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August 17, 2021 – On August 14, 2021 the Miami Heart Research Institute/Florida Heart Research Foundation named Dr. Hooi Hooi Ng as our “Stop Heart Disease” Researcher of the Year at this year’s Annual Meeting of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology which was held in Orlando, August 13-15 at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort & Convention Center. We also had a huge surprise this year for our recipient. Our Medical Advisory Committee and Board of Trustees voted to increase this prestigious award from the former amount of $25,000 to the current amount $50,000!

Dr. Hooi Hooi Ng is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Her research interest centers around identifying novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases, with an emphasis on the regulation of vascular function. The ultimate goal of her research is to identify novel therapeutic targets and treatment strategies to improve overall cardiovascular health outcomes in patients. During her PhD, she unraveled the therapeutic potential of relaxin to ameliorate diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction and contributed to the landmark discovery of relaxin-prostaglandin interactions in the vasculature under both health and disease conditions. She has since established a strong record of research in delineating the mechanisms of relaxin action in the vascular system, as shown through a track record of publications. Her postdoctoral research builds upon this record, where she is currently examining the therapeutic effects of a small molecule compound that targets the relaxin receptor in animal models of vascular calcification.

Dr. Ng will use the $50,000 award funds as she continues to establish herself as an independent scientist and this award will allow Dr. Ng to generate preliminary data that build upon her research on novel clinically viable targets for cardiovascular disease, especially in the context of vascular calcification. The outcomes of her work may pave the way for future development of much-needed therapies for cardiovascular disease.

In 2003, we launched this program to inspire and promote excellence in cardiovascular research in the State of Florida known as the “Stop Heart Disease” Researcher of the Year Award. Miami Heart Research Institute/Florida Heart Research Foundation has been very fortunate to have achieved a close collaboration with the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, an extremely important partnership in the fight against heart disease