Professor Dana Dawson

Biography

Professor Dawson qualified in medicine at University of Medicine “Grigore T. Popa”, Iasi, Romania. After completing her MRCP with the Royal College of Physicians in London and read for a D. Phil in Cardiovascular Medicine at Merton College, University of Oxford, she trained in Cardiovascular Medicine in Edinburgh, Oxford and London in the UK and at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, in the USA.  In 2010 she moved to the University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where she currently is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist.

She made a significant contribution in advancing knowledge in acute stress induced (Takotsubo) cardiomyopathy,  having delivered several landmark mechanistic clinical trials. Takotsubo studies are ongoing in Aberdeen who lead the Scottish Takotsubo Registry which has been accruing all cases since 2010.

There is keen interest in other topics such as exercise based interventions and pharmacological therapies to improve cardio-metabolic health in patients with type 2 diabetes, mechanistic trials unmasking heart failure in patients with COPD,  deep cardiac phenotyping and strategies for prevention of cardio-toxicity in cardio-oncology. A cardio-dentistry collaboration explores the causal role of pathobionts in acute myocardial infarction.

Together with cardiac MR physicists, the group have developed the world's first cardiac array coil for cardiac Field Cycling Magnetic Resonance to investigate the unique characteristics of the heart muscle visible at low field and field cycling domains. 

Professor Dana Dawson leads the Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Unit who have strong collaborative links with many other UK centres, participating in multi-centre clinical research studies.

Prizes and Awards

Most recent mentored scientific investigations shortlisted for prize awards include:

1.    Janaki Srivanasan – winner of the British Society of Echocardiography Young Investigator Research Prize, October 2016

2.    Caroline Scally – finalist at the Early Career award, Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Washington, January 2017

3.    Caroline Scally – finalist at the Samuel A Levine Young Investigator Award of the American Heart Association, Anaheim, CA, November 2017

4.    Nadine Godsman – winner of the Young Investigator’s prize of the British Pharmacological Society – Pharmacology, December 2017 – London, England

5.    Caroline Scally - finalist at the Melvin Judkins Young Investigator Award of the American Heart Association, Chicago, IL, November 2018

6.    Alice Mezincescu – finalist at the Early Career Award-Translational Sciences of the Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Seattle, February 2019

7.   Chaitanya Joshi – Coronary Artery Disease Risk is Increased by Periodontitis Pathobionts, winner of the Sir Wilfred Fish Prize of The British Society of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, London, November 2021

8.    Alice Mezincescu – Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes is Moderated by Saturated Fatty Acids Abundance and Turnover, finalist at the Early career award on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Risk, American Heart Association scientific sessions, Chicago, November 2022

9.   Amelia Rudd - Cardiovascular and Non-Cardiovascular Prescribing and Mortality after Takotsubo - winner of the Scottish Cardiac Society Award, October 2023

Funding and Grants

RESEARCH GRANTS  – current:

1.      A Randomised Controlled Trial of Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibition for Reduction of Cardiovascular Events after Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (EVEREST), D Dawson (CI), DE Newby, G Hillis, M Petrie, G McCann, CP Gale, J Horowitz, G MacLennan, G Scotland, J Norrie – NIHR – Health Technology Assessment (NIHR157523), 01/01/25 to 31/12/31, £3,049,458.47

2. Myocardial Lipid Compartments in Type 2 Diabetes – Tenovus Scotland, AM Ciutac, J Ross, A Davidson and D Dawson, 1/08/2024-31/12/2025, £12,260

3. Sodium-glucose transporter type 2 inhibition in anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity, D Dawson (CI), D E Newby, BHF CRTF FS/CRTF/23/24508, 2025-2028, £363,697

4. Bioinformatics analysis of single cell SEQUENCing of Human PBMC in acutE cardiac disease- SEQUENCE study, H Khan, E Collie-Duguid, D Dawson, Tenovus Scotland, 03, 2023, £14,557

5. Replacement of (ultrasound) echocardiography equipment for clinical research, BHF Infrastructure Grant IG/F/21/50010 and IG/f/21/50010, D Dawson, 2022, £147,208

6. Epigenetic Phase Variation of Periodontal Bacteria – a Mechanistic Contributor to Coronary Artery Disease, BHFClinical Research Training Fellowship - FS/CRTF/22/24275 (for Dr Shirleen Hallang), K Hijazi (PI) and D Dawson, £217,509, 2022-2025, withdrawn due to unavailability of the fellow and re-awarded after peer review as a Project Grant, BHF PG/22/11117, £230,671

7. Epidemiology and predisposition of acute stress-induced (takotsubo) cardiomyopathy - BHF Research Training Fellowship (FS/RTF/20/30009, for Ms Amelia Rudd): D Dawson (CI), David Newby, 2021-2024, £215,051

8. The next leap in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: cycling the field: D Dawson (CI), D Lurie, L Broche, J Ross, H Abbas: BHF New Horizons Grant no. NH/19/1/34595, 2020-2024, £277,722