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 she 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,  one of the main areas of research interest within the group. Several Takotsubo studies are ongoing and the Scottish Takotsubo Registry is accruing all incident and prevalent cases dating back to 2010.

There is keen interest in other topics such as diet and exercise based interventions to improve cardio-metabolic health in patients with type 2 diabetes, mechanistic trials exploring the cardiac substrate in patients with COPD who show clinical improvement whilst on betablocker therapy.  There is a developing interest in cardio-oncology and in therapies for acute coronary syndromes.

The group is working together with MR physicists towards the unique development of fast field cycling magnetic resonance for cardiovascular disease (with Professor David Lurie's group).

Professor Dana Dawson leads the Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Unit and together with her NHS Consultant Colleagues who have distinct Principal Investigator roles, they bring specific expertise to the group, creating a broad scope of activities.

The Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Unit also has strong collaborative links with molecular nutritionists, diabetes/endocrinology and oncology clinical colleagues, sport physiologists, MR and PET physicists, synthetic molecular chemists and cardio-thoracic surgeons.

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

Funding and Grants

RESEARCH GRANTS  – current:

1. 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, 2020-2023, £277,722
2. Towards Elucidating the Genetic Predisposition for Acute Stress-Induced (Takostubo) Cardiomyopathy: D Dawson (Chief Investigator), Z Miedzybrodzka, Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, 2019-2021, £24,950
3. PhysicaL Exercise and mental wellbeing rehabilitation for Acute StrEss-induced takotsubo cardiomyopathy: The PLEASE trial BHF Project Grant no. PG/18/35/33786; D Dawson (Chief Investigator), D.E. Newby, Marc Petrie, S Leslie, C.C. Lang, G Horgan, S Gray, C Williams, 2019-2022, £298,134
4. Cardiac Energetics and Breast Cancer Treatment, Tenovus Scotland G18.01, D Dawson (Chief Investigator), R Sharma, 2019-2021, £19,595
5. Resting Cardiac Energetics in Patients Undergoing Anthracycline Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer, Friends of Anchor, D Dawson (Chief Investigator), R Sharma, 2019-2021, £14,724
6. Fast Field Cycling-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FFC-MRI): A New Diagnostic that Reveals Acutely Inflamed Coronary Artery Plaques by Detecting Fat Dysfunction: D Dawson (Chief Investigator), D Lurie, L Broche, Justin Rochford and Hussein El-Shafei, Grampian NHS-Endowments, 2018-2019, £9,350
7. A randomised, double-blind placebo controlled trial to test if a beneficial effect of beta-blockers on exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is restricted to those patients with occult heart disease: D Dawson (Chief Investigator), G Devereux,  C Lang, B Lipowrth, W MacNee, N Mills, S Fielding, R Chaudhuri, P Short: BHF Project Grant no. PG/17/64/33205, 2017-2020, £299,169
8. Duration of dual anti-platelet therapy in acute coronary syndrome across Scotland. The DUAL-ACS2 trial: D Newby (Chief Investigator), N Mills, K Fox, D Dawson, J Irving, D McAllister, A Morris, J Norrie, M Petrie, C Berry, M McEntegart: British Heart Foundation Clinical Study no. CS/17/4/32960, 2017-2022, £630,845
9. Muscle fat compartments and turnover as a determinant of insulin sensitivity: D Dawson (Chief Investigator), M Delibegovic, S Gray, S Philip, P Whitfield, F Thies, G Lobley, British Heart Foundation Project Grant no. PG/15/88/31780, £259,358, 2016-2019