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Temple Cardiologist Emily J. Tsai, MD, Wins Prestigious Award for Heart Failure Research

Emily J. Tsai, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Physiology at Temple University School of Medicine and a specialist in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, has won the Jay N. Cohn New Investigator Award in Basic Science. Dr. Tsai received the award at the 16th annual meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) held recently in Seattle.

The award recognizes excellence in young investigators. A committee of prominent cardiovascular scientists from selected academic medical centers across the country selected five finalists to present their research at the meeting. The abstract presentations were judged on the bases of scientific merit, presentation of the abstract, use of appropriate graphics, and effectiveness of the presenter's discussion. The award is named for Dr. Cohn, the founding president of the HFSA and an internationally recognized clinical investigator in cardiology.

Dr. Tsai's research team is trying to identify new ways to protect and improve the failing heart. While clinical trials have long shown that heart drugs called beta blockers improve the survival of patients with heart failure, exactly how they work to protect and mend the heart on the molecular and cellular levels is not fully understood. Dr. Tsai hypothesized that beta blockers improved heart function by improving the regulation of a particular signaling pathway in heart cells. She examined the pathway using an animal model of heart failure with and without treatment with beta blockers, and found that the drugs improve the signaling pathway through two novel mechanisms she previously identified. "While the results are preliminary," she said, "they suggest a potential target for new heart failure therapies, and that's really exciting."

"It's no surprise that Emily won the Jay Cohn prize at the Heart Failure Society of America's annual meeting," said Thomas Force, MD, Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine and Clinical Director of Temple's Center for Translational Medicine. "She's an outstanding young researcher, and has a great career ahead of her," added Dr. Force, who was recently elected president of the society.

Yuchuan Liu, PhD, Victor Rizzo, PhD, and Abdel Karim Sabri, PhD, all members of Temple's Cardiovascular Research Center, along with Dr. Tsai, and Louis Dell'Italia, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, also contributed to the research.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with a Temple physician, call 1-800-TEMPLE-MED (1-800-836-7536).

Date Published: Wednesday, October 03, 2012

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