Professor Sir Nilesh Samani receives prestigious award at world's biggest heart conference

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, our Medical Director, has been awarded the prestigious European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal in recognition of his contribution to cardiovascular medicine. The Gold Medal, the Society’s highest honour, was presented today at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual Congress. 

Professor Samani started his medical training in Leicester in the mid-1970s. He is currently Professor of Cardiology at the University of Leicester and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at University Hospitals of Leicester. He was a BHF Professor from 2003 - 2016, and has been our Medical Director since 2016. He was Knighted in 2015 for services to medicine and medical research.  

The main focus of Professor Samani’s research has been in discovering and understanding the links between genetics and heart and circulatory conditions. In the 1990s, he collaborated with BHF Professor Stephen Ball to start the BHF Family Heart Study – a programme to collect the DNA from 2,000 families affected by heart disease. 

Professor Samani’s work has been instrumental in identifying over 50 genes associated with coronary heart disease. The important findings from his research are being used to understand more about the causes of heart and circulatory conditions, to develop new treatments, and to help identify people at risk to help prevent or slow their conditions. 

Over the course of his 30 year research career he has authored over 540 research papers, supervised over 30 PhD and MD students and has been awarded more £30 million in research funding. He still maintains some clinical duties, seeing patients in Leicester once per week alongside his commitments to our charity.