Professor Gerry McCann

Professor Gerry McCann is a heart specialist with a subspecialist interest in MRI scanning; he conducts experimental research in people to better understand heart disease and clinical trials to assess the optimal investigation strategies and treatments for patients with, or at risk of developing, heart disease.

Professor McCann is the Cardiovascular theme lead for NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, the immediate past-chair of the British Society of Cardiovascular MRI research group, lead of the PhOSP-COVID cardiovascular working group and East Midlands Cardiovascular Clinical Research network.

Professor McCann’s research is focused on clinical imaging and conducting randomized controlled trials. His work has been quoted in multiple International guidelines and the CvLPRIt trial helped change the guidelines on patients presenting with STEMI and multivessel disease. The recently published CEMARC-2 and MR-INFORM trials will influence future guidance on the assessment of patients with chest pain of suspected cardiac origin.

Professor McCann has published over 190 peer-reviewed articles, 120 of which have been in the last 5 years and he is senior or first author on over half of these publications. Current H-Index is 38 (i10 99/Google Scholar, April 2021) and has over 5,000 citations.

Professor McCann's publications

Tope ten papers in last 5 years

1. Gulsin GS, Swarbrick DJ, Athithan L, …..McCann GP. Effects of Low-Energy Diet or Exercise on Cardiovascular Function in Working-Age Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label, Blinded End Point Trial. Diabetes care. 2020;43:1300-1310.
2. Everett RJ, Treibel TA, …, McCann GP, Greenwood JP, Moon JC and Dweck MR. Extracellular Myocardial Volume in Patients With Aortic Stenosis. JACC. 2020;75:304-316 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.11.032
3. Nagel E, Greenwood JP, McCann GP, et al Magnetic Resonance Perfusion or Fractional Flow Reserve in Coronary Disease. NEJM 2019; 380(25): 2418-28.
4. Kanagala P, Cheng ASH, Singh A, Khan JN, Gulsin GS, Patel P, Gupta P, Arnold JR, Squire IB, Ng LL and McCann GP. Relationship Between Focal and Diffuse Fibrosis Assessed by CMR and Clinical Outcomes in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction. JACC Cardiovascular imaging. 2019;12:2291-2301.
5. Musa, T.A., …. McCann GP, Moon J, Greenwood JP, Myocardial Scar and Mortality in Severe Aortic Stenosis:. Circulation, 2018; 138:1935-47
6. Singh A, Greenwood JP, Berry C, …… and McCann GP. Comparison of exercise testing and CMR measured myocardial perfusion reserve for predicting outcome in asymptomatic aortic stenosis: the PRognostic Importance of MIcrovascular Dysfunction in Aortic Stenosis (PRIMID AS) Study. European heart journal. 2017;38:1222-1229.
7. Greenwood JP, Ripley DP, Berry C, McCann GP et al. Effect of Care Guided by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy, or NICE Guidelines on Subsequent Unnecessary Angiography Rates: The CE-MARC 2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2016; 316(10): 1051-60.
8. Nazir SA, McCann GP, Greenwood JP, … Gershlick AH. Strategies to attenuate micro-vascular obstruction during P-PCI: the randomized reperfusion facilitated by local adjunctive therapy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction trial. European heart journal. 2016;37:1910-9.
9. McCann GP, Khan JN, Greenwood JP,… Gershlick AH. Complete Versus Lesion-Only Primary PCI: The Randomized Cardiovascular MR CvLPRIT Substudy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2015;66:2713-24.
10. Gershlick AH, Khan JN, Kelly DJ, …. McCann GP. Randomized trial of complete versus lesion-only revascularization in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STEMI and multivessel disease: the CvLPRIT trial. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2015;65:963-72.

Prof McCann has an excellent record in developing junior researchers. He has been the principal supervisor for six doctorates.

Two of his trainees have scored personal NIHR Intermediate Fellowships and have been appointed as Associate Professors. His post-doctoral fellows and lecturers have been successful in attracting external funding from the NIHR, Wellcome Trust, BHF, the Academy of Medical Sciences and garnering industry support for their research projects. Three of his PhD students have been appointed as NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturers (ACL) and another NIHR ACL has recently secured a five-year senior lecturer position at the University of Leeds

Professor McCann’s main teaching contribution is through the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students. He has an excellent track record in all domains and a major focus is the development of individuals within the Cardiovascular Imaging Research group.

In addition Gerry delivers occasional lectures to undergraduate medical students, post-graduate trainees and hands-on clinical training in CMR. He lectures widely on CMR, aortic stenosis and diabetic heart disease and is a regular speaker at national and international conferences.

Personal awards

• University of Leicester Research Excellence Award 2021- CV imaging group
• NIHR Research Professorship 2018-2023
• Frank May Prize Lecture and Medal 2018 (Most Outstanding Medical Research Leicester)
• East Midlands CRN Finalist: Exemplary investigator contribution 2017.
• Awards - for student supervision (2015, 2016). BJCA trainer of the year 2016 - runner up.
• ACC Best Abstract from the UK 2015
• NIHR Career Development Fellowship 2014-18
• NIHR Postdctoral Fellowship 2011-14
• Da Vinci Early Clinical Research Award, February 2010 (With Ng/ Nicolson)
• ESC Clinical Training Fellowship (MRI), Amsterdam, 2004

Student awards

International

• AHA Samuel Levine Early Career Investigator Award, G Gulsin (2019)
• Society of Cardiovascular MR Early Career Award: Winner A Singh (2016)
• Finalists C Steadman (2011), P Kanagala (2018)

National

• British Society of Cardiovascular MRI- YIA Award Winner 2020- Dr G Gulsin
• Presidents Cardiology Section of the Royal Society, finalists, Alastair Moss & Gaurav Gulsin, Oct 2020
• Royal College of Physicians, Turner-Warwick Lecturer, Matt Graham-Brown, March 2020  British Society for Heart failure : Winner Gulsin 2019; Runner-up Kanagala 2018
• British/Irish Hypertension Society:
• Young Investigator Award Winner 2017: W Hunt
• Dr Robert Grayson Award Vascular Disease: G Gulsin 2019; J Yeo 2021
• British Heart Valve Society 2015 – Young Investigator Award Winner (A Singh)
• BMA student research award 2017 (Runner-up S Ardenwalla);

College PhD prizes

• (Nicolson 2013;Kanagala 2018),

• University of Glasgow, MB ChB Medicine July 1992, 1985-1992
• BSc (Hons 2:1) Physiology/Sports Science 1989
• MRCP (UK), February 1995
• Dip Sp Med Scottish Royal Colleges, April 1997
• MD University of Glasgow, April 2002