Traditionally, the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Annual Conference hosted two research competitions for young cardiologists or cardiovascular scientists: the Young Investigators Prize competition administered by the British Society of Cardiovascular Research (BSCR) and the British Atherosclerosis Society (BAS), and the Young Research Workers Prize competition administered by the BCS. Although the former competition was clearly aimed at basic scientists and the latter more broadly at clinical scientists, in the era of translational medicine the boundaries have become increasingly blurred. In line with the aims of BCS, BSCR, BAS and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to encourage greater dialogue and collaboration between basic and clinical scientists, these competitions were amalgamated into one in 2016.

For the 2018 BCS Young Investigator Award (YIA) competition, there were 48 submissions from some of the UK’s leading clinical and basic science cardiovascular researchers. The BCS Academic and Research Committee, Chaired by Professor Rod Stables, selected four finalists, who each gave a 10 min oral presentation, followed by questions from a panel of independent judges. All finalists were guests of the BCS at the Society’s Annual Dinner, and first prize was awarded to Laurienne Edgar and presented by Dr Sarah Clarke, BCS President.

The details of the four YIA finalists and their academic training and interests can be seen below.