The Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont (CVRI-VT) held the Annual Reception and Gala on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at the Dudley H. Davis Center on the University of Vermont campus. Recipients of CVRI-VT travel awards and members of the CVRI-VT Early Career Advisory Committee were recognized at the event, which featured a reception followed by remarks from David Schneider, M.D., director of CVRI-VT and UVM professor of medicine. 

Founded in 2002, the CVRI-VT’s mission is to reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality of heart and vascular diseases by improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The institute encourages collaboration across UVM departments and with the UVM Medical Center.

The CVRI-VT Travel Awards support trainees and junior investigators presenting abstracts at regional and national scientific meetings. The awards are competitive, with only 10 or fewer grants awarded each academic year.

Recipients of the 2014-2015 Travel Awards include:

Approved in 2014 

Michael J. Previs, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

Biophysical Society – 59^th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Mf.

• Myosin-binding protein C corrects an intrinsic non-uniformity in cardiac excitation-contraction coupling
• Poster and Oral

Zubin Agarwal, M..D, M.P.H., Resident, Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine – Cardiology

American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2014, Chicago, Ill.

• Galectin-3 and risk of stroke: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort
• Poster

Sean R. McMahon, M.D., Resident, Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine – Cardiology

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology 2014 Annual Scientific Sessions, Boston, Mass.

• Increased use of regadenoson in patients with abnormal troponin I in the era of sensitive troponin assays
• Poster

Approved in 2015 

Kristine Alexander, Ph.D., M.C.R., Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine – Hematology Oncology

American Heart Association Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Risk 201Scientific Sessions, Baltimore, Md.

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and risk of incident cognitive impairment
• Poster

Markus Degirmenci, M.D., Resident, Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine – Internal Medicine

American Heart Association Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Risk 2015 Scientific Sessions, Baltimore, Md.

• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS) and risk of stroke in black and white Americans: The Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke cohort (REGARDS)
• Poster

Peter Durda, Graduate Student, Department of Pathology – LCBR

American Heart Association Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Risk 2015 Scientific Sessions, Baltimore, Md.

• Circulating soluble CD163 and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in older persons: the Cardiovascular Heart Study (CHS)
• Poster

Kara Klingman Landry, Medical student, Class of 2015, UVM College of Medicine

American Heart Association Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Risk 2015 Scientific Sessions, Baltimore, Md.

• Association of stroke risk biomarkers with stroke symptoms: the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort
• Poster

Thomas A. Longden, Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Pharmacology

Experimental Biology 2015, Boston, Mass.

• Unique ion channel property of brain capillary endothelial cells
• Poster

Yao Li, 5^th year graduate student, Department of Pharmacology

Experimental Biology 2015, Boston, Mass.

• Rho kinase regulates myogenic depolarization of cerebral parenchymal arterioles
• Poster

Krithika Rao, 4^th year graduate student, Department of Medicine

International Society for Stem Cell Research 2015 Annual Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden

• CTGF-D4/LRP6 signaling promotes adult epicardial cell grafts after MI
• Oral

Erin Morris, M.D., 3^rd year fellow, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

Society for Reproductive Investigation 62^nd Annual Scientific Meeting, San Francisco, Calif.

• Prepregnancy blood pressure and history of first trimester loss contribute to birth weight and placental weight
• Cerebral blood flow changes over pregnancy in women with a history of HELLP syndrome and those with prior preeclampsia
• Persistence of pregnancy-induced maternal uterine vascular remodeling in rodents
• Poster (3)

Lindsay Howe, Graduate student, UVM College of Medicine Class of 2019, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

Society for Reproductive Investigation 62^nd Annual Scientific Meeting, San Francisco, Calif.

• Obesity, body fat distribution and cardiovascular function in young nulliparous women
• Poster

Carole McBride, Graduate student (Ph.D. candidate), Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

Society for Reproductive Investigation 62^nd Annual Scientific Meeting, San Francisco, Calif.

• Factors influencing early pregnancy uterine arterial blood flow and resistance index
• Maternal hypertension and major morbidity in infants born 22 to 29 weeks gestation
• Physical fitness and cardiovascular phenotype in young women
• Poster (3)

Members of the Early Career Advisory Committee

Patrick Hohl, D.O., 1st year fellow, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

Abbie C. Johnson, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Neurological Sciences

Kara Klingman Landry, 4th year medical student, UVM College of Medicine

Dawei Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Kelley McLean, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences

Sean McMahon, M.D., 1st year fellow, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

Nels Olson, Ph.D., 3rd year postdoctoral fellow, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Michael Previs, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

To learn more about the CVRI-VT, visit their website. You can also view the 2014 annual report here.