• Linda Zakkak Monayer, MD, Sublingual Nitroglycerin In Severe Aortic Stenosis: Safety And Image Quality
• Christos Gkizas, MD, PhD, Prognostic Value Of Quantitative Photon-counting CT Biomarkers In Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy After Heart Transplantation
• Seokhun Yang, MD, PhD, Prognostic Value Of Coronary CT Angiography-derived High-risk Plaque According To Lesion Characteristics
• Eric Ho, MD, PHOTON Study: Plaque Characterization Using Photon-counting CT Angiography: A Comparison Study Using Conventional Energy Integrating Detectors And Coronary Angiography With Intravascular Imaging
• Sheran Vasanthakumar, MBBS, FRACP, Deep Phenotyping Of Calcium Density To Assess Response To Preventative Therapy: The CAUGHT-CAD Trial
• Arthur Shiyovich, MD, Prognostic Significance Of Quantitative Coronary Plaque Analysis Among Young Adults Undergoing Coronary CTA

• Sara Ersözlü, MD, CCK, Quantitative Plaque Assessment Reclassifies Risk In Patients With Stable Chest Pain And Zero Coronary Artery Calcium Score
• Ikboljon Sobirov, MSc, AI-quantification Of Calcified And Noncalcified Plaques Calibrated Against Coronary Plaque Histology, Predicts 10y Cardiovascular Events In 80,381 Cases: The ORFAN Study
• Camila Blair, MD, Prognostic Value Of Coronary Inflammation Imaging Beyond Prevent: The Orfan Study
• Kenneth Chan, MBBS, Quantifying Coronary Inflammation On Contrast Or Non-contrast Cardiac CT Enhances CV Risk Stratification Beyond Coronary Calcium Score And Plaque Volume
• Dhiran Verghese, MD, Predictive Value Of Coronary Artery Calcium Score From Non-gated Chest CT Scans Compared To Gated Scans And Incidence Of Cardiovascular Events
• José Osoria-Velasquez, MD, Photon-counting Vs Energy-integrating Detector CT: Diagnostic Performance For Detecting Significant Coronary Artery Disease Before TAVR

The Agatston Award honors individuals whose pioneering efforts have saved lives from coronary artery disease — the leading cause of death worldwide.

SCCT is recognizing Dr. Leipsic for his extensive contributions over the past two decades as a transformative leader in the development and clinical integration of cardiac CT. His work has helped establish CCTA as an essential tool for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, structural heart planning and the evaluation of complex cardiovascular conditions.

“We are thrilled to honor Dr. Jonathon Leipsic with the 2026 SCCT Stephan Achenbach Pioneer Award in Cardiovascular CT,” said Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, MSCCT, president of SCCT. She explained that his work has been instrumental in advancing the use of cardiac CT for procedural planning and risk assessment in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR).

"Through influential clinical studies, consensus guidelines and technological innovation, Dr. Leipsic helped establish CT imaging as a cornerstone of patient selection, device sizing and complication prevention in transcatheter valve therapies. His contributions have significantly improved procedural safety and outcomes, shaping global standards in the rapidly evolving field of structural heart disease intervention," she said.

As a past president of SCCT (2015-2016) and the recipient of the Gold Medal Award in 2019, Dr. Leipsic has demonstrated his enduring commitment to both the Society and to advancing the field of cardiovascular CT through scientific discovery, clinical innovation and education worldwide.

A continually active member of the Society, Dr. Leipsic has served on the Corporate Relations and Annual Scientific Meeting Program Committees, and served as faculty at numerous SCCT educational events for over 10 years.

SCCT also honors his work as a committed mentor, including a Future Leader Program mentor for participants in the first two cohorts, supporting the work and careers of numerous clinicians and imagers.

Dr. Leipsic is professor of radiology and professor of cardiology and head of the Department of Radiology at University of British Columbia and Providence Healthcare in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is also a Canada Research Chair in Advanced Cardiopulmonary Imaging. He has published over 1,200 papers and is a leading expert on cardiac imaging, fractional flow reserve (FFR) and TAVR/TMVR.

Named in honor of SCCT founding member and first president, Dr. Stephan Achenbach, the award will be presented to Dr. Leipsic at the SCCT 21st Annual Scientific Meeting (SCCT2026) opening session on Friday, July 10 at the Gaylord Pacific in Chula Vista, California.

For more information about Dr. Jonathon Leipsic and the Stephan Achenbach Pioneer Award, please visit https://scct.org/AchenbachAward.

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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 100 countries advocating for access, research, education and clinical excellence in the use of CCT. For more information, please visit https://scct.org/ . 

About the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of SCCT (SCCT2026)
SCCT2026 – the preeminent meeting focused on cardiovascular CT – will be held July 9 - 12, 2026 in San Diego, California. 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/SCCT2026.

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The SCCT Gold Medal Award is a service award that recognizes SCCT members who have exemplified leadership and a record of commitment and contributions to SCCT’s mission.

“It is with great pleasure that we present Dr. Ed Nicol with the 2026 Gold Medal Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Society,” said SCCT President Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, MSCCT. "This medal recognizes Dr. Nicol's exemplary leadership of the Society, as displayed throughout his nearly two decades of membership and particularly during his 10 years of service on the Board of Directors.”

Dr. Nicol has served in over 75 chair and speaking roles in the past 8 years, as well as serving on the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT) Editorial Board since 2018.

During his time serving on the Education Committee in 2018 through 2021, SCCT implemented a new task force structure that has provided pathways for dozens of members to engage in meaningful ways in planning and delivering the Society’s in-person, on-demand and live virtual education, which was especially valuable during the COVID pandemic.

“Dr. Nicol has been instrumental in establishing the SCCT Global Meeting as a cornerstone of the Society’s in-person education outside the U.S., supporting a succession of Global Meeting program chairs in planning outstanding scientific programs in seven cities around the world, and working with staff and others to ensure their financial success,” explained Dr. Chinnaiyan.

“We are so grateful for Dr. Nicol's many contributions as president and in particular, his key role and influence on SCCT education. We offer our heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to Dr. Nicol on behalf of our members and staff for his vision and continued dedication.”

During his time as president from 2023 to 2024, Dr. Nicol curated the JCCT Special Focus Issue on the business aspects of cardiovascular CT, supported efforts for the revenue code change to increase reimbursement for CCTA services in the U.S., and contributed to the SCCT white paper: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (CCT).

Dr. Nicol is Professor of Cardiovascular Imaging at King’s College, London and consultant at Royal Brompton and Chelsea & Westminster Hospitals. He is Wing Commander and Royal Air Force Consultant Cardiologist in London, United Kingdom.

For more information about Dr. Ed Nicol and the Gold Medal Award, please visit https://scct.org/page/GoldMedalAward.

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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 100 countries advocating for access, research, education and clinical excellence in the use of CCT. For more information, please visit https://scct.org/.

About the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of SCCT (SCCT2026)

SCCT2026 – the preeminent meeting focused on cardiovascular CT – will be held July 9 - 12, 2026 in San Diego, California. 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/SCCT2026.

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