WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Matthew S. Edwards, M.D. received the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award of the American Vascular Association (AVA) at the 60th Vascular Annual Meeting on June 1in Philadelphia, Pa.
Edwards, assistant professor of surgery at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center was selected for the honor for a preliminary study that suggests that using minimally invasive balloon angioplasty is almost as effective as more traditional surgery to restore blood flow to kidneys damaged by hypertension or other disorders.
He recently received funding for a clinical trial to continue his research including: $540,000 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), one of the National Institutes of Health; $375,000 from the American Vascular Association/Lifetime Foundation’s Mentored Clinical Science Award, and a $385,000 unrestricted research grant from the medical technology company, Medtronic AVE.
“Dr. Edwards’ research is important because it may alter contemporary medical practice and favorably impact the dialysis-free survival for thousands of individuals each year,” said William H. Pearce, M.D., chairman of the AVA.
The Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award supports the career development of investigators who focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research. The award is presented cooperatively with the NHLBI and provides support for three to five years of supervised study and research.
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Media Contacts: Jim Steele, jsteele@wfubmc.edu, Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, or Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, at (336) 716-4587.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,187 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.