2025 SCA Research Grants
Now Open!
SCA supports cardiothoracic and vascular research projects. This is the basis for the creation of the SCA Starter Grant, Diversity and Inclusion Grant, Mid-Career Grant, and the In-Training Grant.
The SCA is committed to promoting the representation of women and underrepresented minority investigators. Diversity is vitally important to advance scientific discovery. The SCA especially encourages individuals from all racial, ethnic, or gender groups to apply.
Grants Information
Four types of grants will be awarded in 2025 to SCA members ONLY:
- SCA Starter Grant– up to $25,000 per year for two
- SCA Diversity and Inclusion Grant– up to $25,000 per year for two years.
- SCA Mid-Career Grant– up to $50,000 per year for two
- SCA In-Training Grant– $15,000 for one year.
The Starter Grant and the Diversity and Inclusion Grant request the same application information and formatting. At the time of application, the PI should identify if they are eligible for, and wish to be considered for, both the Diversity and Inclusion Grant and the Starter Grant or for one or the other only. Please use the research grant title page to identify which grant or both.
The awards will be announced during the 2025 SCA Annual Meeting & Workshops in Montreal, Canada. The grant period of 24 months can begin any time from July 1 to December 31 of the year granted. Grant recipients are required to present their work at a subsequent SCA Annual Meeting.
Application submission period will close on February 7, 2025.
Click Here to Start Your Application
Click Here for the 2025 SCA Research Grants requirements and instructions.
Click Here for the Research Grants Checklist
Click Here for the Research Grants Title Page. (Please submit with your application).
Awardees
2023 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| Mid-Career | Lee Goeddel, MD, MPH | Assistant Professor Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD | Hemodynamic Profiles of Cardiovascular Dysfunction and Risk of Cardiac Surgery Associated Kidney Injury in Patients with Preserved Ejection Fraction |
| Starter/Diversity | Terri Sun, MD | Clinical Assistant Professor University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada | Bilateral Paravertebral Blockade for Improvement of Quality of Recovery Following Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Starter/Diversity | Tiffany Williams, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor University of California – UCLA Los Angeles, CA | Machine Learning of Physiological Waveforms and Electronic Health Record Data: Towards Predicting Hemodynamic Instability in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Surgical Patients |
| In-Training | Luai Zakaria, MD | Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH | Morbidity and Mortality after High-Dose Hydroxocobalamin for Refractory Vasoplegia: A Retrospective Propensity Score Analysis of Safety and Efficacy |
2022 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Yafen Liang, MD | Associate Professor McGovern Medical School, UT Health Science Center Houston, TX | Prevention of Post-Cardiac Surgery Acute Kidney Injury by Proton Pump Inhibitor: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Meghan Prin, MD, MS | Assistant Professor University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver, CO | Circadian Movements and Delirium in Older Cardiac Surgery ICU Patients |
| SCA/IARS Diversty & Inclusion | Kofi Vandyck, MD | Assistant Professor University of Oklahoma Health Science Oklahoma City, OK | Optimization of Platelet function Testing In Cardiopulmonary bypass (OPTIC): A Comparison Between Thrombelastography-Platelet Mapping and Total Thrombus-formation Analysis System (T-TAS) |
2021 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Alina Nicoara, MD | Associate Professor Duke University Durham, NC | Right Ventricle Adaptive Changes in Patients Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Sergey Karamnov, MD | Instructor Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, MA | Combined Clinical-Epidemiological Risk Score for Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation after Cardiac Surgery: A Multi-Institutional Study |
| SCA/IARS Diversty & Inclusion | Elena Ashikhmina, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor Mayo Medical Center Rochester, MN | Activated Prothrombin Complex Concentrate FEIBA to Optimize Postcardiopulmonary Bypass Hemostasis in Pediatric Cardiac Patients |
| SCA MiCoR | Marta Kelava, MD, MS | Clinical Assistant Professor CCLCM/CWRU Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH | The Effect of Continuous Low Tidal Volume Ventilation and Hyperoxia Avoidance During Cardiopulmonary Bypass |
2020 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Michael Mazzeffi, MD | Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland | Von Willebrand Factor Concentrate for Treatment of Acquired Von Willebrand Syndrome During ECMO: An in vitro Dose Finding and Efficacy Study |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Matthew Barajas, MD | Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, Tennessee | Altered Efficacy of Ischemic Post Conditioning after Cardiac Arrest in a Diabetic Rat Model |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Isaac Wu, MD | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York, New York | Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair and Right Ventricular Function: Analysis Based Upon Intraoperative Pressure-Volume Relationships |
