Steven R. Houser, PhD, FAHA, Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) at Temple University School of Medicine, has been studying the heart for nearly three and a half decades. Over that time, he has made significant contributions to cardiovascular research, work that led to his recent recognition with two prestigious honors from the American Heart Association (AHA) – the Basic Cardiovascular Science (BCVS) Council Distinguished Achievement Award and the Thomas W. Smith Memorial Lecture Award. Dr.