Contact: Julie Boyland, Jboyland@acc.org,

NEW ORLEANS (Mar 27, 2026) -

The American College of Cardiology will honor seven cardiovascular clinical investigators with the William A. Zoghbi Global Research Initiative Award. The awardees will be recognized during ACC’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26) in New Orleans.

Established in 2023, the William A. Zoghbi Global Research Initiative fosters innovative new research to improve the cardiovascular care of patients at risk or living with cardiovascular disease, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Awardees will receive $25,000 in cardiovascular research funding. The award is supported by William A. Zoghbi, MD, MACC;, Bayer; Wael Al Mahmeed, MD, FACC; and a gift from Raghib Hussain in honor of Jamal S Rana, MD, PhD, FACC.

This year’s recipients and their research titles are:

• Marwan Refaat, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut “Flexible Organic Electrochemical Transistor (OECT) Patch for Non-Invasive Creatinine Monitoring in Cardiovascular Risk Populations Using Reverse Iontophoresis”
• Mohammed El Tahlawi, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt “A I-Augmented Urinary Sodium Guidance for Personalized HFpEF Management in Low-Resource Settings”
• Jamol Uzokov, Repubulican Specialized Scientific Practical Medical Center of Therapy and Medical Rehabilitation, Tashkent, Uzbekistan “AI-Driven Cardiometabolic Risk Stratification and Personalized Intervention Pathways in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a low-income setting: A Prospective Outcome Study”
• Yi Xu, First Affiliated Hospital of Ji’Nan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China “Targeting Phosphodiesterase 10A with PET Probes: Visualization of Myocardial Fibrosis Progression and Evaluation of Clinical Significance in Chronic Heart Failure Patients”
• Seid Getahun Abdela, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia “The Role of Health Extension Workers in Hypertension Care: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Ethiopia”
• Luisa Caldeira Brant, Universidada Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil “Validated Artificial Intelligence-enabled Electrocardiogram Screening and Intervention for Optimizing Heart Failure Diagnosis (VISION-HF)”
• Ihasn Ullah, Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, Peshawar, Pakistan “Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic heart disease prevalence in Northern Pakistan-A red flag to be more proactive and enhance prevention/prophylaxis in low to middle income country”

All awardees will begin their year of research on July 1, 2027, and continue through June 30, 2028.

For more information on the William A. Zoghbi Global Research Award, visit here.

ACC.26 will take place March 28 – 30, 2026, in New Orleans, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCinTouch, @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC26 for the latest news from the meeting.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. Through its world-renowned family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org

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