2019 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Jessica Brodt, MD | Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford, CA | Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery with Erector Spinae Plane Catheters: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Nathan Clendenen, MD | Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO | Hemostasis After Cardiac Surgery and the Effect of Whole Blood Transfusion |
2018 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Jochen Steppan, MD DESA | Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland | The Role of LOXL2 in Pulmonary Hypertension |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Erik Strauss, MD | Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine, College Park, Maryland | Assessment of Tranexamic acid and e-Aminocaproic acid Pharmacokinetics and therapeutic Effectiveness during cardiopulmonary bypass (TAPE) |
2017 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Viachaslau Barodka, MD | Assistant Professor Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD | Prevention of Cardiac Surgery Associated Acute Kidney Injusry by a Goal-Directed Perfusion Protocol: Pilot Single Center Randomized Controlled Trial |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Eckhard Mauermann, MD | Research Fellow, Cardiac Anesthesia University Hospital of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium | 3D Echocardiography-Derived Pressure-Volume Loops for Assessing Right Ventricular Performance. A Feasibility Study With Broad Clinical Implications |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Louis Saddic, MD PhD | Fellow University of California, Los Angeles, CA | Remote Genetic Remodeling of the Cardiac Nervous System Following Myocardial Ischemia and the Attenuation of These Changes With Spinal Cord Stimulation |
2016 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Srdjan Jelacic, MD | University of Washington, Seattle, WA | The Use of Routine Video Surveillance of the Entire Operating Room to Identify Specific Hazards and Analyze Sentinel Events from Cardiothoracic and Vascular Procedures |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Michael A. Mazzeffi, MD | University of Maryland, College Park, MD | Procoagulant and Anticoagulant Factor Levels, Thrombin Generation, and Bleeding During Venoarterial ECMO |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Matthew A. Fischer, MD | University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA | Predicting Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation Using a Multi-Locus Epigenomic Risk Metric |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Jan M. Dieleman, MD PhD | UMC Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands | Genome wide DNA methylation profiles in patients with severe coronary artery disease and heart failure |
2015 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Elod Szabo, MD PhD | Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada | Influence of Exercise and Arrhythmia on the Development of Na-channel Related Cardiomyopathy |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Quintin Quinones, MD PhD | Duke UniversityDurham, NC | Innate Immune Adaptations of Hibernation as a New Approach to Protection Against Acute Organ Injury |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Matthew Levin, MD | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY | Genomics of Vasoplegia |
2014 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA In-Training | Domagoj Mladinov | Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI | Novel Strategies in Advancing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: MicroRNAs, Small Molecules with Great Potential |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Kimberly Howard-Quijano, MD | University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA | The Role of Cardiospinal Reflexes in Modulation of Ventricular Arrhythmogenesis |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Bryan Maxwell, MD | Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD | Development of a Comprehensive Perioperative Registry of Noncardiac Surgery and Obstetric Care for Patients with Adult Congenital Heart Disease |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Kei Togashi | University of Washington, Seattle, WA | Randomized Study of the Clinical Impact of Surgical Correction of Tricuspid Insufficiency in Implantable LVAD patients |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | David McIlroy, MD | University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia | Does varying the chloride content of intravenous fluid alter the risk of acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery? |
