- Contributions to new knowledge in the field
- Contributions to teaching and/or clinical care in the field
- Professional leadership in national or international organizations
The honoree should be a present or past member of a scientific council of the American Heart Association.
The ATVB Distinguished Achievement Award is presented annually during the ATVB Business Meeting and Awards Reception at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions. Suggested nominees for the Distinguished Achievement Award should be presented to the ATVB Leadership Committee.
The following is a list of past ATVB Distinguished Achievement Award honorees:
| 1982 | Gardner McMillian, M.D., FAHA |
| 1983 | Sol Sherry, M.D. |
| 1985 | Howard E. Eder, M.D. |
| 1986 | Edwin W. Salzman, M.D. |
| 1988 | Daniel Steinberg, M.D., Ph.D. |
| 1989 | Stanford Wessler, M.D. |
| 1991 | Richard Havel, M.D., FAHA |
| 1992 | John Hoak, M.D., FAHA |
| 1994 | Edwin L. Bierman, M.D. |
| 1995 | Earl W. Davie, Ph.D., FAHA |
| 1997 | Scott M. Grundy, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA |
| 1998 | Thomas F. Deuel, M.D., FAHA |
| 1999 | Victor J. Dzau, M.D., FAHA |
| 2000 | Jan Breslow, M.D., FAHA |
| 2001 | Samuel I. Rapaport, M.D., FAHA |
| 2002 | Donald Heistad, M.D., FAHA |
| 2003 | Henry Ginsberg, M.D., FAHA |
| 2004 | John Brunzell, M.D., FAHA |
| 2005 | Elizabeth Nabel, M.D., FAHA |
| 2006 | Linda Curtiss, Ph.D., FAHA |
| 2007 | Donald Heistad, M.D., FAHA |
| 2008 | Alan Daugherty, Ph.D., D.Sc., FAHA |
| 2009 | Göran Hansson, M.D. |
| 2010 | Mark Taubman, M.D. |
| 2011 | Robert Hegele, M.D., FAHA Murray Huff, Ph.D., FAHA |
| 2012 | Lawrence Rudel, PhD, FAHA |
