During the Awards Ceremony at the meeting of the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences – Japan Section in Tokyo, Dr. Naranjan S.  Dhalla, Executive Director of the Academy, presented a Medal of Merit to Dr. Makoto Nagano, Professor-Emeritus   of the Jikei University. It was pointed out that Medal of Merit is the highest honour which the Academy bestows upon individuals who have made exceptional contributions to cardiovascular research and education.


Dr. Dhalla praised and highlighted some of his major contributions of Professor Nagano:


  1. Helped in establishing the Japanese Section of the International Study Group for Research in Cardiac Metabolism in 1974.
  2. Served as Chairman of the 14th World Congress of the International Society of Heart Research in Kobe, Japan, in 1992.
  3. Served as President of the Japanese Section of International Society for Heart Research during 1992-2007.
  4. Helped in establishing endowments for 3 Japanese Symposia Sessions at each World Congress of ISHR since 1995.
  5. Serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences (IACS) since 1996.
  6. Serving as President of IACS-Japan Section since 2000.
  7. Organized two Mendel Symposia on Gene and Heart in collaboration with Prof. B. Ostadal in Czech Republic in 2003 and 2008.


Dr. Nagano was also commended for his writing efforts to promote the scientific basis for the practice of cardiovascular   medicine.


This fact is readily apparent from the following books which he has edited in collaborations with his colleagues:


  1. The Diabetic Heart. Nagano M and Dhalla NS (eds), 1991.
  2. Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes. Nagano M, Mochizuki S and Dhalla NS (eds), 1992.
  3. The Cardiomyopathic Heart. Nagano M, Takeda N and Dhalla NS (eds), 1994.
  4. The Adapted Heart. Nagano M, Takeda N and Dhalla NS (eds), 1994.
  5. The Failing Heart. Dhalla NS, Beamish RE, Takeda N and Nagano M (eds), 1995.
  6. The Developing Heart. Ostadal B, Nagano M, Takeda N and Dhalla NS (eds), 1997.
  7. The Ischemic Heart. Mochizuki S, Takeda N, Nagano M and Dhalla NS (eds), 1998.
  8. The Hypertrophied Heart. Takeda N, Nagano M and Dhalla NS (eds), 2000.
  9. Cardiac Development. Ostadal B, Nagano M and Dhalla NS (eds), 2002.
  10. Atherosclerosis, Hypertension and Diabetes. Pierce GN, Nagano M, Zahradka P and Dhalla NS (eds), 2003.
  11. Gene and Cardiovascular Function. Ostadal B, Nagano M and Dhalla NS (eds), 2011.
  12. Molecular Defects in Cardiovascular Dysfunction. Dhalla NS, Nagano M and Dhalla NS (eds), 2011.