The American Stroke Association (ASA) is honoring 11 top scientists for their exceptional achievements in stroke and brain health research during the International Stroke Conference 2026, held in New Orleans from February 3-6. The awards recognize contributions ranging from lifetime achievements to new investigator findings, underscoring the importance of ongoing research to reduce the burden of stroke—now the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics.
Among the honorees, Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., M.Sc., from the University of California, San Francisco, received the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award for his work on racial and ethnic stroke disparities. He will present his lecture at the HEADS-UP symposium on Feb. 3. Pooja Khatri, M.D., M.Sc., from Yale University, received the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke, recognizing her international expertise in stroke care and research. Her lecture on clinical trial innovations is scheduled for Feb. 4.
Raghu Vemuganti, Ph.D., from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, received the Thomas Willis Lecture Award for his basic science research on ischemic stroke mechanisms. Kazunori Toyoda, M.D., Ph.D., from Japan’s National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, was honored with the Ralph L. Sacco Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award for mentoring future researchers. Seemant Chaturvedi, M.D., from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, received the David G. Sherman Lecture Award for his lifetime contributions to stroke prevention.
Six additional scientists were recognized for new research presented at the conference. Amar Dhand, M.D., Ph.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, received the Stroke Rehabilitation Award for developing a machine learning algorithm to measure social interactions in stroke survivors. Soomin Jeong, Ph.D., from the University of Pennsylvania, earned the Stroke Basic Science Award for a nanoparticle therapy targeting the blood-brain barrier. Zhe Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., from Beijing Luhe Hospital, received the Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award for a novel cooling infusion therapy after endovascular treatment. Daniela Renedo, M.D., from Yale School of Medicine, received the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award for genomic analyses of embolic stroke. Zhiyu (Roman) Yan, M.S., from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, received the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award for proteomic signatures in cerebrovascular disease. Sheng Zhang, Ph.D., from Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, received the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award for a cost-effectiveness study of prehospital blood pressure lowering in intracerebral hemorrhage.
The conference, a premier global meeting for stroke researchers and clinicians, highlights the ASA’s commitment to funding innovative research and advancing stroke prevention and treatment. The ASA notes that abstracts presented are not peer-reviewed and are considered preliminary until published. More information on the conference and awardees is available on the ASA newsroom.
