“When we find our voice, when we reclaim our power, we really get back to the heart of medicine.”
A conversation with Chanelle Diaz, MD, MPH, winner of the 2026 Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility. More
“Only a movement will get us to a better future.”: Dr. Reshma Ramachandran accepts the 2025 Bernard Lown Award
Dr. Reshma Ramachandran received the 2025 Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility for her exceptional work promoting equitable access to medicines, mobilizing physicians nationwide to challenge pharmaceutical industry influence, and advancing legislative reforms that prioritize the public’s health over corporate profit. More
“It’s time to defy the status quo”: Dr. Lilia Cervantes accepts the 2024 Bernard Lown Award
Dr. Lilia Cervantes received the 2024 Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility for her exceptional work advancing health equity and expanding access to care for undocumented immigrants. Watch her acceptance of the award and read excerpts from her speech. More
U.S. Mint releases coin honoring Dr. Bernard Lown
This past week, the U.S. Mint released the Maine Innovation $1 Coin featuring an image of our inspirational founder. More
Remembering Joe Brain, a champion for public health
Lown Institute board members remember Joe Brain, innovative scientist, generous teacher, and devoted friend to Dr. Bernard Lown. More
Bernard Lown Award nominations are open!
Nominations for the annual Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility are now open! More
Lessons from Lown: Crisis at the Nobel Prize conference
On December 9, 1985, Dr. Bernard Lown and Dr. Yevgeni Chazov were about to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, for their work uniting doctors against nuclear war. Lown and Chazov had no idea they would be saving a life that day. More
Lessons from Lown: The story of “white” and “colored” blood
When Dr. Lown came to Baltimore for medical school in 1942, he found that everything was segregated -- even the blood at the hospital's blood bank. Watch the video and read the blog below to hear in Dr. Lown's own words how he rebelled against this racist practice. More
Lessons from Lown: How the Levine Chair changed heart attack treatment forever
In the early 1950s, Dr. Bernard Lown made what he called his greatest contribution to medicine, saving 100,000 lives each year and changing the standard of care for heart attack patients forever--simply by getting people out of bed and into a chair. How did this happen? Watch the video and read the blog below to hear the story in Dr. Lown's own words. More
The principles that drove Bernard Lown
In a profile in The BMJ, journalist Jeanne Lenzer highlights some of the important times Dr. Lown took a stand, and what this stubbornness cost him. More
Statement on the death of Dr. Bernard Lown
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE See Also: Timeline of Dr. Lown’s Life Brookline, MA — Dr. Bernard Lown, pioneering cardiologist, humanitarian, and founder of the Lown Institute, died today at the age of 99. He was a remarkable clinician, scientist, and visionary who will be remembered long into the future. As a scientist, Dr. Lown did seminal […] More
What Dr. Lown teaches us about medicine and activism
On the week of Dr. Bernard Lown's 99th birthday, we reflect on Dr. Lown's work connecting medical service to social activism, and understanding how this applies today. More
Remembering Louise Lown
We remember Louise Lown, social worker, peace activist, and beloved wife of Bernard Lown, who passed away on Friday. More