Contact: Julie Boyland, jboyland@acc.org, 202.669.1465

New Orleans (Mar 30, 2026) -

The American College of Cardiology is recognizing the 2026 winners of its Young Investigator Awards, which took place at the ACC’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26) in New Orleans.

The Young Investigator Awards competition invites promising, young scientific investigators to present their cutting-edge, innovative research. The finalists competed in three categories: Basic and Translational Science, Clinical Investigations and Outcomes Research. This year’s awardees are:

Young Investigator Awards in Basic and Translational Science

First Place:

• Leah Kosyakovsky, MD
  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston
  Study: “IMMUNE AND ENDOTHELIAL CELL GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING IN HFPEF REVEALS PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN CELL ADHESION, ADIPOSITY, AND VASCULAR REACTIVITY”

Second Place:

• Brian Dineen
  Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
  Study: “MAPPING DE NOVO WAVEFRONTS AND THEIR ORIGINS IN PERSISTENT ATRIAL FIBRILLATION”

Honorable Mentions:

• Inbar Nardi Agmon, MD
  Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Israel
  Study: “IMMUNE CHECKPOINT INHIBITION ACCELERATES ATHEROSCLEROSIS: PROTECTIVE AND DIVERGENT ROLES OF STATINS AND PCSK9 MABS”
• Johnson Phung, BS
  Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
  Study: “ISOLG-ADDUCTED PEPTIDES ACTIVATE TLR7-IRF7 SIGNALING DRIVING VASCULAR INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNE ACTIVATION”
• Leon Riehakainen, PHD
  Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
  Study: “MITIGATING MICROVASCULAR DAMAGE IN REPERFUSED MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION BY ANTIHISTAMINE TREATMENT”

Young Investigator Awards in Clinical Investigations

First Place:

• Boroumand Zeidaabadi, BS
  NHLI Imperial College London, London
  Study: “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-ENHANCED ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY META-MODEL FOR SHORT-TERM GENERALISED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK PREDICTION”

Second Place:

• Kuan-Yu Chi, MD
  Northwell Health, Hofstra School of Medicine, Hempstead, New York
  Study: “GLP-1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS USE IN OBESE PATIENTS WITH STABLE HEART FAILURE WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION: A TARGET-TRIAL EMULATION”

Honorable Mentions:

• Dhruva Biswas, MD
  Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
  Study: “AI-ENHANCED ECG ANALYSIS ENABLED DISCOVERY OF MECHANISTIC PATHWAYS FOR DRUG-INDUCED LONG QT SYNDROME”
• Michael Chilazi, MD
  Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  Study: “CARDIAC FIBROSIS PROGRESSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH MORTALITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS INDEPENDENT OF BASELINE FIBROSIS BURDEN”
• Athanasios Sakalidis, MD, MSc
  HIPPOKRATION' GENERAL HOSPITAL, NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, Athens, Greece
  Study: “EYE ON THE MICROCIRCULATION: RETINAL GANGLION CELL DYSFUNCTION IN ISCHEMIA WITH NON-OBSTRUCTIVE CORONARY ARTERIES”

Young Investigator Awards in Outcomes Research

First Place:

• Lucas Marinacci, MD
  Smith Center for Outcomes Research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston
  Study: “THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND MEDICATION ADHERENCE AMONG ADULTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS”

Second Place:

• Abdullah Al-Abcha, MD
  Mayo Clinic, St. Paul, Minnesota
  Study: “LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR AORTIC STENOSIS DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS FROM INVASIVE HEMODYNAMIC WAVEFORMS: THE PULSEWAVE-AS STUDY”

Honorable Mentions:

• Marios Sagris, PHD
  ‘Hippokration’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
  Study: “LONG TELOMERES PROTECT CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH DURING CHRONIC AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE”
• Nariman Sepehrvand, MD, PhD
  Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, Canada
  Study: “TILT TESTING VERSUS IMPLANTABLE CARDIAC MONITORING IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF UNEXPLAINED SYNCOPE: COSTS, RESOURCE USE, AND OUTCOMES”
• Pedro Rafael Vieira De Oliveira Salerno, MD
  Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
  Study: “COUNTY-LEVEL TEMPERATURE-ATTRIBUTABLE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE MORTALITY IN THE U.S.”

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 or follow @ACCinTouch.

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