06/25/2025
At the 2025 Montalcino Aortic Consortium (MAC) Summit, Dr. Nanette Alvarez received the Tirone David Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary contributions to aortic care, research, and patient advocacy, particularly in the field of heritable aortic disorders (HADs).
For more than 40 years, Dr. Alvarez has been a champion for patients with Hereditary Thoracic Aortic Disorders. She has been a pillar of support to both the Canadian Marfan Association (CMA) and GADA Canada—speaking at every national conference and serving on GADA’s Professional Advisory Board since its inception.
Dr. Alvarez has been an integral founding member and tireless contributor to the Montalcino Aortic Consortium, helping to expand MAC’s global reach and elevate its impact across the scientific and patient communities.
In the 1980s, in the early years of her practice, Dr. Alvarez organized Canada’s first dedicated Marfan patient clinic, which helped catalyze the formation of the Canadian Marfan Association (today known as GADA Canada) and with it, the national aortic advocacy movement GADA continues to lead today.
In 1991, recognizing the urgent need for comprehensive adult congenital and aortic care, Dr. Alvarez founded the Southern Alberta Adult Congenital Clinic. She pioneered a multidisciplinary model that included cardiologists, geneticists, ophthalmologists, and orthopedists—ensuring patients with complex aortic conditions received truly integrated, whole-person care.
Today, the clinic she helped build follows over 3,000 patients and is among the largest and most respected aortic and congenital clinics in Canada. As an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, she has mentored generations of healthcare professionals and helped shape the future of aortic medicine in this country.
Congratulations to Dr. Nanette Alvarez, BA, MD, FRCPC, Cardiologist, The Peter Lougheed Centre, Calgary Aortopathy Clinic — and thank you for your unwavering commitment to improving the lives of individuals with aortic disorders.
