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 and/or those who have profoundly impacted cardiovascular disease prevention by taking the field in a whole new direction.
2026 Joseph Stokes III, MD Pioneer in Prevention Award Recipient
Keith Ferdinand, MD, FASPC
Professor of Medicine, Gerald S Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology, Tulane University
Dr. Ferdinand is Professor of Medicine, Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology at the Tulane University School of Medicine and previously Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Xavier University, New Orleans, and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Ferdinand received his medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC. He is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, certified in the subspecialty of nuclear cardiology, and a specialist in clinical hypertension.
Dr. Ferdinand is a member of the Association of University Cardiologists, past Chair of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, and prior Chief Science Officer and Chair of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC). He is presently on the board of the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health, National Lipid Association, and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology.
He has conducted numerous trials in hypertension lipids, cardiometabolic risk, and cardiovascular disease especially in racial/ethnic minorities, with over 300 peer-reviewed publications and lectures nationally and internationally.
Furthermore, he is the president of Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project (HHCPP) 501c3 nonprofit health organization in New Orleans
Previous Winners of the Joseph Stokes Pioneer in Prevention Award:
2025 Roger Blumenthal, MD
2024 Sergio Fazio, MD, PhD
2023 William C. Roberts, MD, MACC
2023 Larry Sperling, MD, FASPC
2022 Scott M. Grundy, MD, PhD
2022 Donna K. Arnett, PhD, MSPH, BSN
2021 Nathan Wong, PhD, MPH, FASPC
2021 Suzanne Oparil, MD
2020 Arthur Agatston, MD
2020 Paul Ridker, MD, MPH
2019 Mark Sussman, PhD
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
2008 Robert Eckel, MD
2007 John Robin Crouse III, MD
2006 Darwin Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD
2005 Stephen P. Fortmann, MD
2004 Curt Furberg, MD
2003 Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, MD
2002 Philip Greenland, MD
2001 Michael Criqui, MD, MPH
2000 Shiriki Kumanyika, PhD, MPH
1999 John W. Farquhar, MD & Russell V. Luepker, MD
1998 Gerald Berenson, MD
1997 Thomas A. Pearson, MD, PhD
1996 Elaine Stone, PhD, MPH