2013 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA In-Training | Geoffrey D. Lively, MD | Virginia Commonwelath UniversityRichmond, VA | A Clinical Pilot Study of Interactive Biomarkers in Coagulation, Inflammation and Endothelium with/ without Enhanced Anti-Oxidant Buffering Capacity utilizing High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Nina Hauck-Weber, PhD | University of Amsterdam (AMC), Department of Anesthesiology, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Secretion of Caveolin to the Bloodstream-a Role for Circulation Factors in Inducing Organ Protection by Helium – A Translational Approach |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Michael W. Manning, MD PhD | Duke University Medical Center; Department of Anesthesiology, Durham, NC | Atrial Fibrillation following Cardiopulmonary Bypass: The role of Angiotensin II |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Robert H. Thiele, MD | University of Virginia School of Medicine; Departments of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering, Charlottesville, VA | Comparison of Broad-Band Near-Infrared Spectroscopy- Derived Mitochondrial Oxidation State and Tissue Oxygen Saturation for the Detection of Ischemia in Two Models of Rat Cerebral Ischemia |
2012 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Se-Chan Kim | University of Bonn Dept of Anesthesiology, Bonn, Germany | CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide Mediated Postconditioning and Immunomodulating Effect in Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Amanda Fox, MD | Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA | Genome-Wide Assessment of Genetic Associations with Heart Failure after Primary Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Tobias Piegeler | Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL | Amide-linked Local Anesthetics as Src kinase inhibitors in Pulmonary Vascular Inflammation – A New Target for Old Drugs? |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Friederike Behmenburg | University Hospital Duesseldorf, Germany | Does Protection of the Aged Heart by Targeting Mitochondrial Large Conductance Ca2+-activated Potassium Channels Improve Long Term Hemodynamic Performance? |
2011 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Jayant Nick Pratap | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH | Randomized Trial of Near-infrared Spectroscopy to Guide Intraoperative and Intensive Care Management During Children’s Heart Surgery |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Jan Stumpner | University of Wuerzburg, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Wuerzburg, Germany | The Functional Role of Calcium/Calmodulin Kinase II in Ischemic and Anesthetic-induced Cardiac Protection |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Diederik Van Dijk | University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands, Utrecht, Netherlands | The Effect of Dexamethasone on Cognitive Decline after Cardiac Surgery |
2010 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Timo Brandenburger, MD | University Hospital Duesseldorf, Germany, Duesseldorf, Germany | Effects of MicroRNA-1 Knockdown on IGF-1 and cMet Expression and Impact on Hypoxia-induced Cell Death in Rat Myoblast Cells H9c2 |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Tetsuro Sakai, MD PhD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, PA | Role of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase in Stem Cell Mediated Neuronal Protection In Vitro |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Gregory M.T. Hare, MD PhD | St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada | Determining the Hemoglobin Threshold for Hypoxic |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Joern A. Karhausen | Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC | The Intestinal Injury in a Rat Model of Deep Hypothermic Cardiac Arrest: Critical Role of Mucosal Mast Cells for Barrier Function and Inflammation |
2009 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Qing Ma, MD | Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC | PPAR Gamma as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Perioperative Cerebral Injury Following Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Martina Nowak-Machen, MD | Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA | CD39 Modulates NKT Cell-induced Oxygen Toxicity in the Lung |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Matthias L. Riess, MD PhD | Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI | Free Radicals and Mitochondrial Function: How does genetic predisposition affect cardioprotection by volatile anesthetics? |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Mark Lovich, MD PhD | Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, MA | Pericardial Inotropic Therapy: A new paradigm for studying heart contraction |
2008 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Mark A. Gerhardt, MD PhD | The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH | Cytoskeletal Alterations in a Porcine Model of Restrictive Ventricular Septal Defect |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Ragnar Huhn, MD | University of Amsterdam (AMC) Amsterdam, Netherlands | Helium-induced Cardioprotection in the Hypertensive Myocardium |
| SCA/IARS Starter | J. Danny Muehlschlegel, MD | Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA | Functional analysis of Protease Activated Receptor-4 Polymorphisms associated with Myocardial Injury |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Zhengyuan Xia, MD PhD | University of Hong KongPok Fu Lam, Hong Kong | Nitrate Tolerance Compromises Propofol Protection Of The Endothelium Against Inflammation: The Role Of PKC-ß2 And NADPH Oxidase Interaction |