UF vascular surgeon wins $1 million award to study scarring in vein bypass grafts

University of Florida vascular surgeon Scott A. Berceli, M.D., Ph.D., has received the prestigious 2004 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, which includes a $1 million five-year grant for basic vascular biology research.

Funded in part by a grant from the William J. von Liebig Foundation, the award is one of two given annually by the Lifeline Foundation and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to support the development of outstanding clinician research scientists. It was presented June 5 at the 2004 Vascular Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. Berceli is a previous winner of 1990 Liebig Foundation Award for excellence in vascular surgery research by a resident or fellow.

Berceli, an assistant professor of vascular surgery at UF’s College of Medicine and Gainesville’s Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, is investigating the proteins that control scar formation within vein bypass grafts, a leading cause of heart attacks and limb loss.

Better understanding of these processes ultimately could lead to improved disease prevention and treatment for patients, he said.