SCCT awards Best Original Science of 20th Annual Scientific Meeting

MONTRÉAL, QB, CANADA (July 19, 2025) — The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) announced its best original science award winners of the 20th Annual Scientific Meeting (SCCT2025) in Montréal, Canada.

The SCCT Best Abstract Award – supported by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation of Southern California (CVRF of So. Ca.) and the Ma Family, who provided a $5,000 monetary award for the winner – is open to all abstracts submitted to the ASM, which included 216 accepted manuscripts as part of the 2025 conference.

Six finalists and three winners of the Best Abstract Award are determined by receiving overall top scores through a three-round scoring process by an independent judging panel led by Mouaz Al-Mallah, MD, MSc, FSCCT.

The SCCT 19^th Annual Young Investigator Awards program – supported by Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc. – aids the professional and clinical development of top radiology residents and cardiology fellows within five years of completing a training program.

Authors of the two top-scoring abstracts for each award presented during the SCCT2025 Best Original Science session and winners were announced in front of an SCCT member audience.

Joel Lenell, MD, PhD is winner of the SCCT Best Abstract Award for his submission, his submission, “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.”

Ravi Chotalia, MBBS, BSc received Best Abstract first runner-up after presenting his abstract, “Is It Safe To Defer Revascularisation In Asymptomatic Patients With Chronic Coronary Syndrome With Ffr-Positive Stenoses?”

Second runner-up is Tu Tran, MBBS, BMedSci (Hons) for his abstract, “Re-stratifying Cardiovascular Risk With Non-Calcified Plaque Volume: A Pilot Analysis Using Data From The BioHEART Study.”

Prior to the conference, an independent panel of judges led by Todd C. Villines, MD, MSCCT selected two YIA winners.

Phyo Khaing, MBChB, BMedSci, of University of Edinburgh, is the 2025 YIA winner for her abstract, "Coronary CT Angiography Versus Cardiovascular Risk Score For Lifestyle And Risk Factor Modification In Primary Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease: SCOT-HEART2 Impact Study.”

First runner-up for the YIA is Prerna Singh, BS, of Case Western Reserve University, for her abstract, “Low-density Coronary Calcium Below The Agatston Threshold On CT Calcium Scoring Independently Predicts MACE Risk: Insights From CLARIFY And SCOT-HEART.”

Along with a monetary award, YIA winners receive a plaque, one-year free membership to SCCT and free registration for SCCT2026, to be held July 9 - 12, 2026 in San Diego, California.

All YIA and Best Abstract finalist manuscripts will be published in the SCCT2025 supplement of 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), with members from over 85 countries. SCCT is a community of physicians, scientists and technologists 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.

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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