ASNC, EANM Announce Winners of First Avijit Lahiri Young Investigator Awards Competition

First Place! Maria Alwan, MD (center), with Antti Saraste, MD, PhD (left), and Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, MD, MSc, MASNC (right).

ICNC2026 hosted the first Avijit Lahiri Young Investigator Awards Competition, where 6 early-career investigators presented their research and took questions from the judges.

The event honors the late Avijit Lahiri, MB, BS, MSc, MRCP, a founder of ICNC as well as a prolific researcher, teacher, and revered mentor to a generation of academic cardiologists. Prem Soman, MD, PhD, MASNC, one of Dr. Lahiri’s mentees, moderated the competition and introduced Dr. Lahiri’s daughters and grandson who were in attendance.

Maria Alwan, MD, earned first place for her work titled, Predictive Value of PET-Derived Myocardial Flow Reserve for New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation: A Two-Center Study. Dr. Alwan’s project found that PET-derived myocardial flow reserve, a marker of coronary vascular health, can predict the development of atrial fibrillation and improve risk prediction beyond traditional risk markers.

“These findings highlight the potential role of coronary microvascular dysfunction in the pathogenesis of AF and may help identify patients at increased risk of AF,” she explains. “I am truly grateful and honored to receive the Avijit Lahiri Young Investigator Award, … . It was a privilege to present alongside many talented young investigators whose work was inspiring and impactful. I am deeply thankful to my mentor, Dr. Mouaz Al-Mallah, for his tremendous guidance, support, and encouragement, and to the ICNC2026 chairs and community for organizing an outstanding meeting and for this meaningful recognition.”

Second Place! George Benjamin Collins, MBBS, MRCP, PhD (center), with Antti Saraste, MD, PhD (left), and Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, MD, MSc, MASNC (right).

Third Place! Alaaeddine El Ghazawi, MD (center), with Antti Saraste, MD, PhD (left), and Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, MD, MSc, MASNC (right).

Second place went to George Benjamin Collins, MBBS, MRCP, PhD, for Temporary Pre-scan Proton Pump Inhibitor Cessation Reduces Gastric Tracer Uptake in Patients Undergoing Rb-82 PET Myocardial Perfusion Imaging.

Third place went to Alaaeddine El Ghazawi, MD, for Deep Learning-Derived Right Ventricular Volume Enhances Prognostic Value Beyond Myocardial Flow Reserve in PET MPI.

The ICNC2026 Abstracts Supplement contains all the abstracts presented in the 2026 Avijit Lahiri Young Investigators Awards Competition and throughout ICNC2026.

View ICNC2026 Abstracts