Colin Berry

Colin Berry is a Professor of Cardiology and Imaging at the University of Glasgow. He holds leadership roles as Director of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Research Excellence, Director of Research in the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health, and Director of Research at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital. Additionally, he serves as a Consultant Cardiologist at both the Golden Jubilee and Queen Elizabeth University Hospitals in Glasgow. His professional affiliations include Executive Editor of the European Heart Journal, President of the British Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (2022–2024), and Steering Group membership in the Coronary Vasomotor Disorders International Study Group (COVADIS). He has founded specialized working parties and led major research initiatives within cardiovascular societies.

Colin Berry earned his medical degree from the University of Glasgow (1987–1993) and a Maîtrise in Physiology from the University of Paris (1989–1990). He completed a PhD in cardiovascular science at the University of Glasgow in 2002. His clinical training in Cardiology and Internal Medicine spanned Glasgow (1993–2001) and the Montreal Heart Institute (2005–2006), supported by prestigious fellowships including the BHF International Fellowship and Royal Society of Edinburgh International Exchange Award. Post-doctoral studies at the NIH (2007–2009) and a Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Fellowship further enhanced his expertise in advanced cardiovascular imaging. He secured a Senior Fellowship from the Scottish Funding Council in 2009.

His research focuses on

• Ischaemic heart disease (angina, heart attack, heart failure)
• Small vessel disease (cardiac and cerebral)
• Therapy development using MRI
• Sex disparities in cardiovascular care
• Post-COVID-19 multisystem consequences
• Precision medicine and stratified approaches

Berry has pioneered groundbreaking technologies, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the UK, and world-first MRI mapping of heart attack injuries in 2011. He leads large-scale trials like the CorMicA and PRIZE studies, advancing treatments for microvascular angina and heart failure.

His scientific contributions include redefining international guidelines—from 'Syndrome X' to 'INOCA'—and co-authoring policy reports on Bias in Biology (BHF 2019) and the Igniting Change EDI strategy (BHF 2022). He advocates for healthcare equity via initiatives like the BHF Centre’s focus on sex, race, and deprivation disparities.

Research grants and collaborations span the BHF, UKRI, and industry partners like Abbott and Siemens Healthineers. His teams investigate cardiac biomechanics, computational models (e.g., SofTMechMP with MIT), and long-term effects of infections like SARS-CoV-2 on cardiovascular systems. Berry also co-leads the UK COVID-HEART study and directs the CISCO-19 and CISCO-21 trials exploring post-COVID-19 cardiac and exercise interventions.