The American Heart Association (AHA) will honor Lawrence J. Appel, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, with the 2026 Research Achievement Award. The award will be presented during the Presidential Session at Scientific Sessions 2026, to be held Nov. 6–9 in Chicago; the presentation is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8. The release notes that the recognition celebrates Dr. Appel’s decades-long contributions to nutrition, hypertension and related cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic research.
Dr. Appel is a professor of medicine, epidemiology, international health and nursing at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. His research portfolio spans controlled feeding studies, lifestyle intervention trials, chronic kidney disease (CKD) research and global efforts to improve hypertension control. The body of work has informed practical, evidence-based approaches enabling risk reduction through healthier dietary patterns, sodium reduction, weight management and other lifestyle strategies.
Among Dr. Appel’s most influential contributions is leadership of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial, published in 1997. The DASH trial demonstrated that an eating pattern rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy and lower in saturated fat produced substantial reductions in blood pressure. The trial established the DASH eating plan as a foundational, evidence-based approach for prevention and treatment of high blood pressure, and it has been incorporated into cardiovascular prevention recommendations internationally.
Dr. Appel was an investigator in the DASH-Sodium trial, which evaluated the effects of sodium reduction on blood pressure. That trial showed that lowering sodium intake reduced blood pressure and that the greatest benefit occurred when sodium reduction was combined with the DASH dietary pattern. Together, DASH and DASH-Sodium provided compelling evidence that both overall dietary pattern and sodium intake substantially influence blood pressure, reinforcing diet as a modifiable major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The OmniHeart trial extended DASH findings by testing substitutions in macronutrient composition. It found that partially replacing dietary carbohydrate with protein or unsaturated fat could further lower blood pressure and yield favorable effects on certain lipid measures. More recently, Dr. Appel co-led the DASH4D randomized clinical trial, which evaluated a DASH-style pattern adapted for adults with Type 2 diabetes. DASH4D demonstrated that combining the tailored dietary pattern with reduced sodium produced a clinically meaningful reduction in blood pressure in this higher-risk population.
Beyond feeding and nutrient trials, Dr. Appel led and contributed to behavioral intervention research to help people adopt and maintain lifestyle changes. Notable trials include PREMIER, which tested a program combining weight loss, physical activity, sodium reduction and the DASH dietary pattern; the Weight Loss Maintenance trial, which examined strategies to sustain weight loss; and the POWER trial, which tested practical weight-loss interventions delivered in clinical settings. These studies helped translate lifestyle science from controlled research environments into approaches applicable in healthcare and community settings.
Dr. Appel’s expertise extends to kidney disease research. He contributed to studies such as the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension and the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort. These efforts advanced understanding of factors associated with CKD development and progression, cardiovascular complications of kidney disease, blood pressure targets, genetic risk and disparities in kidney disease outcomes.
The research portfolio also includes trials that tested the effects of intensive pharmacologic blood-pressure control and studies focused on global implementation strategies to increase hypertension control rates. The release notes that hypertension control rates remain low worldwide and highlights Dr. Appel’s view that anti-hypertensive medications are complementary and synergistic with lifestyle modification.
Dr. Appel has authored or coauthored more than 700 scientific publications. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (2012) and the Association of American Physicians (2015). Within the AHA, he has been active since 1989, serving on the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention and the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, chairing the Nutrition Committee (2006–2008), leading the Sodium Strategy Task Force (2010–2020) and chairing the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health (2014–2016). He was previously recognized as an AHA Distinguished Scientist in 2018 and received the inaugural Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Mentoring Award in 2025.
Scientific Sessions 2026 is described as a premier global exchange of scientific advances, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science. The meeting will take place Nov. 6–9, 2026, in Chicago. Dr. Appel’s Research Achievement Award will be presented during the Presidential Session on Sunday, Nov. 8.
The release reiterates the AHA’s mission to advance cardiovascular health and ensure equitable health in all communities. It notes the organization’s longstanding role in funding research, advocating for public health and providing resources on cardiovascular disease and stroke. Media contacts and general inquiry information were provided in the original announcement for journalists and the public.