Family Heart Foundation Founder Katherine Wilemon Receives ASPC 2026 Honorary Fellow Award for Advancing Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
The Family Heart Foundation, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to research, education, advocacy, and patient support for inherited cardiovascular diseases, has announced that its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Katherine Wilemon, has been honored with the 2026 Honorary Fellow Award from the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC). The prestigious recognition was presented during the ASPC 2026 Congress on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, held in Scottsdale, Arizona, where cardiovascular experts, clinicians, researchers, and healthcare leaders gathered to discuss the latest advances in preventing heart disease.
The award recognizes Wilemon’s exceptional leadership in transforming awareness, diagnosis, research, and advocacy for inherited lipid disorders, particularly familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and elevated lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a.) Her selection also marks a historic milestone, as she becomes the first non-clinician ever to receive the ASPC Honorary Fellow Award, highlighting the increasingly important role that patient advocacy organizations play in shaping cardiovascular research, public health initiatives, and healthcare policy.
A Historic Recognition for Patient Advocacy
Traditionally, the ASPC Honorary Fellow Award has been presented to distinguished physicians, clinical investigators, and scientific leaders whose work has significantly advanced cardiovascular medicine. By recognizing Katherine Wilemon, the ASPC acknowledges that meaningful progress in disease prevention extends beyond laboratories and hospitals.
Patient advocates, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders have become essential partners in improving healthcare outcomes by raising awareness, educating patients, supporting research, and influencing healthcare policy.
For the Family Heart Foundation, the recognition reflects years of dedicated efforts to close longstanding gaps in identifying inherited cardiovascular disorders before they lead to life-threatening complications such as heart attacks and strokes.
The organization has consistently emphasized that early diagnosis and preventive treatment can dramatically reduce cardiovascular risk for millions of people who remain unaware they carry inherited conditions.
Transforming a Personal Health Crisis into a National Mission
Katherine Wilemon’s journey into cardiovascular advocacy began with a deeply personal experience.
At the age of 39, she suffered a heart attack despite having no prior diagnosis of inherited cholesterol disorders. Following the event, she learned that she had both familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and elevated lipoprotein(a)—two inherited conditions that substantially increase the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease.
The diagnosis revealed that these conditions had gone undetected for years, despite opportunities for earlier identification.
Recognizing that countless other families could face similar circumstances, Wilemon established the Family Heart Foundation with a mission to improve awareness, promote earlier diagnosis, and ensure that patients receive appropriate treatment before experiencing serious cardiovascular events.
What began as a personal effort to prevent others from facing the same challenges has since evolved into one of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to inherited cardiovascular disease prevention.
Recognition from the American Society for Preventive Cardiology
During the award presentation, ASPC Congress Chair Dr. David Maron praised Wilemon’s extraordinary contributions to cardiovascular prevention.
He noted that her leadership has fundamentally changed the landscape of care for individuals living with familial hypercholesterolemia and elevated Lp(a), two important but frequently underrecognized cardiovascular risk factors.
According to Dr. Maron, Wilemon’s advocacy has empowered patients, influenced public policy, encouraged earlier detection strategies, and improved understanding of inherited lipid disorders among healthcare professionals.
He emphasized that the Family Heart Foundation has become a driving force in promoting preventive cardiology and helping shift the healthcare system toward proactive identification and management of inherited cardiovascular risk.
Understanding Familial Hypercholesterolemia and Lipoprotein(a)
Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder characterized by significantly elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from birth. Without appropriate treatment, individuals with FH face a much greater risk of premature cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks occurring decades earlier than in the general population.
Similarly, elevated lipoprotein(a), commonly referred to as Lp(a), is another inherited cardiovascular risk factor that contributes to atherosclerosis and increases the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes, and aortic valve disease.
Unlike traditional cholesterol measurements, Lp(a) levels are largely determined by genetics and are not substantially influenced by diet or lifestyle.
Despite their importance, both conditions remain significantly underdiagnosed.
Millions of individuals carry these inherited risk factors without knowing they are affected, often until a serious cardiovascular event occurs.
This diagnostic gap has become one of the primary focuses of the Family Heart Foundation’s work.
Building a National Infrastructure for Early Detection
Under Katherine Wilemon’s leadership, the Family Heart Foundation has developed numerous initiatives designed to improve the identification and treatment of inherited lipid disorders across the United States.
Among its most significant achievements is the creation of CASCADE FH®, the nation’s only dedicated registry for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia.
The registry supports patient-centered research while providing valuable clinical data that help researchers better understand diagnosis patterns, treatment outcomes, and long-term disease management.
By collecting real-world information from patients across the country, CASCADE FH has become an important resource for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers seeking to improve standards of care.
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Identify Undiagnosed Patients
Recognizing that many individuals with inherited lipid disorders remain undiagnosed, the Family Heart Foundation has invested in innovative technologies designed to improve detection.
