Embargoed until 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

(NewMediaWire) - February 04, 2025 - LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4, 2025 – Eleven scientists will be recognized for their individual exceptional professional achievements and contributions to stroke care and research during the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2025. The meeting will be held in Los Angeles, Feb. 4-7, and is a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health.

The awardees include four groundbreaking scientists who have devoted their careers to stroke research and six other scientists who will be recognized for their new research findings, which will be presented during the meeting.

The 2025 honorees are:

• Virginia J. Howard, Ph.D., FAHA, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, will receive the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award.
• Yongjun Wang, M.D., Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, will be honored with the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke.
• Heather J. Fullerton, M.D., University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, will receive the Ralph L. Sacco Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award.
• Miguel A. Perez-Pinzon, Ph.D., FAHA, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, will receive the Thomas Willis Lecture Award.
• Jean-Claude Baron, M.D., Sc.D., INSERM, University Paris Cité in France, will receive the David G. Sherman Lecture Award.
• Shufan Huo, M.D., Ph.D., Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, will receive the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award.
• Heyu Ni, M.D., Ph.D., University of Toronto, Ontario, will receive the Stroke Basic Science Award.
• Mohamed Elfil, M.D., University of Miami/Jackson Health System, Florida will receive this year’s Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke.
• Santosh Murthy, M.D., M.P.H., Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell in New York will receive the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award.
• Cyprien A. Rivier, M.D. M.Sc., Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, will receive the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award.
• Mei Zhen Huang, Ph.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, will be awarded the Stroke Rehabilitation Award.

Virginia J. Howard, Ph.D., FAHA, the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award recipient, is a Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a stroke epidemiologist with more than 30 years of experience in multicenter, multidisciplinary clinical trials and longitudinal cohort studies with a focus on stroke, stroke risk factors, cognitive functioning and health disparities. The Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award recognizes lifetime contributions to the investigation, management, mentorship and community service in the field of racial and ethnic stroke disparities or related disciplines. The award honors the late Edgar J. Kenton III, a former chair of the American Heart Association’s Stroke Council and an eminent Black vascular neurologist passionate about bridging race/ethnic disparities in stroke.

Howard will present the Edgar J. Kenton III lecture in the preconference symposium HEADS-UP, “Recruiting and Retaining Diverse and Underrepresented Participants in Studies of Stroke and Brain Health: It Takes a Village, $$$, Planning and Long-Term Commitment,” at 10:18 a.m. PT, Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Yongjun Wang, M.D., the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke awardee, is the president of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, and is also the president of the Chinese Stroke Association. Wang has worked on secondary prevention strategies and reperfusion therapy for ischemic stroke. The Feinberg Award is named for the late William M. Feinberg, a prominent stroke clinician-researcher and American Heart Association volunteer who contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the causes of stroke. The award recognizes significant contributions to the investigation and management of clinical research in stroke.

Wang’s lecture, “Thirty Years of Treatment for Acute Ischemic Cerebrovascular Events: The Power of Evidence,” will be presented at 11:22 a.m. PT, Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Heather J. Fullerton, M.D., the recipient of the Ralph L. Sacco Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award, is a professor of neurology and pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco and president of the International Pediatric Stroke Organization. Her research investigates the causes of stroke in children, particularly the role of infection, and she is currently leading a clinical trial for the treatment of a disease of inflamed brain blood vessels in children. The late Ralph L. Sacco was the first neurologist to serve as the volunteer president of the American Heart Association. The Sacco Award honors outstanding achievements in mentoring future generations of stroke researchers in the field of cerebrovascular disease.

Fullerton will present her lecture, “Mentoring to Propel Progress in Pediatric Stroke,” at 11:02 a.m. PT, Thursday, Feb. 6.

Miguel A. Perez-Pinzon, Ph.D., FAHA, the recipient of the Thomas Willis Lecture Award, is the professor and vice-chair for discovery science of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. Perez-Pinzon’s research expertise is cerebral ischemia, which results from cardiac arrest or stroke. His research focuses on the areas of synaptic, cognitive, vascular and mitochondrial dysfunction that ensue following an ischemic stroke. The Willis Award is named after the late Thomas Willis, a pioneer physician who provided the first detailed descriptions of the brain stem, cerebellum, ventricles and hypotheses on their function. The award recognizes contributions to investigating and managing stroke as it relates to basic science.

Perez-Pinzon’s lecture, “Nature’s Blueprint for Ischemic Tolerance: Pre- and Post-Conditioning Strategies,” will be presented at 11:17 a.m. PT, Thursday, Feb. 6.

