cardiovascular diseases. These include the First Lifetime Achievement Award in Hypertension of the American Heart Association, the Modern Medicine Award, in 1990, the Award of Merit of the American Heart Association, the Abbott Award of the American Society of Hypertension and the Freis Award of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program. He recently chaired the Seventh Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He has published more than 250 papers and two books, and currently chairs the Publications Committee of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Additional Honors and Awards include: Annual Orator, Massachusetts Medical Society; Eastman Kodak Award of National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry; Special International Lecturer, Japanese and Canadian Hypertension Societies; Aaron Brown Lecturer, Jefferson Medical College; Election to Association of American Physicians and American Society for Clinical Investigation; Past-chairman, AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research; Past-present, New England Cardiovascular Society; Foreign Member, Armenian National Academy of Sciences; Phi Beta Kappa; Sigma Xi, Alpha Omega Alpha; Past and current editorial board memberships include: New England Journal of Medicine, Hypertension, Journal of Hypertension, Blood Pressure, Hypertension Research, and Heart Disease.

Dr. Chobanian has been involved in several programs to improve health care in Armenia. These have included the training of Armenian physicians, nurses, and other health professionals in emergency medicine, trauma care, and health care management; development of medical residency and post-graduate educational programs in Armenia; establishment of a successful medical student elective program for US medical students to spend one to two months in Armenian hospitals and clinics; and the provision of much-needed medical equipment, supplies, and medications to Armenia. He has been elected as a Foreign Member of the Armenian National Academy of Science He is the recipient of the Gold Medal from the Yerevan Medical University. Catholicos Aram I recently bestowed the St. Mesrob-Mashtots Medal on Dr. Chobanian.

Dr. Chobanian’s current and past external committees include: Chairman, Publication Committee, Massachusetts Medical Society/New England Journal of Council on High Blood Pressure Research, AHA; Alton Ochsner Award Selection Committee; Chairman, NHLBI Joint National Committee on Evaluation & Treatment of Hypertension (JNC VII-2003 and JNC IV-1988); Member, Board of Extramural Advisors, NHLBI, 1999-2002; Member Advisory Council, NHLBI, 1992-1996, Past-chairman of: NHLBI Committeeon Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia, Task Force on Future Direction in Hypertension Research, NHLBI Review Committee B, NHLBI Hypertension and Kidney Disease Research Task Group, NHLBI Advisory Committee on Hypertension and Arteriosclerosis and Food and Drug Administration’s Cardiorenal Advisory Committee.

His Board memberships include: Board of Trustees (Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Committee), Roger Williams Medical Center; Board of Directors of New England Healthcare Institute, Governance and Personnel Committee and Chair, Health Care Committee, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative; Board of Trustees, National Hypertension Association; Board of Directors, Armenian National Sciences and Education Fund; Fellow Trustee, Armenian Assembly of America.