The organization developed machine-learning algorithms known as FIND FH® and FIND Lp(a)®, which analyze electronic health records to identify patients who may have inherited cardiovascular conditions but have not yet received appropriate diagnoses.
Working alongside major healthcare systems across the United States, these predictive tools help clinicians recognize high-risk individuals who might otherwise remain undetected.
This approach supports earlier intervention, enabling preventive therapies before irreversible cardiovascular damage occurs.
The implementation of these technologies also demonstrates how artificial intelligence can strengthen preventive healthcare by identifying patients who could benefit from additional evaluation and treatment.
Expanding Public Access to Cardiovascular Screening
The Family Heart Foundation has also focused heavily on increasing public access to cholesterol screening and cardiovascular risk assessment.
Through its nationwide Cholesterol Connect® initiative, the organization has provided free screening for elevated Lp(a) and high LDL cholesterol to more than 40,000 individuals.
These community-based screening programs aim to identify people at elevated cardiovascular risk before symptoms develop.
Early identification allows patients to receive appropriate medical evaluation, genetic testing when necessary, and evidence-based treatment strategies that may significantly reduce long-term cardiovascular complications.
Supporting Patients Beyond Diagnosis
In addition to screening initiatives, the Family Heart Foundation operates a comprehensive Care Navigation Center, which provides ongoing education, guidance, and support for thousands of individuals every month.
Patients and families receive assistance understanding their diagnoses, navigating treatment options, locating knowledgeable healthcare providers, and accessing educational resources.
This personalized support helps patients become active participants in managing inherited cardiovascular conditions while improving long-term adherence to treatment plans.
Advancing Global Collaboration
Beyond its national initiatives, the Family Heart Foundation has become an active participant in international collaborations focused on inherited cardiovascular disease.
The organization has worked alongside clinicians, researchers, patient groups, and policymakers worldwide to develop standardized approaches for improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of genetic lipid disorders.
These collaborative efforts promote knowledge sharing, harmonize clinical practices, and encourage broader adoption of evidence-based screening strategies across healthcare systems.
Influencing Healthcare Policy
Advocacy remains a cornerstone of the Family Heart Foundation’s mission.
The organization actively engages with healthcare professionals, legislators, government agencies, and patient ambassadors to encourage policies that improve access to screening, diagnosis, genetic testing, and treatment for inherited cardiovascular diseases.
Its advocacy efforts have helped elevate awareness of familial hypercholesterolemia and elevated Lp(a) within both medical and policy communities.
By emphasizing prevention rather than treatment after disease develops, the organization continues to encourage healthcare systems to prioritize early intervention.
Wilemon Reflects on the Honor
Following receipt of the award, Katherine Wilemon expressed gratitude to the American Society for Preventive Cardiology while emphasizing that the recognition represents the collective work of an entire community.
She noted that the honor belongs not only to herself but also to the families, clinicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, advocates, and partners who have worked together to improve care for individuals living with inherited cardiovascular disorders.
Wilemon emphasized that more than 60 million Americans are estimated to have either familial hypercholesterolemia or elevated lipoprotein(a), making continued awareness, research, and early detection essential public health priorities.
She also highlighted the significant progress achieved over the past decade while reaffirming the Foundation’s commitment to building a healthcare system centered on prevention rather than responding only after cardiovascular disease has already developed.
Receiving the ASPC 2026 Honorary Fellow Award represents both recognition of past accomplishments and encouragement for future progress.
As scientific understanding of inherited cardiovascular diseases continues to evolve, organizations like the Family Heart Foundation are expected to play an increasingly important role in connecting research with real-world patient care.
Through continued investment in research, artificial intelligence, patient education, advocacy, community screening, and international collaboration, the Foundation aims to ensure that inherited cardiovascular conditions are identified earlier, treated more effectively, and ultimately prevented from causing avoidable heart attacks, strokes, and premature deaths.
Katherine Wilemon’s recognition by the American Society for Preventive Cardiology underscores the growing impact of patient-led leadership in advancing cardiovascular prevention and demonstrates how personal experience can inspire meaningful improvements in healthcare for millions of individuals and families worldwide.
About the Family Heart Foundation
The Family Heart Foundation® is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization. The Foundation is a pioneer in the application of real-world evidence, patient-driven advocacy, and multi-stakeholder education to help prevent heart attacks and strokes caused by familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and elevated lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), two common genetic disorders that have an impact across generations. The Family Heart Foundation conducts innovative research to break down barriers to diagnosis and management of inherited lipid disorders; educates patients, providers, and policy makers; advocates for change; and provides hope and support for families impacted by heart disease and stroke caused by FH, HoFH, and elevated Lp(a). The organization was founded in 2011 as the FH Foundation.