Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation

“I think of a hero as someone who, over a lifetime, performs deliberate, carefully thought-out, unique acts that demand moral courage. These are acts that anyone could, but no one else dares, to. The impact that a single courageous good deed can have is enormous. Just one such action may launch ripples to the eternity of time. When you ask about my heroes, clearly I have many—my wife Louise foremost.” Bernard Lown, MD

The Louise Lown Heart Hero Award is given annually to celebrate and recognize innovative, preventive approaches to promoting cardiovascular health in developing countries and other low-resource settings. This award honors Mrs. Lown's lifelong commitment to the rights and wellbeing of others through her work as a social worker, activist, and writer.

The award is administered by ProCor, a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation in Brookline, Mass. ProCor is a global health communication network that promotes knowledge sharing to prevent cardiovascular disease in developing countries and other low-resource settings.

Applications are encouraged from community-based programs (non-profit, governmental, or private sector) working to promote heart health in developing countries or other low-resource settings (i.e., disadvantaged communities in developed countries) through innovative, preventive approaches. To be considered, applicants must meet the specified criteria and provide all information requested on the application form.