The German Heart Foundation, together with the German Society for Prevention and Rehabiliation of Cardiovascular Diseases (DGPR) has awarded the Kurt and Erika Palm Foundation Science Award for the fourth time in 2021. The prize money amounts to 10,000 euros and is divided between the first place winner with 6,000 euros, the second place winner with 3,000 euros and the third place winner with 1,000 euros.
The prize is aimed at research work in the field of prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases and arteriosclerosis, preferably from a research area close to the patient.
The first prize was awarded to Stephan Müller, Research Associate at the Chair of Preventive and Rehabilitative Sports Medicine, for his work „Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training, Moderate Continuous Training, or Guideline-Based Physical Activity Advice on Peak Oxygen Consumption in Patients with Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Randomized Clinical Trial”. That study was published in „JAMA” in February 2021.
"The award has immense significance for me, as I am nearing completion of my doctorate and now receive it relatively early in my sports science career," Mueller said. "Of course, the award also creates further attention for the published study and me as a sports scientist."
Together with Julia Hock from the Clinic for Congenital Heart Defects and Pediatric Cardiology at the German Heart Center, Dr. Barbara Reiner was awarded second place. The Research Associate at the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics has already been working on the vascular health of people, especially patients with congenital heart defects, since 2015. It was in this thematic context that the submitted research paper on the early identification of people with early signs of atherosclerosis was written. The original article, titled „Is carotid intima-media thickness increased in adults with congenital heart disease?” was published in the January 2020 „Journal of the American Heart Association”.
"The best thing about the award is that it shows that even as a sports and health scientist, you can find your place in the field of cardiovascular disease and that prevention is gaining importance here," Dr. Reiner said happily. "At the beginning of my doctorate, I still felt like an exotic - that has since changed."
The third place science award also went to the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics. Under the motto "One hour a week brings mobility power and speed," Michael Meyer, a research associate at this chair, launched a study in 2018 with the goal of improving the sports motor skills of children and adolescents with a congenital heart defect through a 60-minute web-based home exercise intervention. The award was given for his publication „E-Health Exercise Intervention for Pediatric Patients with Congenital Heart Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial“, which was published in “The Journal of Pediatrics” in June 2021.
"The award is a wonderful tribute to the dedication of the families and children who have actively supported us in our project," Meyer said. "I see the fact that I was able to help shape and implement this project as a great opportunity where I was able to learn a great deal. I'm all the more pleased that it also convinced the jury in the end."
The prizes were awarded in virtual form at the 47th annual conference of the German Society for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases (DGPR) in 2021.
To the homepage of the Chair of Preventive and Rehabilitative Sports Medicine
To the homepage of the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Contact:
Stephan Müller
Chair of Preventive and Rehabilitative Sports Medicine
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 56 (Campus C)
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24441
e-mail: stephan.mueller(at)mri.tum.de
Dr. Barbara Reiner
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24732
e-mail: barbara.reiner(at)tum.de
Michael Meyer
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24652
e-mail: michael.meyer(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photos: Silvia Béres/Winglet Education/private