Anum Saeed discusses AHA coronary inflammation challenge

The American Heart Association (AHA) has launched a nationwide data-driven research competition to learn more about how inflammation contributes to cardiovascular risk and how it is currently addressed in clinical practice. The initiative, called the Systemic Inflammation Data Challenge, invites data scientists, clinicians and researchers to leverage advanced analytics and electronic medical record (EMR) data to better understand the impact of systemic inflammation on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

"Systemic inflammation plays a critical role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks, strokes, peripheral arterial disease. We have a plethora of EHR data available and the AHA wanted to put out a challenge where we could crowdsource interesting methodology, including machine learning, and invite data scientists and other investigators across the country to be a part of this challenge," AHA volunteer Anum Saeed, MD, cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine with the University of Pittsburgh and co-leader of the American College of Cardiology Dyslipidemia Working Group, explained in an interview with Cardiovascular Business.

The research initiative is hosted on the AHA’s Precision Medicine Platform and is funded in part by Novo Nordisk. Rather than traditional research grants, AHA will award $75,000 in prize funding to the top three teams: $40,000 for first place, $25,000 for second and $10,000 for third. Finalists will present their findings at the AHA’s Scientific Sessions, and winning entries will be published in peer-reviewed journals.