StopAfib.org Announces the Recipient of the 2026 Eric N. Prystowsky, MD Advocate for Patients Award

The award recognizes a professional who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to afib patients and their families. StopAfib.org bestows the award during its annual Get in Rhythm. Stay in Rhythm.^® Atrial Fibrillation Patient Conference.

DALLAS, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At its annual patient conference, StopAfib.org bestowed its prestigious Eric N. Prystowsky, MD Advocate for Patients Award on Jonathan Piccini, MD, MHS, FHRS, to recognize his outstanding commitment to afib patients and their families.  

Dr. Piccini is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist and the Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of medicine at Duke University and the Duke Clinical Research Institute. He is the Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology for the Duke University Health System. He is an Associate Editor of JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and former member of the Heart Rhythm Society's Board of Trustees. Dr. Piccini has more than 600 publications in heart rhythm medicine.

"Dr. Piccini is a true innovator on the front lines of afib research and treatment," said Mellanie True Hills, founder and CEO of StopAfib.org. "As a co-author of many guidelines and consensus statements around the globe, his patient focus helps guide clinicians in treating their patients. Dr. Piccini continues to involve patients and our perspectives in numerous initiatives. Patients are not always listened to in clinician circles, but when the most highly respected clinicians bring our messages to their colleagues, our concerns get heard."

Eric N. Prystowsky, MD, FHRS, an electrophysiologist at St. Vincent Indianapolis, was the first recipient of the Advocate for Patients Award in 2013.

"He was selected because he has played such an important role in getting the afib patient community a seat at the table, so patient values and preferences are considered in decisions about our care," Hills said.

At the Get in Rhythm. Stay in Rhythm.® Atrial Fibrillation Patient Conference in 2016, StopAfib.org renamed the award in his honor, and bestows it on a deserving healthcare professional each year.

Past award recipients are:

• 2017: Andrea Natale, MD, FHRS
• 2018: Doug Packer, MD, FHRS
• 2019: Hugh Calkins, MD, FHRS
• 2020: Frank Marchlinski, MD, FHRS
• 2021: Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM
• 2022: Vivek Reddy, MD
• 2023: Andrea M. Russo, MD, FHRS
• 2024: James L. Cox, MD
• 2025: Sana Al-Khatib, MD, FHRS

"This award is special because patients bestow it upon a clinician who demonstrates outstanding commitment to, and contributions for the benefit of, afib patients and their families," said Hills. 

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder. If left untreated, it can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other serious complications, including dementia.

Learn more about afib and how to get in rhythm and stay in rhythm at www.StopAfib.org.

About StopAfib.org
StopAfib.org, based in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, was founded in 2007 by an afib patient for afib patients. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for those living with afib and save lives by raising awareness of afib and decreasing afib-related strokes and heart failure. StopAfib.org provides information about afib symptoms, causes, risks, treatments, resources, and the latest news. To access carefully curated afib-related videos, including recordings from all annual Get In Rhythm. Stay In Rhythm.^® Atrial Fibrillation Patient Conferences, create a no-cost account at https://www.stopafib.org/afib-resources/videos/. To learn more about the organization, visit www.StopAfib.org.

Contact information
For more information, visit www.StopAfib.org or contact Mellanie True Hills at 940-466-9898, [email protected], or www.stopafib.org/contact.cfm

SOURCE StopAfib.org