SCCT General Header

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Anna Leong 

(703) 766-1706

[email protected] 

 

 

 

Prediman K. Shah, M.D., Director of the Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center and Atherosclerosis Prevention and Treatment Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Receives 2014 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography Arthur S. Agatston Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Award 
   

 

Vienna, VA (March 19, 2014) - The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) announces Dr. Prediman K. (PK) Shah as the recipient of the 2014 SCCT Arthur S. Agatston Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Award, recognizing individuals whose pioneering efforts have saved lives from a leading killer throughout the world, coronary artery disease.

 

Dr. Arthur Agatston, preventive cardiologist for whom the award is named, will present the award to Dr. Shah - inspiring physician, author, professor, and researcher - in San Diego, California, at the SCCT Annual Scientific Meeting's Opening Session on Friday, July 11, 2014.

 

SCCT recognizes Dr. Shah for his lifelong contributions to achieve disease prevention in the field of cardiology, in particular for his leading research in understanding against atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation - the processes that lead to clogged arteries, heart attacks, and strokes atherosclerosis. Credited with the discovery of vascular benefits of a mutant protein-apo A-1 Milano which is strongly preventive of atherosclerosis, Dr. Shah is currently working on the development of new preventive drugs as well as a vaccine against atherosclerosis. Dr. Shah has edited three books on heart disease and more than 600 original scientific publications. He is the holder of the Shapell and Webb Family Endowed Chair in Clinical Cardiology and Professor of Medicine at Cedars Sinai and UCLA. He is the immediate past Director of the Division of Cardiology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, and served as the National Chairman of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Cardiovascular Research Initiative (NCRI). He was a member of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) of the National Institutes of Health and served on the Data Safety Monitoring Board of the Cell and Gene Therapy Trials of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH and the Scientific Publication Committee of the American Heart Association. He was also elected to the European Academy of Sciences. He has received numerous awards, including the Gifted Teacher Award from the American College of Cardiology, Distinguished Scientist Award from the American College of Cardiology, an Excellence in Teaching Award from the dean of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles-American Heart Association and the Pioneer in Medicine Award at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the institution's highest award. He has received two of the most prestigious awards of the American Heart Association including the James B Herrick Award and The Laennec Society Lectureship Award. He currently is the scientific program Co-chair for the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology 2014.

 

"I am deeply humbled and honored by this award; it is particularly meaningful since Dr. Agatson was a medical resident with me when I was a Cardiology Fellow in New York. Seeing Dr. Agatson achieve well deserved notoriety for his efforts in prevention has been extremely gratifying."

 

Dr. Arthur Agatston, who will present the award, is a visionary and pioneer in the field of noninvasive cardiac imaging and a leading preventive cardiologist. His scientific work, first reported in 1991 with Dr. Warren Janowitz, resulted in the Agatston Score, a method for screening patients for coronary artery disease by measuring the amount of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries. The Agatston Score is currently used throughout the world and considered by many experts to be the single best predictor of future heart attack. To help his cardiac and diabetes patients improve their blood chemistries and lose weight, Agatston also developed a diet, which led to his first book, The South Beach Diet, a #1 New York Times bestseller. Currently, Dr. Agatston serves as the Medical Director of Wellness and Prevention at Baptist Health South Florida

 

Past recipients of the SCCT Arthur S. Agatston Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Award include: 

  • William P. Castelli, M.D., of The Heart Center of MetroWest in Framingham, Massachusetts, Awarded 2011
  • Scott M. Grundy, Ph.D., M.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, Awarded 2011
  • Sanjay Gupta, M.D., Neurosurgeon, Author, and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Awarded 2012
  • Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, Awarded 2013

 

SCCT is committed to offering support through research, education for physicians, and dissemination of information for the general public on the options available for the prevention of coronary artery disease.

 

About the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) is the professional society devoted exclusively to cardiovascular computed tomography. With members worldwide, SCCT is acknowledged and recognized as the representative and advocate for research, education, and clinical excellence in the use of cardiovascular computed tomography. For more information on the society's mission and goals, please visit the SCCT Website at www.SCCT.org.