Joseph Stokes III, MD Award
History of the Award:
Presented annually, the Stokes Award commemorates Joseph Stokes III, MD (1924–1989), the famed cardiologist and epidemiologist who contributed so much to the field as well as to the ASPC. The award is bestowed on individuals who have demonstrated a lifetime achievement in preventive cardiology.
2021 Joseph Stokes III, MD Award Recipient
Nathan Wong, PhD, MPH, FASPC
Professor and Director, Heart Disease Prevention Program
Division of Cardiology
University of California
Irvine, CA
Co-Editor-in-Chief, AJPC
Past-President, ASPC
Dr. Nathan Wong is a cardiovascular epidemiologist, specialist in preventive cardiology, and Professor and Director, Heart Disease Prevention Program, Division of Cardiology at the University of California, Irvine in California, where he has been on faculty since 1988, with joint appointments in Epidemiology and UCLA and UC Irvine. He holds MPH and PhD degrees in epidemiology from Yale University and is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), National Lipid Association (NLA), and American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC). He is currently president of the Interamerican Heart Foundation, focusing on cardiovascular health promotion in Latin America, and is a past president of the ASPC and Pacific Lipid Association (Chapter of the NLA). He served on the board of the ASPC for many years and is a current board member of the NLA. He is also a past chair of the AHA Prevention Science Subcommittee and long-time member of the ACC Prevention Leadership Council and Member Services and Credentialing Committee, and the AHA Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.
Dr. Wong has primary research interests in the epidemiology of subclinical atherosclerosis, including vascular calcification, as well as epidemiology and management of dyslipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. He has participated as an investigator or collaborator on key prospective studies, including the Framingham Heart Study, Cardiovascular Health Study, Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and Women’s Health Initiative. He has authored over 350 papers and co-edited seven textbooks, including the Braunwald Companion on Preventive Cardiology and two editions of the ASPC Manual on Preventive Cardiology. He is also on the editorial board of several cardiology and diabetes-related journals, including serving as co- editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Dr. Wong lectures locally, nationally and internationally on various topics in preventive cardiology. He is also a recipient of the Jan Kellerman Memorial Award for Achievement in Preventive Cardiology, ASPC Presidential Citation Award, and Distinguished Fellowship Award from the International Academy of Cardiology, and is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.
He is also a recent recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and elected Full Professor of the European Center for Peace and Development formed by the United Nations. Dr. Wong is a long-time member of the Sierra Club, past mountain climber, and currently enjoys skiing, hiking, kayaking, and paddleboarding in his spare time.
Previous Winners of the Joseph Stokes Award:
2020 Paul Ridker, MD, MPH
2019 Daniel Levy, MD
2018 Neil Stone, MD
2017 Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM
2016 Aaron Folsom, MD
2015 Virgil Brown, MD
2014 Nanette Wenger, MD
2013 Sidney C. Smith Jr., MD
2012 Jeremiah Stamler, MD
2011 William B. Kannel, MD, MPH
2010 Ezra Amsterdam, MD
2009 Lewis Kuller, MD, PhD