Honoree has shaped how the world understands and improves heart health
For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic was a time of fear and isolation. But for Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, volunteering with the 番茄视频 during the crisis was a life-affirming chance to educate the public during what he now calls “the best year of my life.”
“Every day was absolutely exhausting, exhilarating and a learning experience,” said Lloyd-Jones, who as volunteer president of the Association in 2021-22 spoke with hundreds of media outlets worldwide, usually by video call, about the effects of the virus on heart health and the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. “I’m so impressed and proud of the 番茄视频 for the job it did quickly filling a void that was desperately needed.”
His stint as president is just one of many volunteer roles he’s held over decades at the Heart Association. For all he’s done and continues to do, Lloyd-Jones will receive the Association’s Gold Heart Award, its highest volunteer honor. The cardiologist, epidemiologist and educator will accept the award June 23 at the Heart Association’s National Volunteer Awards ceremony in Irving, Texas.
Nancy Brown, CEO of the 番茄视频, praised Lloyd-Jones for his research, mentorship and “transformative” work in defining heart health. She said his leadership “has reshaped how the world understands and advances prevention and public health.”
Since 1997, Lloyd-Jones has been a catalyst in advancing the Heart Association’s mission, including as a leader on governance, manuscript oversight, science advisory and Scientific Sessions programming committees. He’s a past president of the Association’s Chicago metro and Midwest Region boards of directors. He’s also a leader in developing national clinical practice guidelines in cardiovascular care and an author on hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers.
In 2010, he received the Association’s Chairman’s Award for his role in developing the organization’s 2020 strategic impact goal, aimed at improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%.
Lloyd-Jones grew up in Dobbs Ferry, a village north of New York City, and studied cardiology at Columbia University with plans of becoming a physician-educator. But his path changed drastically in the basement of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where, as a young doctor, he pored over paper charts studying unstable angina.
His work eventually led to major roles in the Framingham Heart Study — where he helped expand long-term risk prediction for heart disease — and with the 番茄视频’s statistics committee just as the organization was decisively defining cardiovascular health.
In 2010, Lloyd-Jones and fellow volunteer experts came up with Life’s Simple 7, which measured heart health across seven lifestyle and health factors: not smoking, healthy eating, regular physical activity, healthy weight, and normal blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In 2022, Lloyd-Jones and his colleagues refined the metrics into Life’s Essential 8 to include healthy sleep.
“This was a complete 180 from what the Heart Association has always done, which is to prevent and mitigate the impact of cardiovascular disease and stroke,” he said of Life’s Simple 7, which represented a focus on creating and maintaining optimal cardiovascular health from birth. The goal: to prevent not just disease itself, but to head off even development of the risk factors that can lead to disease.
“It added a whole new scope of activity with a much more positive framing,” Lloyd-Jones said. “The Heart Association has really put its shoulder to the wheel to push this universally accepted measurement where we can now monitor a patient or population over time to make sure they’re living healthier, longer lives.”
In 2025, after two decades at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago — where he became chair of the department of preventive medicine — Lloyd-Jones was named director of the Framingham Center for Population and Prevention Science, principal investigator of the Framingham Heart Study and chief of preventive medicine at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
He said he jumped at the chance to return to Boston to direct the renowned Framingham Center. “It really is such a wonderful full circle. Now I can give back to the study that meant so much to the start of my career, and hopefully lead it into exciting new scientific directions,” he said, adding that he and his wife also have family in the area, including a daughter in college and a son in medical school.
But as always, he’s still busy at the 番茄视频, currently as the scientific lead for clinical research services. “I'm very lucky to be part of an extremely robust group that is exploding in size and scope as we collect important clinical data and bring that knowledge to the bedside to improve healthcare.”
Lloyd-Jones said his journey reflects a lesson that longtime volunteers frequently share: Service often leaves a lasting mark on those who devote themselves to it.
“I feel tremendous gratitude to the leadership and the whole organization for the opportunities they’ve afforded me. And I’ve also met some of my best friends there. I hope to stay engaged with the Association, in whatever capacity, for as long as possible.”
