21 June 2017
Dr Upasana Tayal, CMR and genetics research fellow, has recently been awarded first place in not one but two Young Investigator (YI) Awards. The awards were issued separately by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the London Cardiovascular Society (LCS).
The ACC present their YI awards to scientific investigators upon whom ‘progress in the field of cardiology is dependent’. They have three distinct award categories: basic and translational science, clinical investigations and outcomes research.
Upasana took first place in the clinical investigations category for her Medical Research Council (MRC)-funded fellowship ‘defining the functional effects of Titin gene mutations on the pathophysiology of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and their clinical significance.’ Her work explores genotype, phenotype and outcome correlations in DCM.
Upasana was invited to present her work during the ACC’s 66th annual scientific session in Washington, where she received a plaque and $2000 prize money.
The LCS, dedicated to supporting outstanding investigators in the early stage of their careers, also awarded Upasana first place for her project ‘integrated analysis of the clinical manifestations and phenotypic drivers of Titin cardiomyopathy.’
This follows on from the success of Dr Brian Halliday, clinical research fellow in the Cardiovascular Research Centre and CMR Unit, who recently won a Young Investigator Award from the British Society for Heart Failure.
Dr Halliday presented his work on ‘prediction of sudden death risk in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and mild or moderate reductions in left ventricular ejection fraction’ to take first prize. His research has also recently been published in Circulation. Brian’s work forms part of his BHF-funded PhD which is due for completion in October 2018.