Announcing the Anitschkow Prize 2026
We are delighted to announce that the 2025 EAS Anitschkow Prize, the Society’s most prestigious award, will be presented to Professor Heribert Schunkert, MD
Professor Heribert Schunkert is Professor of Cardiology at the Technische Universität München and Director of the Cardiology Department at the German Heart Centre Munich since 2012. He completed a research fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, USA, and clinical fellowships at Beth Israel Hospital, the Universitätsklinika Aachen and Regensburg, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, before becoming assistant and associate professor in Regensburg. From 2002 to 2012, he served as Director of Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Lübeck.
Prof. Schunkert’s research focuses on the molecular genetics of multifactorial cardiovascular disease. He has coordinated several EU- and BMBF-sponsored projects, as well as the European-American Leducq network CADgenomics, to identify the genetic roots of myocardial infarction. He has held board positions at University Hospital Regensburg and currently at University Hospital Münster. He is deputy director of the German Heart Foundation (Deutsche Herzstiftung) and has received the Order of Merit from the State of Bavaria. Prof. Schunkert has authored over 900 publications in international journals.
Motivation for the Anitschkow Prize
Professor Schunkert is a pioneer in the genetics of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Through groundbreaking genome-wide association studies in populations and families, he has identified numerous risk loci and clarified the mechanisms underlying atherosclerotic and other cardiovascular disorders.
As a driving force behind the CARDIoGRAM and CARDIoGRAMplusC4D consortia, he has helped establish the genetic map of coronary artery disease, fundamentally transforming our understanding of its polygenic nature. His work has also laid the foundation for polygenic risk scores and contributed to improved management of familial hypercholesterolemia in children and adolescents.
With nearly 1,000 publications, over 100,000 citations, and an h-index of 141, Professor Schunkert’s scientific impact is exceptional and internationally recognized. He is not only a leading researcher but also a mentor who has built strong research environments and consortia, making him a highly deserving recipient of the Anitschkow Prize.
We warmly congratulate Professor Schunkert and look forward to his Anitschkow Lecture, titled “The interplay of genetics and modifiable risk in atherosclerosis“, which will be presented during the EAS Congress Opening Ceremony on 24 May in Athens, Greece.
To review article in Atherosclerosis