On Wednesday, December 14th, 2005, John H. Laragh, M.D. became the third recipient of the Lewis and Jack Rudin New York Prize for Medicine and Health. Dr. Laragh was honored for his research contribution used by clinicians in the New York City area and around the world in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and other ailments.

Dr. Laragh is Professor of Medicine in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the Cardiovascular Center at the NewYork Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. For 22 years, he was also Chief of its Cardiology Division. The author of over 900 papers, including the two volume reference text, Hypertension: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. Dr. Laragh has made scholarly contributions to a range of cardiovascular research and therapeutic questions on the causes and consequences of high blood pressure, the roles of abnormal kidney and adrenal cortical function, and of dietary sodium in hypertension and heart failure. Dr. Laragh’s findings and others have extended useful life for millions of patients who now need only to take certain medication to control their hypertension.

Dr. Laragh graduated from Cornell University Medical College in 1948 and did his residency training in medicine and cardiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the then Presbyterian Hospital, where he based his clinical and research activities for 27 years. He founded the hospital’s first Hypertension Center and became Chief of Nephrology and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Presbyterian Hospital. He then returned to then New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in 1975 to assume responsibility for patient care and training scientists and clinicians in hypertension and cardiology, while leading a renowned cardiovascular research program.