Dana Dawson

Professor Dana Dawson is a distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Aberdeen's School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, where she has been a Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist since 2010. She leads the Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Unit with strong collaborative links across multiple UK centers and participates in numerous multi-center clinical research studies.

Her primary research interests focus on advancing knowledge in acute stress-induced (Takotsubo) cardiomyopathy, where she has delivered several landmark mechanistic clinical trials. She leads the Scottish Takotsubo Registry which has been accruing all cases since 2010. Additional research areas include exercise-based interventions and pharmacological therapies for type 2 diabetes, mechanistic trials for heart failure in COPD patients, deep cardiac phenotyping, prevention of cardio-toxicity in cardio-oncology, and innovative cardio-dentistry collaborations exploring the causal role of pathobionts in acute myocardial infarction. Her work with cardiac MR physicists has resulted in the development of the world's first cardiac array coil for cardiac Field Cycling Magnetic Resonance.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on Takotsubo syndrome, cardiovascular imaging, sex differences in cardiovascular disease, and innovative approaches to understanding cardiac pathophysiology through advanced imaging techniques and clinical trials. The research spans from basic science investigations of myocardial function to large-scale clinical registry studies and randomized controlled trials.

• Chair of the Myocardial Function Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology
• Head of the Taskforce on Takotsubo within the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology
• Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology
• Member of the British Cardiovascular Society
• Member of the American Heart Association

Professor Dawson has mentored numerous successful researchers whose work has been recognized with prestigious awards including the British Society of Echocardiography Young Investigator Research Prize, Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Early Career awards, and various American Heart Association accolades. Her research unit includes clinical fellows, research nurses, and specialized technicians working collaboratively on multiple cardiovascular research fronts.