Jason Tarkin

Dr. Jason Tarkin is a Wellcome Clinical Research Career Development Fellow and Associate Principal Investigator at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge. He holds dual appointments as an Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust with an imaging sub-specialty and as a Junior Research Fellow at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. His leadership extends to key roles in the British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging Executive Committee, British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Collaborative Steering Committee, UK CARDIO-IMID Network Steering Committee, and the Editorial Board for Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging.

Dr. Tarkin earned summa cum laude with honors in Biology from the University of New Hampshire (2003), graduated with Distinction in Medicine from St. George's, University of London (2008), and completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge (2017). His clinical training spanned Barts Heart Centre, Hammersmith Hospital (as NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the National Heart & Lung Institute), and Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

His research pioneers multi-modality imaging approaches to quantify inflammatory disease activity in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular conditions through somatostatin receptor PET/MR imaging. Current projects focus on tracking cardiovascular inflammation as a prognostic marker for plaque progression and ventricular remodeling post-MI (NCT04073810), diagnostic/therapeutic monitoring in vasculitis (NCT04071691), and drug efficacy assessment in hyperlipidemia (NCT04073797). The collaborative PLAK-TALK study investigates intercellular communication pathways linking molecular mechanisms to clinically measurable biomarkers.

Analysis of Dr. Tarkin's 15 most recent publications reveals a dominant focus on inflammatory phenotyping in cardiovascular disease using advanced imaging modalities. Key trends include PET/MR applications for vascular inflammation quantification, machine learning integration for plaque characterization, and translational studies connecting imaging biomarkers to clinical outcomes in immune-mediated diseases. His work consistently bridges molecular mechanisms with clinical applications across atherosclerosis, vasculitis, and post-infarction remodeling.

• American Heart Association Melvin Judkin’s Young Investigator Award (2016)
• American College of Cardiology William W Parmley Young Author Achievement Award (2018)
• Wellcome Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship

Dr. Tarkin leads a research group comprising Dr. Andrej Ćorović, Dr. Christopher Wall, and Dr. Marta Peverelli, with collaborations spanning Prof. James Rudd, Prof. Ziad Mallat, Dr. Meritxell Nus, Dr. Helle Jørgensen, and Dr. Nicholas Evans. His work is supported by Wellcome Trust funding and clinical trial grants (NCT identifiers), focusing on therapeutic monitoring and diagnostic innovation. The group operates within the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute's Clinical Research Facility, utilizing hybrid PET/MR imaging capabilities and molecular profiling platforms to investigate inflammatory cardiovascular phenotypes.