UF Cardiologist Receives National Award for Research to Improve Women’s Heart Health

By Steph Strickland

data-gallery The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, also known as WomenHeart, has honored Carl J. Pepine, M.D., MACC, a cardiologist and professor of medicine in the UF College of Medicine, with the Wegner Award for Excellence in Medical Research for his decades of work in the field of women’s heart health.

Pepine, a former chief of the division of cardiovascular medicine at UF, has studied the intricacies of women’s cardiovascular health for nearly four decades. His most recent research projects seek to understand the complexities of ischemic heart disease, which in women involves the smaller
blood vessels within the heart, rather than major blockages of the larger coronary arteries that are common in men.

His dedication to understanding the effects of ischemic heart disease in women is what earned him this national recognition.

Pepine maintains his practice at UF Health Cardiology – Springhill and also sees patients at the UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital.

It was through his work treating cardiology patients that he first became acquainted with the differences between women and men in terms of cardiovascular issues. Observing the differences between patients of different genders is what allowed him to pose the research questions that he continues to raise today.

Pepine has published over 900 original papers, many focused on women’s heart health.

“On behalf of my team, I am honored to receive the distinguished Wegner Award,’’ Pepine said. “It is incredibly gratifying to know that our work has helped change the landscape for the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic heart disease in women.”