Program Overview & History

Dr. McCue The Dr. Carolyn McCue Award for Woman Cardiologist of the Year is a program of the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center, made possible by a grant from the McCue family. The award honors the late Carolyn Moore McCue, MD, who was a national pioneer in pediatric cardiology.

The award was established in 2008 and again presented in 2009, and has then resumed in the year 2022. Past recipients include: C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD (2008), Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD (2009), Sharonne N. Hayes, MD (2022), and Annabelle Santos Volgman, MD (2023). The award carries a monetary prize of $7500 and is presented at the Heart Health in Women Symposium held in Richmond, Virginia annually.

Biography

Biography

Dr. Carolyn McCue (1916-1999) was one of the few female cardiologists of her time and a pioneer in the field of pediatric cardiology. Dr. McCue practiced at the Medical College of Virginia (now VCU Health) for 42 years and was the first woman elected president of the 187-year-old Richmond Academy of Medicine. Dr. McCue created and chaired MCV’s Pediatric Cardiology Division for 20 years, during which she was also instrumental in establishing pediatric cardiology clinics in medically underserved communities throughout Virginia.

Dr. Annabelle Santos Volgman, Rush Medical College and Rush University Medical Center

It is our great honor to announce Annabelle Santos Volgman, MD, FACC, FAHA, as winner of the 2023 Dr. Carolyn McCue Award for Woman Cardiologist of the Year. Dr. Volgman earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College, where she graduated with honors, and received her doctorate in medicine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City. She co-founded Chicago’s first heart program dedicated exclusively to women, the Rush Heart Center for Women, and currently serves as medical director at Rush University. Dr. Volgman is a prominent leader in the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign, and to show her support for the campaign, she wears red every day, reminding people that heart disease remains the leading cause of death among women in the United States.

Dr. Volgman was presented with the Dr. Carolyn McCue Award for Woman Cardiologist of the Year at the Pauley Heart Center Heart Health in Women Symposium in Richmond of Saturday, February 4, 2023, where she gave a keynote address titled: “Women and Heart Disease: Are Women’s Hearts Really Different from Men’s?”

Dr. McCue The award is limited to a woman Adult or Pediatric cardiologist who is currently practicing in the United States or another country. The candidate must possess an MD, DO, or equivalent international medical degree and be 10 years or more post-med school. The candidate must have had an academic affiliation for the majority of her career. The candidate must be a woman cardiologist who is recognized nationally/internationally for important contributions to the general field of Adult or Pediatric Cardiology through clinical care, research, teaching, and leadership in mentoring. While a candidate may not be outstanding in all of these skills, she must excel in one or more. Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by a peer.

Nominations for the Dr. Carolyn McCue Award for Woman Cardiologist of the Year will be accepted between February 4, 2023 – April 13, 2023. Presentation of the Award and a monetary prize of $7500 will be made at the Heart Health in Women Symposium in Richmond in February 2024. The awardee will also be asked to serve as the Keynote Speaker at the Symposium..

Nominations for the Dr. Carolyn McCue Award for Woman Cardiologist of the Year are now open.