Embargoed until 8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET, Wednesday, March 17, 2021

DALLAS, March 17, 2021 – Eleven scientists leading the way in stroke research will be recognized for their exceptional achievements during the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2021. The illustrious group includes four groundbreaking scientists who have devoted their careers to stroke research, six authors of notable new research and one scientist recognized for outstanding mentorship. The virtual International Stroke Conference 2021, March 17-19, is a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health.

The honorees are:

  • Philip B. Gorelick, M.D., M.P.H., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, will receive the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award.
  • Marilyn J. Cipolla, Ph.D., University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, will be awarded the Thomas Willis Lecture Award.
  • Kevin N. Sheth, M.D., Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, will receive the Stroke Research Mentoring Award.
  • Takenori Yamaguchi, M.D., Ph.D., National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, Japan, will receive the David G. Sherman Lecture Award.
  • Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.S., M.B.A., University of California, San Francisco, will be honored with the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke.
  • David B. Matchar, M.D., Duke-NUS (National University of Singapore) Medical School in Singapore, a partnership with Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, will be awarded the Stroke Rehabilitation Award.
  • Katherine T. Mun, M.D., University of California Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, will receive the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award.
  • Alexander E. Merkler, M.D., M.S., Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, is the Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke recipient.
  • Silvia Koton, Ph.D., M.Occ.H., R.N., FAHA, Herczeg Institute on Aging at Tel Aviv University and Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel, will receive the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award.
  • Andreas Charidimou, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, will receive the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award.
  • Xiaojing Shi, Ph.D. Candidate, Med-X Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China, will receive the Stroke Basic Science Award.

Philip B. Gorelick, M.D., M.P.H., the 2021 winner of the new Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award, is an adjunct professor of neurology (stroke and neurocritical care) at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. He has numerous publications that focus on stroke among Black people and has led The African American Antiplatelet Stroke Prevention Study, a recurrent stroke prevention clinical trial, and The Studies of Dementia in the Black Aged. 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. Gorelick will present his Edgar J. Kenton III lecture, “HEADS-UP: Health Equity and Actionable Disparities in Stroke: Understanding and Problem-solving” in an On Demand, pre-recorded session available as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Marilyn J. Cipolla, Ph.D., the 2021 winner of the Thomas Willis Lecture Award, is professor of neurological sciences at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. The Thomas Willis Award recognizes contributions to the investigation and management of stroke basic science. Cipolla’s significant contributions to the understanding of stroke through basic science research have led to important discoveries. As a vascular biologist, she has contributed to our understanding of how stroke and seizure affect the structure and function of cerebral circulation that can contribute to pathology. Her work has led to a greater understanding of regional differences within brain circulation and the response to stroke that lay the groundwork for targeted therapies. She is currently working to better define the function of brain collateral vessels in relation to stroke and changes in the face of risk factors for stroke and cognitive deficits. Cipolla’s lecture, “Targeting Brain Arterioles for Acute Stroke Treatment,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Kevin N. Sheth, M.D., the recipient of the 2021 Stroke Research Mentoring Award, is professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The Stroke Research Mentoring Award recognizes outstanding achievements in mentoring future generations of stroke researchers in the field of cerebrovascular disease. Sheth is internationally recognized for prior and ongoing contributions across this spectrum in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Embedded in these contributions is a highly effective mentoring style that has inspired many trainees to pursue a career in cerebrovascular investigation, service and leadership. He has been successful at recruiting and mentoring trainees from communities traditionally underrepresented in the sciences and women, which has been an important area of focus for him. The award presentation will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Takenori Yamaguchi, M.D., Ph.D., the 2021 winner of the David G. Sherman Lecture Award, is president emeritus at National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, Japan. The Sherman Award honors David G. Sherman, M.D., 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. During Yamaguchi’s long and distinguished career, he has been focused on the clinical mechanisms of stroke, and his research has led to many pivotal contributions to the world of stroke. Yamaguchi’s lecture, “Our Efforts for Ideal Stroke Prevention & Treatment in Japan,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.S., M.B.A., the 2021 winner of the Feinberg Award, is professor of neurology and associate dean at the University of California, San Francisco and chief of staff at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. The William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke is named for the 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. Ovbiagele is a clinical epidemiologist and global health scholar, with a focus on reducing the burden of stroke and improving stroke outcomes. He has made significant contributions to clinical research in stroke, diagnosis and treatment. Ovbiagele’s lecture, “Cerebrovascular Health Inequities: Seeking Glocal Solutions,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

David B. Matchar, M.D., the 2021 Stroke Rehabilitation Award winner, is professor and director emeritus of Health Services & Systems Research at Duke-NUS (National University of Singapore) Medical School in Singapore, a partnership with Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. The Stroke Rehabilitation Award encourages investigators to undertake or continue research and/or clinical work in the field of stroke rehabilitation. Matchar’s winning presentation (P227), “Incentives for Uptake and Adherence With Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation: A Three Arm Randomized Controlled Trial,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Katherine T. Mun, M.D., the 2021 winner of the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award, is a fellow physician in vascular neurology at the University of California Los Angeles. 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. Mun’s winning presentation (16), “IV tPA in the 0-3 Hour Window: Quantitative Fragility-Robustness Assessment of the Strength of the RCT Evidence,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Alexander E. Merkler, M.D., M.S., is this year’s Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke winner and is assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. The Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke recognizes Robert G. Siekert, the 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. Merkler’s winning presentation (58), “Silent Myocardial Infarction and Subsequent Ischemic Stroke in the Cardiovascular Health Study,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Silvia Koton, Ph.D., M.Occ.H., R.N., FAHA,  is 2021’s Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award recipient and is head of the Herczeg Institute on Aging at Tel Aviv University and head of the Ph.D. program in the department of nursing, Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel. 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. Koton’s winning presentation (7), “Association Between Incidence, Severity and Recurrence of Ischemic Stroke and Risk of Dementia: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Andreas Charidimou, M.D., Ph.D., the 2021 Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award in Stroke winner, is a post-doctoral researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. This award recognizes Globus’ major contributions to research in cerebrovascular disease and his outstanding contributions to the elucidation of the role of neurotransmitters in ischemia and trauma; the interactions among multiple neurotransmitters; mechanisms of hypothermic neuroprotection; and the role of oxygen radical mechanisms and nitric oxide in brain injury. Charidimou’s winning presentation (36), “The Boston Criteria V2.0 for Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: Updated Criteria and Multicenter MRI-Neuropathology Validation,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session as of 8 a.m. CT, March 17.

Xiaojing Shi, the winner of the 2021 Stroke Basic Science award, is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Med-X Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China. The Stroke Basic Science Award recognizes outstanding basic or translational science that is laboratory-based. Shi’s winning presentation (64), “Scar-Forming Glial Cells Engulf Synapse and Worsen Stroke Outcome Through Megf10 and Mertk,” will be available in an On Demand, pre-recorded session on March 17 at 8 a.m. CT.

All award winners’ lectures/presentations will be pre-recorded and available for On Demand viewing to registered attendees during the 2021 International Stroke Conference starting at 8 a.m. CT on Wednesday, March 17 and ending on Friday, April 16, 2021.

Additional Resources:

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. 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 are available here, and the Association’s overall financial information is available here.

The American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference (ISC) is the world’s premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease. ISC 2021 will be held virtually, March 17-19, 2021. The 3-day conference will feature more than 1,200 compelling presentations in 21 categories that emphasize basic, clinical and translational sciences as they evolve toward a better understanding of stroke pathophysiology with the goal of developing more effective therapies. Engage in the International Stroke Conference on social media via #ISC21.

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, Twitter.

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