Before LaPrincess Brewer, M.D. (CV ’16), knew the term “racial health disparities,” she witnessed them firsthand. Growing up in the Black church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Brewer watched congregants around her struggle with heart health and cardiovascular risk factors, with some dying at early ages.

“They were family to me. I carried that with me on my journey to become a cardiologist,” she says.

But these experiences also showed her that faith communities could act as trusted institutions to enhance the health of their congregations. So, years later, in her mission to address cardiovascular health in Black populations, she went back to the church.

Dr. Brewer is the founding director and principal investigator of FAITH! (Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health), a research and cardiovascular health and wellness program formed in collaboration with Black churches and community centers located around Rochester, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

This pioneering work as an interdisciplinary investigator has led Dr. Brewer to receive national and international recognition, competitive grants from the American Heart Association and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and a slate of impressive awards like the National Institutes of Health Rising Star award.

“She is committed to translating her scientific breakthroughs into clinical applications to ultimately have a significant impact on community health and health equity,” says Gregory Gores, M.D. (I ’83, GI ’86), Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and the Reuben R. Eisenberg Professor of Medicine and Physiology. “She represents the future of preventive cardiology as well as minority and population health research.”

Dr. Brewer is a preventive cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She chose a career as a physician-scientist because she wanted to combine her analytical nature, love of discovery and desire for social impact.

She’s stayed true to that desire — but been careful to avoid a top- down approach, instead encouraging social change in an intentionally collaborative way. Community members are equal partners in the creation, direction and implementation of Dr. Brewer’s programs and research — an approach known as community-based participatory research (CBPR). FAITH! is Minnesota’s only CBPR program focused on improving cardio- vascular health in African-Americans.

“She truly has patients and the community at the center of her heart and engages with our communities with the utmost respect, humility and authenticity to impact underserved, marginalized and, frankly, forgotten communities,” says Clarence Jones, co-chair of the FAITH! Community Steering Committee.

Originally a face-to-face education program, the scope of FAITH! has expanded to include a culturally-tailored, lifestyle intervention mobile health app. Preliminary findings from a recent randomized clinical trial (FAITH! Trial) published in Circulation assessing the app’s efficacy found significant improvement in overall cardiovascular health scores. The study also showed improvement in metrics of diet and physical activity — behaviors that one colleague noted are “extremely challenging to modify.”

“She truly has patients and the community at the center of her heart and engages with our communities with the utmost respect, humility and authenticity to impact underserved, marginalized and, frankly, forgotten communities.”

– Clarence Jones

Additionally, an ancillary study funded by the Mayo Clinic Executive Office (FAITH! Heart Health+) examined the biobehavioral mechanisms of structural racism, stress and cardiovascular health within the FAITH! Trial cohort. This study also used Mayo Clinic Department of Cardio- vascular Medicine-developed, AI-enhanced electrocardiography (AI-ECG) for community-based screening of cardiovascular disease.

“To our knowledge, this community-based AI-enhanced validation and screening effort is the first of its kind, providing a proof-of-concept model for application of AI-enhanced technology in a medically underserved community,” says Paul Friedman, M.D. (CV ’96, CVEP ’97), Norman Blane and Billie Jean Harty Chair, Mayo Clinic Department of Cardiovascular Medicine Honoring Robert L. Frye, M.D., at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Dr. Friedman is also the Edward W. and Betty Knight Scripps Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in Honor of George M. Gura Jr., M.D.

And as an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Dr. Brewer is also lauded for her work as an educator and mentor. She was honored as a 2022 highest-rated educator by the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine and Internal Medicine Residency Program.

“She has become a ‘go to’ faculty expert for health disparities, health equity and authentic community engagement-related questions, input and collaborations,” says Dr. Gores.

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The Early and Mid-Career Alumni Awards recognize Mayo Clinic alumni who have made robust contributions to their areas of expertise in the realms of education, clinical practice, clinical and scientific research, and administration. Beyond their professional output, they demonstrate selfless community service and have consistently acted in a manner that is aligned with Mayo Clinic values. Read about the other 2024 recipients here.