The American Stroke Association will honor 11 top scientists in stroke and brain health during the International Stroke Conference 2026, held in New Orleans from February 3-6. The awards recognize individual achievements in research, mentorship, and clinical care, underscoring the ongoing efforts to reduce the burden of stroke worldwide. Stroke is now the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics.
The honorees include five established researchers receiving career achievement awards and six early-career scientists recognized for novel research findings presented at the conference. Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, will receive the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award for his work on racial and ethnic stroke disparities. Pooja Khatri, M.D., from Yale University, will be honored with the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke. Raghu Vemuganti, Ph.D., from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will receive the Thomas Willis Lecture Award for basic science contributions. Kazunori Toyoda, M.D., Ph.D., from Japan’s National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, will receive the Ralph L. Sacco Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award. Seemant Chaturvedi, M.D., from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will receive the David G. Sherman Lecture Award for lifetime achievements in stroke prevention.
Six additional scientists will be recognized for award-winning abstracts. Amar Dhand, M.D., Ph.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, will receive the Stroke Rehabilitation Award for his research on measuring social interactions in stroke survivors. Soomin Jeong, Ph.D., from the University of Pennsylvania, will receive the Stroke Basic Science Award for developing a nanoparticle therapy to restore the blood-brain barrier. Zhe Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., from Beijing Luhe Hospital, will receive the Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke for a study on cooling infusion therapy after endovascular treatment. Daniela Renedo, M.D., from Yale School of Medicine, will receive the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award for genomic and proteomic analyses of embolic stroke. Zhiyu (Roman) Yan, M.S., from Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, will receive the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award for plasma proteomic signatures linked to cognitive decline. Sheng Zhang, Ph.D., from Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, will receive the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award for a cost-effectiveness study of prehospital blood pressure lowering.
The conference serves as a premier platform for disseminating cutting-edge research in stroke and brain health. The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, continues to fund innovative research and promote equitable care. More information about the conference and awardees can be found at the International Stroke Conference online program planner.
