Professor Dana Dawson

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 as well as pharmacological therapies 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.

The group is working 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 who have strong collaborative links with molecular nutritionists, diabetes/endocrinology and oncology clinical colleagues, sport physiologists, MR physicists 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

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

Funding and Grants

RESEARCH GRANTS  – current:

1. Constant Power Testing – an alternative to maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing, A Rudd (PI), H Khan, D Dawson, NHS Grampian Endowments, 2023-2024, £17,400

2. 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

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

4. 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

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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

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