ACC.26: Smidt Heart Institute to Share Research, Clinical Expertise

Physicians and investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai will present research and clinical insights during the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session March 28-30 in New Orleans.

Late-Breaking Science

Cardiologist Shephal Doshi, MD , is first author of clinical trial results being presented at ACC, "Outcomes In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Randomized To Receive Left Atrial Appendage Closure Or Oral Anticoagulation: Primary Results Of The CHAMPION-AF Clinical Trial."

Women and Cardiovascular Disease

C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, will co-chair "Beyond the Usual Suspects: Cracking the Female Code." The session will explore diagnoses such as peripartum heart failure, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA), and myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA)-all of which predominantly affect women.

Janet Wei, MD , the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women's Cardiovascular Research, Education and Innovation, will contribute her expertise to the sessions "ANOCA, INOCA and MINOCA Boot Camp" and "Beyond Coronary Stenosis: Unraveling INOCA With Multimodality Imaging." She will also present a case titled "INOCA With Microvascular Dysfunction Assessed by Cardiac PET."

AI and Cardiac Imaging

Damini Dey, PhD , professor of Biomedical Sciences, will co-chair the session "From Code to Clinic: AI Transforming Cardiac Imaging." She and Piotr Slomka, PhD ,professor of Cardiology and Medicine, are also panelists on the session.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Florian Rader, MD , director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, will co-chair the session "New Horizons in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy."

ACC Awards

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology has selected Joseph Ebinger, MD, MS , associate professor of Cardiology, to receive the Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Scholarship. The award recognizes Ebinger's exceptional contributions to the peer review process and his commitment to advancing rigorous, high-impact cardiovascular science.

JACC: Advances has selected Assistant Professor Ofir Koren, MD , as a top reviewer. This recognition honors Koren's contributions as a JACC peer reviewer in 2025, including his thoughtful critiques, scientific discernment and dedication to scholarly excellence.

Project scientist Yuki Sahashi, MD, PhD,is the honorable mention awardee for the William W. Parmley Young Author Achievement Award. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology is recognizing Sahashi for a study he led, "Artificial Intelligence Automation of Echocardiographic Measurements."

Experts Available to Comment

Smidt Heart Institute experts are available to comment on research related to AI and imaging, cardiac surgery, noninvasive procedures, potential new therapies, and other topics presented at ACC.26. To schedule an interview, contact Stephanie Cajigal at [email protected] , or via mobile and What's App: (United States) +1-347-806-2938.