Zhifen Chen | Public Health Analytics | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Research Data Analysis

Dr. Zhifen Chen | Public Health Analytics | Best Researcher Award

German Heart Center, TUM University Hospital, Technical University of Munich (TUM) | Germany

Dr. Zhifen Chen is an Independent Junior Group Leader at the German Heart Center, Technical University of Munich, specializing in experimental cardiology. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from Hubei Normal University and a Master of Science from Tsinghua University. Dr. Chen completed her PhD at the Technical University of Munich with a summa cum laude distinction, focusing on human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for cardiac disease modeling, therapeutic discovery, and safety pharmacology. She pursued postdoctoral research at Harvard University and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, contributing to functional genomics, CRISPR-based screening, and cardiovascular disease studies. Her research focuses on the genetics and molecular mechanisms of coronary artery disease, adipose tissue biology, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular precision medicine. Dr. Chen has secured multiple competitive grants, including from the DFG, DZHK, and international cardiovascular research partnerships. She has received numerous awards and honors, such as PhD summa cum laude, international travel awards, and conference prizes. She actively supervises postdoctoral researchers, PhD, MD, Master, and Bachelor students, and contributes to scientific communities as a reviewer, consortium member, and workshop organizer. Dr. Chen’s work integrates genome editing, transcriptomics, and advanced in vitro models to identify novel therapeutic targets, advancing cardiovascular research and translational medicine.

Profile : Orcid

Featured Publications

von Scheidt, M., Adkar, S. S., Krefting, J., Hoermann, G., Meggendorfer, M., Bauer, S., Mitchell, S., Pugach, I., Friess, C., Ma, A., et al. (2025). “Clonal Haematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential and Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease.” European Heart Journal.

Xu, C., Nie, X., Chen, Z., Qu, J. Z., & Wang, D. (2025). “Stenotic Left Atrioventricular Valve after Atrioventricular Septal Defect Repair: A Distinct Surgical Phenotype.” The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Chen, Z., Li, S., Song, X., Diagel, A., Li, L., Moggio, A., Li, Z., Chen, Y., Dang, T., Li, M., et al. (2025). “An Interplay of Non-Coding RNAs Regulates CDH13 Expression and Affects Endothelial Function and Coronary Artery Disease Risk.” Preprint.

Byers, P., Kellerer, T., Li, M., Chen, Z., Huser, T., & Hellerer, T. (2025). “Super-Resolution Upgrade for Deep Tissue Imaging Featuring Simple Implementation.” Nature Communications.

Sanin, V., Schmieder, R. S., Koenig, W., Li, L., Schunkert, H., & Chen, Z. (2025). “Rolle der Genetik in der Präzisionsmedizin der Koronaren Herzkrankheit.” Herz.

Kifah Hussain | Machine Learning and AI Applications | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Research Data Analysis

Dr. Kifah Hussain | Machine Learning and AI Applications | Best Researcher Award

Northwestern University | United States

Dr. Kifah Hussain is a highly accomplished cardiologist specializing in advanced cardiovascular imaging and cardiovascular disease, currently completing a fellowship in Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. He previously completed a fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at University of Chicago (Endeavor Health – Northshore) and an Internal Medicine residency at John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County. Dr. Hussain earned his medical degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, India, and holds multiple board certifications, including Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Nuclear Cardiology, and Adult Echocardiography. With a prolific research portfolio comprising over 30 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and abstracts, Dr. Hussain’s work focuses on echocardiography, cardiac CT imaging, transcatheter valve interventions, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac amyloidosis, and AI-driven cardiovascular diagnostics. He has presented extensively at national and international conferences, contributed as a peer reviewer for JACC journals, and served as a mentor for cardiology fellows. Recognized for his academic and clinical excellence, he has received awards including the ASE Top 50 Early Career Investigators, multiple ACC and ASE travel and research grants, and departmental honors. Dr. Hussain’s contributions encompass over 17 documents, with an h-index of 7 and more than 123 citations. His work continues to advance cardiac imaging, structural heart interventions, and precision cardiology, reflecting a commitment to innovative research, clinical excellence, and education.

Profiles : Orcid | Scopus

Featured Publications

Hussain, K., Lee, K., Balasubramanian, S.S., Singh, L., Vyas, N., Hussain, F., Wathen, L., Ricciardi, M.J., Leipsic, J., Rogers, C., et al. (2025). “Prognostic value of coronary CTA-based AI plaque quantification in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.” European Journal of Radiology.

Hussain, K., Saleh, D., Tang, M., Garcia, C., Kislitsina, O., Meng, Z., Baldridge, A., Puthumana, J.J., Cremer, P.C., Rigolin, V.H., et al. (2025). “Effect of Mavacamten on serial speckle-tracking strain in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.” Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

Lee, K., Hussain, K., Ding, C., Tarchala, D., Rosenberg, J., Pursnani, A. (2025). “Utility of multimodality imaging in superior anomalous pulmonary venous return with inferior sinus venosus defect.” JACC: Case Reports.

Hussain, K., Lee, K., Minga, I., Wathen, L., Balasubramanian, S.S., Vyas, N., Singh, L., Shetty, M., Rosenberg, J.R., Levisay, J.P., et al. (2025). “Real-world application of CCTA with CT-FFR for coronary assessment pre-TAVI: the CT2TAVI study.” The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging.

Hussain, K., Sam, R., Patel, R., Nso, N., Singh, L., Nazari, J., Rosenberg, J., Metzl, M., Wasserlauf, J. (2024). “Impact of moderate sedation on electrophysiology lab time for left atrial appendage occlusion using 4D-intracardiac echocardiography.” Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.