PHILADELPHA, PA., Friday, February 6, 2026 — Eleven top scientists in stroke and brain health were recognized for their individual exceptional professional achievements and contributions to stroke and brain health care and research during the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2026. Philadelphia was represented among this distinguished group at the world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health, held Feb. 3–6 in New Orleans.
Soomin Jeong, Ph.D., the Stroke Basic Science Award recipient, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Stroke Basic Science Award recognizes outstanding laboratory-based basic or translational science. Jeong’s award-winning research, “Restoring the Blood-Brain Barrier after Stroke: VCAM-Targeted MFSD2A mRNA Nanoparticle Therapy with Functional Recovery,” was presented on February 4.
The 2026 honorees:
- Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.S., M.B.A., M.L.S., FAHA, University of California, San Fransico, received the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award.
- Pooja Khatri, M.D., M.Sc., FAHA, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, honored with the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke.
- Raghu Vemuganti, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin – Madison in Madison, Wisconsin, received the Thomas Willis Lecture Award.
- Kazunori Toyoda, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Suita, Japan, recognized with the Ralph L. Sacco Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award.
- Seemant Chaturvedi, M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, received the David G. Sherman Lecture Award.
- Amar Dhand, M.D., Ph.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, recognized with the Stroke Rehabilitation Award.
- Soomin Jeong, Ph.D., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, received the Stroke Basic Science Award.
- Zhe Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University in Beijing, China, received this year’s Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke.
- Daniela Renedo, M.D., Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, received the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award.
- Zhiyu (Roman) Yan, M.S., Ph.D. Student in Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, received the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award.
- Sheng Zhang, Ph.D., Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital in Hangzhou, China, received the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award.
Statements and conclusions of studies that are presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. Abstracts presented at the Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, rather, they are curated by independent review panels and are considered based on the potential to add to the diversity of scientific issues and views discussed at the meeting. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.
For more information on the awards and other science news from the International Stroke Conference, check out the newsroom.