Smidt Heart Institute Proteins Expert Honored With Two Biomedicine Awards
Work of Jennifer Van Eyk, PhD, Centers on How Heart Disease Changes Proteins Found in the Body and How Proteins Differ in Men, Women
Jennifer Van Eyk, PhD, director of the Advanced Clinical Biosystems Research Institute in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai has been honored by two national organizations for her excellence and leadership in the field of biomedicine: the United States Human Proteome Organization (US HUPO) and Northeastern University’s Barnett Institute.
For more than 25 years, Van Eyk’s work has focused on clinical proteomics, the study of the structure and function of proteins within the body. Her research also is aimed at understanding how disease alters proteins differently in women with heart disease than men with heart disease.
“My team’s mission is to move our discoveries through the science pipeline and into the hands of clinicians to create better outcomes for patients,” said Van Eyk, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Heart Health at Cedars-Sinai. “It’s an honor to have our work recognized by these prestigious organizations.”
The proteomics organization awarded Van Eyk the Catherine E. Costello Award for Exemplary Achievements in Proteomics, which recognizes a researcher who has made significant discoveries and accomplished scientific achievements. Van Eyk will be honored at the organization’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon, in March.
Van Eyk also has been awarded the biennial Karger Medal from the Barnett Institute at Northeastern University for her outstanding achievements in bioanalytical chemistry.
“Dr. Van Eyk is an international leader in this field,” said Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, executive director of the Smidt Heart Institute. “The discoveries coming out of her lab are changing the face of medicine. She richly deserves every recognition for her outstanding work.”
During 2023, Van Eyk’s work has received an abundance of honors. Earlier this year, Van Eyk also was recognized with the Distinguished Contribution Award from the Association for Mass Spectrometry and Advances in the Clinical Lab, the President’s Distinguished Lecture Award from the International Society for Heart Research, and a spot on the 2023 Ten Years of Impact Power List by The Analytical Scientist. Most recently, her research lab was included on first lady Jill Biden’s tour of Cedars-Sinai women’s health research.
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