New award amplifies cardiovascular health research in women

ARLINGTON, VA (March 19, 2025) — The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) in collaboration with President-Elect Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, MSCCT created the SCCT Chinnaiyan Catalyst Award for Women's Cardiovascular Health Research to support efforts in addressing disparities in the study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women.

The Society is accepting applications through April 30, 2025 for research projects that highlight and improve gaps in our understanding of cardiac and vascular physiology, specifically in women, incorporating CCTA imaging.

According to Dr. Chinnaiyan, the award aims to address two different disparities: the study of CVD in women — which she described as historically problematic in the exclusion of women in clinical trials, despite it being the leading cause of death in women in North American and Europe — and the participation and recognition of women researchers in cardiovascular studies and imaging.

"This award really brings together these two disparities and addresses them both," she said. "I am very optimistic that this award will encourage an expanded plate of opportunities for those doing this kind of research within our field, as well as for understanding physiology and the natural history of CVD in women and the differential effect of medications and therapeutic interventions in women."

Dr. Chinnaiyan explained that the inspiration for the award came from the realization that only three out of nearly 40 SCCT award recipients in the past 15 years were women, despite their significant contributions to the field.

"For younger colleagues that I have mentored, for my peers, and the next generation of researchers, my hope for this award is to amplify these historically women-led areas of focus and not only introduce them to the field of cardiac imaging, but for it to potentially double up on its own and expand into a more substantial conversation of up-and-coming hot topics centered around women’s health."

The award is intended to support new studies or early stages of ongoing studies, with an aim to provide recognition, visibility and seed funding for research projects.

This award is principally supported by Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, MSCCT and Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD. Additional support provided by Anjali Chelliah, MD, FSCCT; Maros Ferencik, MD, PhD, MSCCT; Cristina Fuss, MD, FSCCT; Jill Jacobs, MD, MS-HQSM, FSCCT; Omar Khalique, MD, FSCCT; Ronen Rubinshtein, MD, FSCCT; Ahmad Slim, MD, FSCCT and Eric Williamson, MD, PhD, MSCCT.

The winner will be announced at SCCT2025, the Society’s 20th Annual Scientific Meeting, to be held July 17 - 20 in Montréal, Canada, where they will receive complementary registration, travel reimbursement, three-nights’ accommodations and a plaque.

The recipient will be recognized with a recorded webcast.

Learn more and apply on the SCCT website.

###

About the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography
Founded in 2005, the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) is the international professional society devoted to improving health outcomes through effective use of cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT). SCCT is a community of physicians, scientists and technologists from over 85 countries advocating for access, research, education and clinical excellence in the use of CCT. For more information, please visit https://scct.org/.

About the 20th Annual Scientific Meeting of SCCT (SCCT2025) 
SCCT2025 – the preeminent meeting focused on cardiovascular CT – will be held July 17 - 20, 2025 in Montreal, Canada. The SCCT Annual Scientific Meeting is designed to engage physicians, trainees, technologists and healthcare professionals in a complete overview of the cardiovascular CT field. Planned sessions are targeted for all levels, from new practitioners to experienced providers. Sessions range from general overviews to state-of-the-art research and expert discussions. For more information, please visit https://scct.org/SCCT2025.

###