Yan Li awarded AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Yan Li, a fourth year UCI biomedical engineering graduate student in Professor Zhongping Chen’s laboratory was awarded a 2020 two-year American Heart Association (AHA) postdoctoral fellowship.  The research funding is helping her develop and test the integrated intravascular ultrasound/polarization-sensitive OCT device for evaluating atherosclerotic plaque.

Li, who earned a degree in electronic science and technology from Tianjin University in China, is developing a comprehensive intravascular imaging device that can identify plaque, the cause of most heart attacks, in blood vessels. Her device combines photon and ultrasound, which can obtain structure and composition of arterial tissue simultaneously, and provide a quantitative way for clinicians to identify vulnerable lesions, tailor intervention therapy and monitor disease progression.

The AHA awards predoctoral fellowships to promising graduate students whose research relates to cardiovascular function, disease and stroke or to related problems, and who intend to pursue careers aimed at improving global cardiovascular health.