The American Stroke Association will honor eleven scientists for their exceptional contributions to stroke and brain health research during the International Stroke Conference 2026 in New Orleans. The awards recognize both lifetime achievements and new research findings presented at the conference, a premier global meeting for stroke researchers and clinicians.
Five researchers are being honored for their career-long dedication to the field. Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, will receive the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award for his work addressing racial and ethnic disparities in stroke. Pooja Khatri, M.D., of Yale University, receives the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke for her contributions to clinical stroke research. Raghu Vemuganti, Ph.D., from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, is awarded the Thomas Willis Lecture Award for his basic science research on stroke mechanisms. Kazunori Toyoda, M.D., Ph.D., of Japan's National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, receives the Ralph L. Sacco Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award. Seemant Chaturvedi, M.D., from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will be honored with the David G. Sherman Lecture Award for his work in stroke prevention.
Six additional researchers are being recognized for new findings presented at the conference. Amar Dhand, M.D., D.Phil., of Brigham and Women's Hospital, receives the Stroke Rehabilitation Award for research on a machine learning algorithm called SocialBit that measures social interactions in stroke survivors. Soomin Jeong, Ph.D., from the University of Pennsylvania, is awarded the Stroke Basic Science Award for research on restoring the blood-brain barrier after stroke. Zhe Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., of Beijing Luhe Hospital, receives the Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award for research on a cooling infusion technique for neuroprotection after stroke. Daniela Renedo, M.D., from Yale School of Medicine, is honored with the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award for research decoding the causes of embolic stroke. Zhiyu (Roman) Yan, a Ph.D. student at Harvard, receives the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award for research on proteomic signatures linking cerebrovascular disease and cognitive decline. Sheng Zhang, Ph.D., of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, is awarded the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award for research on prehospital blood pressure management in stroke patients.
The recognition of these researchers highlights several critical areas of advancement in stroke care. Research addressing health disparities, like Ovbiagele's work, is vital given that stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability with unequal impact across populations. According to the American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, stroke is now the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Innovations in rehabilitation, such as Dhand's SocialBit research, could improve quality of life for stroke survivors by objectively measuring social engagement, a key component of recovery. Basic science discoveries, including Jeong's work on the blood-brain barrier and Vemuganti's research on RNA mechanisms, may lead to new therapeutic targets for brain protection and repair after stroke.
Emergency care advancements represented by Zhang's research on prehospital blood pressure management could optimize treatment in the critical early hours after stroke onset. The new investigator awards highlight promising early-career research that may shape future stroke science, with Cheng's cooling technique offering a potential neuroprotective strategy and Renedo's multi-omics approach providing deeper understanding of stroke causes. Yan's work on vascular cognitive impairment addresses the intersection of stroke and dementia, an area of growing importance as populations age.
The conference provides a platform for sharing these findings, though the American Stroke Association notes that abstracts presented are preliminary until published in peer-reviewed journals. The association's financial information is available here. The recognition of these eleven researchers underscores the multidisciplinary effort required to advance stroke science, from basic discovery to clinical application and health equity, with potential implications for reducing the global burden of stroke.
