2023 SCA Research Grants

The application submission period is closed.

SCA supports cardiothoracic and vascular research projects. This is the basis for the creation of the SCA/IARS Starter Grant, SCA/IARS Mid-Career Grant, SCA Diversity and Inclusion Grant, and the In-Training Grant.

Grants Information

Four types of grants will be awarded in 2023 to SCA members ONLY:

  • SCA/IARS Starter Grant– up to $25,000 per year for two
  • SCA/IARS Mid-Career Grant– up to $50,000 per year for two
  • SCA Diversity and Inclusion Grant– up to $25,000 per year for two years.
  • SCA In-Training Grant– $15,000 for one year.

The SCA is committed to promoting the representation of women and underrepresented minority investigators. Diversity is vitally important to advance scientific discovery. Starting with this year’s funding cycle, the SCA is especially encouraging individuals from all racial, ethnic or gender groups to apply.

The awards will be announced during the 2023 SCA Annual Meeting & Workshops in Portland, Oregon. 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.

Awardees

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