The winner of the University of Leicester inaugural Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award was revealed at the 2011 Alumni Black Tie Dinner on Thursday 17 February at the Mandarin Hotel in London.
Professor Nilesh Samani holds a prestigious British Heart Foundation Chair in Cardiology at the University of Leicester. He is also Head of the University's Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and Consultant Cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, which sees over 15,000 cardiac patients each year.
Professor Samani leads an internationally acclaimed team of clinicians and researchers and is both held in high regard and viewed with great warmth by the thousands of families whose loved ones have been treated and cared for by his team.
The Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award shows the recognition by his fellow alumni, not only of his world-leading research, but also of the life-changing difference he has made for countless patients and families suffering from cardiovascular diseases in Leicestershire and across the UK in a career spanning more than 30 years in Leicester.
Nilesh Samani graduated from the University of Leicester in 1978 with a first class BSc in Medical Sciences, following this with an MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) in 1981 and an MD with Distinction in 1994, becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in the same year.
In 1998 he became a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, a Fellow of the American Heart Association in 2000 and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences in 2002.
The following year he was awarded the British Heart Foundation Chair in Cardiology at the University of Leicester and was appointed as one of the first hundred National Institute for Health Research Senior Investigators in 2008.
He has contributed to fundamental discoveries, changed scientific thinking and impacted on clinical practice in the field of Cardiovascular Sciences. In particular he has revealed the genetic basis of cardiovascular diseases and is investigating how that knowledge can be applied for better prevention, treatment and care.
Professor Samani's notable achievements include the discovery of new genetic variants associated with risk of heart disease, including, in 2007, the discovery of the first common variant that increases the risk of heart attacks. He has also discovered the relationship between biological ageing and the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Having secured multi million pound investments, he has established Leicester as a world-leading centre for heart research.
This funding includes the £5.5 million award of a National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Unit in Cardiovascular Disease and a £3 million award from the British Heart Foundation towards the building and equipping of a new state of the art Cardiovascular Research Centre for the University and the local Hospital Trust in Leicester
His close links with the local community in Leicestershire and the high esteem with which he is held was recognised by his appointment as Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire in 2010.
Patrick Mulvihill, Chair of the Alumni Association, commented: "The profile of leading Leicester graduates has never been higher, be it in academic and professional life, business or the community and I am delighted that the inaugural Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award has been presented to such a fitting recipient.
"Professor Nilesh Samani is internationally renowned for his research in cardiovascular genetics and his clinical work has helped improve the treatment and care of heart patients across the UK. Nilesh is an inspirational product of the University of Leicester experience and is truly deserving of this award."
Professor Samani received the award from the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Sir Robert Burgess, who hosted the dinner attended by 185 Leicester alumni.
Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Vice-Chancellor, said: "Professor Samani is indeed a worthy winner of the inaugural Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award. He has worked tirelessly to build on the legacy of his predecessors to establish the University and Leicester as an internationally renowned Centre of Excellence for Heart Research.
"His work has a huge impact, not only on the thousands of people he treats locally each year, but for the 2.5million people who live with heart disease in the UK and for the worldwide community who will benefit from the major advances in prevention, treatment and care made possible by his team."
Professor Samani said: "I am deeply honoured to be the first to receive this Award. The honour really belongs to my family and my mentors and colleagues who have supported me throughout my career and I wish to take this opportunity to thank them. I am delighted to have shared the experience with so many of my fellow alumni, who have all helped to make this such a special and momentous evening."
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