Professor Dana Dawson

Professor Dana Dawson
Professor Dana Dawson
Professor Dana Dawson

DM, FRCP, D.Phil, FESC

Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine

About

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.

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships

Team members and close collaborators:

Dr. David Gamble - BHF Clinical Research Fellow, Clinical Lecturer

Dr. Hilal Khan - Clinical Research Fellow

Dr. Susanth Alapati - BHF Clinical (Dental) Research Fellow

Dr Sara Sharif - Elphinstone Clinical (Dental) Research Fellow

Ms Amelia Rudd, MSc - BHF AHP Clinical Research Fellow

Miss Lesley Cheyne - Cardiovascular Technician

Ms Janaki Srivanasan – Senior Research Sonographer

Dr. Lionel Broche – Lecturer in Fast Field Cycling MR Physics

Dr. Gareth Davies - Fast Field Cycling MR Physics Research Fellow

Dr. James Ross - Lecturer in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Physics

Dr. Caroline Scally – former BHF Clinical Research Fellow

Miss Nadine Godsman – former BHF non-clinical PhD student

Dr. Alice Mezincescu – Clinical Lecturer (former BHF Clinical Research Fellow)

Dr. Chaitanya Pradeep Joshi - former Clinical Research Fellow - Dental, Elphinstone Scholar

Dr. Hassan Abbas – BHF Clinical Research Fellow

 

Research Nurses:

RN Valerie Harries

RN Jocelyn Abernethy

RN Debbie Olaotan

RN Pauline Crozier

 

Research Radiographers:

Mr Mike Hendry (MRI)

Ms Nicola Crouch (MRI)

Ms Laura Reid (MRI)

Ms Michelle Mauchline (MRI)

Mrs Denise Forrest (CT)

Ms Louise Lamley (CT)

 

External Memberships

She is a member of the British Cardiovascular Society, American Heart Association, Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, Chair of the Myocardial Function Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology and head of the Taskforce on Takotsubo within the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.

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

Research

Funding and Grants

RESEARCH GRANTS  – current:

1. Sodium-glucose transporter type 2 inhibition in anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity, D Dawson, D E Newby, BHF CRTF FS/CRTF/23/24508, 2024-2027, £363,697

2. 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

3. Importance of Gender Differences in secondary prevention and longterm outcomes of cardiovascular disease, T Pana (PI), D Dawson, P Myint, NHS Grampian Endowments, 2022-2023, £16,055

4. Replacement of (ultrasound) echocardiography equipment for clinical research, BHF Infrastructure Grant IG/F/21/50010, D Dawson, 2022, £73,604

5. Epigenetic Phase Variation of Periodontal Bacteria – a Mechanistic Contributor to Coronary Artery Disease, BHF Project Grant PG/22/11117, K Hijazi (PI) and D Dawson, £217,509, 2022-2025

6. Life-style interventions for modulation the Brain PhEnotype of TAKOtsUbo Cardiomyopathy BREAKOUT), D Dawson (PI), NHS Grampian Endowments, £310,552, 2020-2024

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, 2021-2023, £215,051

8. Demographic, multi-morbidity and genetic impact on myocardial involvement and its recovery from Covid-19: The Covid-Heart Study, NIHR, CI John Greenwood, D Dawson co-applicant, £775,095

9. 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

10. Towards Elucidating the Genetic Predisposition for Acute Stress-Induced (Takostubo) Cardiomyopathy: D Dawson (Chief Investigator), Z Miedzybrodzka, Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, 2019-2023, £24,950

11. 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, 2019-2023, £298,134

12. Cardiac Energetics and Breast Cancer Treatment, Tenovus Scotland 01, D Dawson (Chief Investigator), R Sharma, 2019-2023, £19,595

13. Resting Cardiac Energetics in Patients Undergoing Anthracycline Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer, Friends of Anchor, D Dawson (Chief Investigator), R Sharma, 2019-2023, £14,724