SCCT Announces Recipients of 2015 Arthur S. Agatston Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Awards

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Vienna, VA (July 6, 2015) - The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) announces the recipients of the 2015 Arthur S. Agatston Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Awards, which were recently presented at the 10th Annual Scientific Meeting (SCCT2015), held in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The Agatston award promotes the prevention of death from heart disease by recognizing individuals whose pioneering efforts have saved lives from a leading killer throughout the world-coronary artery disease.

Dr. Arthur Agatston, preventive cardiologist for whom the award is named, is a visionary and pioneer in the field of noninvasive cardiac imaging and a leading preventive cardiologist. His scientific work, first reported in 1991 with Dr. Warren Janowitz, resulted in the Agatston Score, a method for screening patients for coronary artery disease by measuring the amount of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries. The Agatston Score is currently used throughout the world and considered by many experts to be the single best predictor of future heart attack.  

To help his cardiac and diabetes patients improve their blood chemistries and lose weight, Agatston also developed a diet, which led to his first book, The South Beach Diet, a #1 New York Times bestseller. Currently, Dr. Agatston serves as the Medical Director of Wellness and Prevention at Baptist Health South Florida.  

In honor of the Society's 10th anniversary, Dr. Agatston was also one of the recipients of the award that was founded due to his vision and generosity.

The recipients of the 2015 Agatston Awards are:

  • Arthur S. Agatston, MD, FSCCT, Medical Director, Wellness & Prevention, South Beach Preventive Cardiology Baptist Health South Florida
  • Bruce Brundage, MD, FSCCT, Heart Institute of the Cascades
  • Matthew J. Budoff, MD, FSCCT, Professor of Medicine, UCLA. Endowed Chair of Preventive Cardiology Program Director, Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute
  • Tracy Q. Callister, MD, FSCCT, Founder, Tennessee Heart & Vascular Institute, P.C.
  • Harvey Hecht, MD, FSCCT, Lenox Hill Heart & Vascular Institute
  • Warren Robert Janowitz, MD, JD, FSCCT, Medical Director and Chief, Nuclear Medicine, Baptist Health System, Radiology Associates of South Florida
  • Paolo Raggi, MD, FSCCT, Chair of Cardiac Research & Director, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute
  • John A. Rumberger, PhD, MD, FSCCT, Director of Cardiac Imaging, The Princeton Longevity Center

About the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography
SCCT is the professional society devoted exclusively to cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT). The Society is acknowledged and recognized as the representative and advocate for research, education, and clinical excellence in the use of cardiovascular computed tomography. For more information on the society's mission and goals, please see the SCCT website at www.SCCT.org.  

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