Vasilis Babaliaros receives NHLBI Orloff Science Award

Vasilis Babaliaros, MD (Division of Cardiology) was recently presented the 2017 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Orloff Science Award. The Orloff Science Award recognizes outstanding achievements in science and the development of novel research tools by investigators within NHLBI’s Division of Intramural Research. The award was presented by NHLBI Director Gary Gibbons for the “IDE trial that demonstrated utility and safety of transcaval TAVR.”

Robert J. Lederman, MD (senior investigator at the NHLBI) stated via email, “NHLBI leadership recognizes and is grateful for Dr. Babaliaros’ exceptional talent, vision, and insight into structural heart interventional procedures. We have the opportunity to work with leading cardiologists nationwide, but his contributions have stood out. In addition to his leadership in the development of the transcaval technique, we are grateful for his collaboration with NHLBI on the new LAMPOON mitral procedure and forthcoming tricuspid procedures.”

The transcaval access is a new, less invasive approach to performing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a procedure widely used to treat aortic valve stenosis, a lethal heart condition. The transcaval access will make TAVR more available to high-risk patients, especially women, whose femoral arteries are too small or diseased to withstand the standard procedure. Learn more about this procedure

The Orloff Science Awards are named in honor of Dr. Jack Orloff, a longtime member of the NHLBI intramural family and scientific director from 1974-1988.

Congratulations, Dr. Babaliaros! We are proud to have you on our team.

More about Dr. Babaliaros

Dr. Babaliaros is co-director of Emory University’s Structural Heart and Valve Center and a professor of medicine and surgery specializing in interventional cardiology. He received his biomedical engineering degree from Duke University (1992), his medical degree from Emory University (1996), and completed his training in internal medicine and cardiology at Emory (2003). In 2004, he completed fellowship training in interventional cardiology at Emory University and then continued sub-specialty training in valvular interventional cardiology under Alain Cribier, MD at the University of Rouen, France (2005). After he returned from France, he joined the faculty as one of the founding members of the Emory Structural Heart and Valve Center in 2006. Learn more about Dr. Babaliaros

Related Links 

• Emory University Department of Medicine
• Emory Division of Cardiology
• NHLBI
• New method for performing aortic valve replacement proves successful in high-risk patients

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