Bruder honored for significant contributions to cardiovascular research

Thiago Bruder, Ph.D., focuses his research on the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease.

By Lindsay Hughes

Thiago Bruder, Ph.D., an assistant professor of physiology and cell biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, recently received the Harry Goldblatt Award for New Investigators from the American Heart Association (AHA). The prestigious award, sponsored by the Council on Hypertension, recognizes an early-career independent investigator who has significantly contributed to the understanding of the causes of hypertension and related cardiovascular disease. 

“The award is deeply important for my career, as it provides national and international recognition of the research we are conducting on vascular biology and blood pressure regulation,” Bruder said. “It not only acknowledges the impact of our current findings but also positions our lab as a contributor to shaping the future of hypertension research.” 

“On a personal level,” Bruder added, “being honored early in my independent career enhances visibility within the cardiovascular community, strengthens opportunities for collaboration, and supports the competitiveness of future funding applications. Most importantly, it reinforces my commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists, giving me the opportunity to inspire trainees in the same way I was once inspired by the pioneers of this field.”

Thiago Bruder, Ph.D., presents at the

AHA Hypertension Scientific Sessions.

Bruder also had the opportunity to present a lecture during the AHA’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions, held in Baltimore in early September. In his lecture, he shared how he began his career in a cardiovascular pharmacology and physiology research lab and expressed gratitude to the mentors who have guided him since his undergraduate studies in Brazil. He then presented some of his lab’s published and unpublished findings on endothelial biology and blood pressure regulation.

“This lecture was a truly unique opportunity,” Bruder said, “as many of the leading cardiovascular scientists I have long admired — and whose manuscripts I studied as a graduate student — were in the audience.” 

The award is named after Harry Goldblatt, M.D., a pathologist who established the first experimental model of hypertension in 1934. This model laid the foundation for much of today’s research in blood pressure regulation. “To be honored in his name is truly priceless,” Bruder said.

Troy Stevens, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and director of the USA Center for Lung Biology, was among those who nominated Bruder for the award.

In addition to Stevens, nominators were Bruder’s postdoctoral mentor Eric Belin de Chantemele, D.Sc., Regents Professor at Augusta University; and Rhian Touyz, MBBCh, Ph.D., executive director and chief scientific officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada.

“I am deeply grateful to be named the 2025 Harry Goldblatt Award recipient and especially thankful to my lab members — both current and former trainees — whose dedication, creativity, and hard work have been essential to this recognition.”

Bruder, who is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, joined the Whiddon College of Medicine faculty in 2024. His lab is dedicated to investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, as well as discovering both therapeutic and non-therapeutic approaches to mitigate its effects. 

He earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of São Paulo in Brazil. He completed postdoctoral research in physiology at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia.