Top recognition awarded to 11 stroke researchers for science, brain health contributions
Eleven top scientists in stroke and brain health were recently 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. The meeting was held in New Orleans and is a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health.
Two Connecticut researchers were honored for their outstanding contributions to stroke research. Pooja Khatri, M.D., M.Sc., FAHA, chair of the Department of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine and chief of neurology at Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale New Haven Health System, received the William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke. Daniella Renedo, M.D., an endovascular neurosurgery fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine, was recognized with the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award in Stroke.
Both Connecticut scientists presented at the International Stroke Conference.
Dr. Khatri shares what the award means to her here in this video and Dr. Daniella Renedo also she shares her appreciation for the award here in this video.
The Feinberg Award is named for the late William M. Feinberg, a prominent stroke clinician-researcher and American Heart Association volunteer who contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the causes of stroke. The award recognizes significant contributions to the investigation and management of clinical research in stroke.
The Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award is named after the late Mordecai T. Globus, a renowned cerebrovascular researcher, and is given to a researcher in training.
Other 2026 honorees included:
- Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.S., M.B.A., M.L.S., FAHA, University of California, San Fransico, will receive the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award.
- Raghu Vemuganti, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin – Madison in Madison, Wisconsin, to receive the Thomas Willis Lecture Award.
- Kazunori Toyoda, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Suita, Japan, will be recognized with the Ralph L. Sacco Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award.
- Seemant Chaturvedi, M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, will receive the David G. Sherman Lecture Award.
- Amar Dhand, M.D., Ph.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, will be recognized with the Stroke Rehabilitation Award.
- Soomin Jeong, Ph.D., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, will receive the Stroke Basic Science Award.
- Zhe Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University in Beijing, China, will receive this year’s Robert G. Siekert New Investigator Award in Stroke.
- Zhiyu (Roman) Yan, M.S., Ph.D. Student in Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, will receive the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Award.
- Sheng Zhang, Ph.D., Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital in Hangzhou, China, will receive the Stroke Care in Emergency Medicine Award.
For information on stroke prevention and signs, visit www.stroke.org.