Congratulations to Assoc Prof Mary Kavurma and her co-authors for their work "Sex Differences In Endothelial Cell Function(s) In Diabetes-associated Peripheral Artery Disease."
Their abstract was selected for the 2024 Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award, which recognises the world's best cardiovascular science and medicine research.
Assoc Prof Kavurma is leader of the Vascular Complications Group at the Heart Research Institute (HRI), and head of HRI's Centre for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). The stellar work from Assoc Prof Kavurma and her co-authors was chosen by her peers as it reflects Dr White's vision for global excellence in cardiovascular science and medicine.
The award is presented to the primary author of the highest ranked abstract submitted from every country to the Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions. It is named in honour of Dr Paul Dudley White, who was a founding father of the American Heart Association and an early leader of preventative cardiology.
"I am honoured to have my work recognised by the American Heart Association," she said. "Peripheral artery disease (PAD) has a huge social and economic burden and is an important contributor to the global health burden.
"Our work has shown that sex differences in PAD are apparent, and our discovery may explain why women with PAD have worse clinical outcomes to treatment than men."
PAD occurs because of blocked arteries in limbs, and often results in amputation. Alarmingly, a limb is amputated every two hours in Australia. This rate is predicated to increase because of the diabetes epidemic.
Assoc Prof Kavurma and her co-authors were acknowledged during the conference that took place on May 15 to 18 in Chicago, USA.
