SCCT names finalists for Best Abstract, Young Investigator Awards

ARLINGTON, VA (May 14, 2025) — The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) named 12 finalists for its best original science awards recognizing authors of top-scoring abstracts at the Annual Scientific Meeting (SCCT2025), to be held July 17 - 20 in Montréal, QB, Canada.

An independent panel of judges selected six radiology and cardiology trainees as finalists for the 2025 SCCT 19th Annual Young Investigator Awards (YIA), supported by an educational grant from Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.

The YIA program supports the professional and clinical development of top radiology residents and cardiology fellows within five years of completing a training program.

“Now in its 19th year, this program formally introduces promising emerging thought leaders to the field,” said Todd C. Villines, MD, MSCCT, chair of the YIA judging panel. “We invite the entire cardiovascular CT community to join us online next month for a free front-row seat to cutting-edge, high-quality cardiovascular CT research.”

The following finalists will virtually present their abstracts before an independent panel of judges and SCCT member audience on Monday, June 2, at 12:30pm ET:

• Kenneth Chan, MBBS
  Coronary inflammation predicts cardiac risk in patients with no and moderate coronary calcification
• Christos Gkizas, MD, PhD
  Photon-counting CT for the evaluation of myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A comparison with MRI
• Phyo Khaing, MBChB, BMedSci
  Coronary CT angiography versus cardiovascular risk score for lifestyle and risk factor modification in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: SCOT-HEART2 impact study
• Harendra Kumar, MBBS
  AI-based automated detection of coronary artery calcium: Accuracy and clinical utility
• Ruben Mora, MD
  Semaglutide therapy and reduction of left ventricular mass in patients with type 2 diabetes: A STOP trial substudy
• Prerna Singh, BS
  Low-density coronary calcium below the Agatston threshold on CT calcium scoring independently predicts MACE risk: Insights from CLARIFY and SCOT-HEART

Registration for the free online event is available on SCCT's website.

2025 Best Abstract Award

The Best Abstract Award Committee selected six finalists for the SCCT Best Abstract Award, supported by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation of Southern California (CVRF of So. Ca.) and the Ma Family, who have provided a $5,000 award for the winner.

The following six finalists will virtually present their manuscripts before an independent panel of judges and SCCT member audience on Thursday, June 12, at 11:30am ET:

• Carrie Burns
  Shift change: Utilization of coronary CTA for cardiovascular risk screening in firefighters
• Felipe Castillo
  Association between long-term fine particulate air pollution exposure and cardiac CT coronary artery calcium scores
• Ravi Chotalia
  Is it safe to defer revascularisation in asymptomatic patients with chronic coronary syndrome with FFR-positive stenoses?
• Joel Lenell
  Intensive medical treatment reduces non-calcified coronary plaque composition in women with non-obstructive coronary artery disease: Insights from AI-enabled plaque analysis in the Warrior Ancillary Serial Study
• Anna Mueller
  Refining cardiovascular risk: reducing events using imaging-based treatment strategies
• Tu Hao Tran
  Re-stratifying cardiovascular risk with non-calcified plaque volume: A pilot analysis using data from the BioHEART Study

Registration for the free online event is available on SCCT's website.

Authors of the two top-scoring abstracts for each award will present their research and winners will be announced at the SCCT2025 Best Original Science session on Saturday, July 19, at 11:30am ET.

Each YIA finalist will receive one-year free membership to SCCT. YIA finalists and the Best Abstract winner and runners up receive complimentary registration for SCCT2026, to be held July 9 - 12, 2026 in San Diego, Calif. Along with a cash prize, each award winner will have their manuscript published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT).

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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 Montréal, 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.

About the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

The Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT) is a peer-review journal of the SCCT that integrates the international cardiovascular CT community and addresses a broad range of topics affecting cardiovascular CT imaging. The journal’s major focus is on original research and on the clinical and technical aspects of cardiovascular CT. For more information, please visit www.journalofcardiovascularct.com.

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