Jean-Claude Baron, M.D., Sc.D., the recipient of the David G. Sherman Lecture Award, is an active clinical neurologist and director of research at INSERM, University Paris Cité in France, and previously professor of stroke medicine at Cambridge University, United Kingdom. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying ischemic stroke. Using imaging, he looks at how treatment can rescue at-risk brain tissue and how brain tissue recovers its functions after a stroke. Along with his clinical research, Jean-Claude Baron conducts imaging studies using animal models that mimic human stroke. The Sherman Award honors the late David G. Sherman, a prominent stroke physician and an internationally recognized leader and researcher in stroke prevention and treatment. The award recognizes lifetime contributions to the investigation, management, mentorship and community service in the stroke field.

Baron will present his lecture, “Fifty Years of Deciphering the Pathophysiology of Stroke” at 11:02 a.m. PT, Friday, Feb. 7.

Shufan Huo, M.D., Ph.D., the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award in Stroke awardee, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Falcone Lab in the Department of Neurology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The award is named after the late Mordecai T. Globus, a renowned cerebrovascular researcher, and is given to a researcher in training. Huo’s award-winning presentation, Abstract 15, “Integrated Genomic and Proteomic Drug Target Discovery for Ischemic Stroke,” will be presented at 7:30 a.m. PT, Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Heyu Ni, M.D., Ph.D., the Stroke Basic Science Award recipient, is a professor in the laboratory of medicine and pathobiology, medicine, and physiology departments at the University of Toronto. Ni is also a senior scientist at the Canadian Blood Services Centre for Innovation and Keenan Research Centre of Unity Health Toronto in Canada. The Stroke Basic Science Award recognizes outstanding laboratory-based basic or translational science. Ni’s presentation, Abstract 89, “A First-in-Class Humanized Antibody Fragment Targeting Platelet Glycoprotein Ibα: A Comprehensive Preclinical Study of CA1001 for the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke,” will be presented at 7:30 a.m. PT, Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Mohamed Elfil, M.D., the recipient of the Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke, is a vascular neurology fellow at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System. The Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke recognizes the late Robert G. Siekert, founding chairman of the American Heart Association’s International Conference on Stroke and Cerebral Circulation, now known as the International Stroke Conference. The award encourages new investigators to undertake or continue stroke-related research. Elfil’s award-winning presentation, Abstract 2, “Endovascular Thrombectomy Plus Intravenous Thrombolysis Versus Endovascular Thrombectomy Alone in Patients with Large Core Infarct,” will be presented at 7:30 a.m. PT, Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Santosh Murthy, M.D., M.P.H., the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award recipient, is an associate professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College and is also the associate chief of the Division of Neurocritical Care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell in New York. The Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award encourages investigators to undertake or continue research in the emergent phase of acute stroke treatment and submit an abstract to the International Stroke Conference. Murthy’s winning presentation, Abstract 44, “Minimally Invasive Surgery is Associated with Improved Outcomes Compared to Open Craniotomy with Clot Evacuation after Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage in the AHA Get With The Guidelines Registry,” will be presented at 2:12 p.m. PT, Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Cyprien A. Rivier, M.D. M.Sc. is the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award recipient. Rivier is an associate research scientist in neurology at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. The Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award encourages investigators to undertake or continue research or clinical work in the field of vascular cognitive impairment and submit an abstract to the International Stroke Conference. Rivier’s award-winning presentation, Abstract 96, “Integrated Genomic and Proteomic Profiling Support Cathepsin-B as a Drug Repurposing Target in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease,” will be presented at 9:15 a.m. PT, Thursday, Feb. 6.

Mei Zhen Huang, Ph.D., the Stroke Rehabilitation Award recipient, was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. The Stroke Rehabilitation Award encourages investigators to undertake or continue research and/or clinical work in the field of stroke rehabilitation. Huang’s winning presentation, Abstract 126, “In-Bed Robot-Guided Ankle Sensory-Motor Rehabilitation in Early Subacute Stroke Survivors: A Preliminary Clinical Trial,” will be presented at 8:30 a.m. PT, Friday, Feb. 7

Statements and conclusions of studies that are presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. Abstracts presented at the Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, rather, they are curated by independent review panels and are considered based on the potential to add to the diversity of scientific issues and views discussed at the meeting. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

• Multimedia is available on the right column of the release link.
• ASA’s International Stroke Conference 2025 Online Program Planner
• For more news at ASA International Stroke Conference 2025 follow us on X @HeartNews

About the American Stroke Association

The American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from stroke — the No. 2 cause of death in the world and a leading cause of serious disability. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat stroke. The Dallas-based association officially launched in 1998 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit stroke.org. Follow us on Facebook, X.

For Media Inquiries and AHA Expert Perspective:

AHA Communications & Media Relations in Dallas: 214-706-1173, ahacommunications@heart.org

Karen Astle: Karen.astle@heart.org

For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org and stroke.org

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