SAN DIEGO, CALIF. (May 14, 2015) – Awards presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2015 Scientific Sessions in San Diego recognize outstanding SCAI members for their ongoing contributions to the field of interventional cardiology, the Society and patient care. Honorees span a broad spectrum of practitioners, all of whom have demonstrated a commitment to excellence throughout their careers, helping to shape the Society as well as the lives of patients and mentees.
“This year’s honorees have made extraordinary contributions to our field, are active in our Society and are demonstrating the highest levels of patient care as well as research that is driving the next generation of interventional care. We are pleased to recognize their achievements,” said SCAI 2015-16 President James Blankenship, MD, MHCM, FSCAI.
The following awards were presented:
F. Mason Sones Award for Distinguished Service
Robert J. Applegate, MD, FSCAI, is this year’s recipient of the F. Mason Sones Distinguished Service Award. The award, presented in honor of SCAI’s co-founder, signifies excellence and dedication to education and quality of care. Dr. Applegate is Professor of Internal Medicine-Cardiology and Director Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. He serves as a SCAI Trustee, co-director of the SCAI 2015 Scientific Sessions and chair of SCAI’s Budget and Finance Committee. Dr. Applegate has been a member of SCAI for 20 years, during which time he chaired SCAI’s Education Committee and co-chaired the Cath Lab Leadership Boot Camp Steering Committee during pivotal periods of SCAI expansion.
SCAI Helping Hearts Lifetime Service Awards
Joseph D. Babb, MD, MSCAI, and Harry L. Page, Jr., MD, FSCAI, were honored as the Society’s first Helping Hearts Lifetime Service Award recipients. The new award recognizes SCAI Fellows who have been members for more than 25 years and have provided substantial and consistent service to the Society during that time.
Dr. Babb is Professor of Medicine with the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and East Carolina Heart Institute at East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. Over the last three decades, Dr. Babb has served as SCAI President, co-chair of the International Committee, founding chair of SCAI’s Advocacy and Government Relations Committee, and chair of SCAI’s Ethics and Professionalism Committee. He has represented SCAI in meetings with numerous congressional representatives and their legislative staff, ensuring that Interventional Cardiology’s voice is heard on Capitol Hill, and currently represents SCAI in the American Medical Association House of Delegates. Last year, Dr. Babb was honored as a member of the first class of Master Fellows of SCAI (MSCAI).
Dr. Page is Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute in Tennessee. He was one of the founding members of SCAI, and has been an active member in the Society ever since, serving as secretary, president and the Society’s historian. Dr. Page has always been known as an innovator and a pioneer. He was among the early innovators of percutaneous coronary intervention in the United States, and went on to develop one of the earliest cardiovascular centers of international reputation.
Master Interventionalists of SCAI
Also recognized were the newest Master Interventionalists of SCAI (MSCAI) inductees, the highest distinction given by SCAI. The Society gives this distinction to Fellows nominated by their peers for outstanding clinical and research credentials. To be considered for the MSCAI designation, Fellows must have earned their FSCAI designation ten or more years ago and been active in SCAI during that time. This year’s nine MSCAI honorees are:
Theodore A. Bass, MD, MSCAI, of UF-Health Cardiovascular Center, Jacksonville, Fla.
Charles E. Chambers, MD, MSCAI, of Pennsylvania State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey
John P. Cheatham, MD, MSCAI, of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
Timothy D. Henry, MD, MSCAI, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Howard C. Herrmann, MD, MSCAI, of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
William O'Neill, MD, MSCAI, of Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Mich.
Igor F. Palacios, MD, MSCAI, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Albert E. Raizner, MD, MSCAI, of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Kenneth Rosenfield, MD, MHCDS, MSCAI, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Gregory Braden Memorial Fellow of the Year
Rolf Graning, MD, chief interventional fellow and primary interventional fellow for the chronic total occlusion program and endovascular interventions at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., was recognized with the Gregory Braden Memorial Fellow of the Year Award. The award is given to a graduating interventional cardiology fellow-in-training who has demonstrated excellent interventional skills, dedication to patient care, and great promise as a researcher and leader.
Best of the Best Abstract Award Recipients
Three abstracts each from the adult cardiology and pediatric/congenital heart disease programs received Best of the Best Abstract Awards at this year’s meeting. Recipients from the SCAI 2015 adult cardiology program include:
- “Trends and Outcomes following Utilization of Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices in Patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction,” by investigator Shikhar Agarwal, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
- “Percutaneous Ventricular Restoration (PVR) therapy using the Parachute® Device in Subjects with Ischemic Dilated Heart Failure: One-Year Meta-Analysis,” by investigator Peter Fail, MD, FSCAI, of Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Louisiana.
- “Impact of infra-inguinal percutaneous vascular stenting on in-hospital mortality and complications: 6 years U.S. perspective,” by investigator Shilpkumar Arora, MD, of St. Luke’s Medical Center in New York.
Recipients from the pediatric/congenital heart disease program include:
- “Effect of Pulmonary Artery Angioplasty on Exercise Capacity and Symptoms in Children and Adults With Unilateral Proximal Pulmonary Artery Stenosis,” by investigator Gurumurthy Hiremath, MD, of the University of California at San Francisco.
- “Percutaneous Coronary Artery Revascularization Procedures in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients: A Large Single Center Experience,” by investigator Mariel E. Turner, MD, FSCAI, of New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York.
- “Spectroscopy to Monitor Lower Extremity Perfusion in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization,” by investigator Gary E. Stapleton, MD, of All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla.
About SCAI
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions is a 4,500-member professional organization representing invasive and interventional cardiologists in approximately 70 nations. SCAI's mission is to promote excellence in invasive/interventional cardiovascular medicine through physician education and representation, and advancement of quality standards to enhance patient care. SCAI's public education program, Seconds Count, offers comprehensive information about cardiovascular disease. For more information about SCAI and Seconds Count, visit www.SCAI.org or www.SecondsCount.org. Follow @SCAI and @SCAINews on Twitter for the latest heart health news.