Dr Andrew Agbaje at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition of the University of Eastern Finland has received multiple international awards this November. Dr Agbaje’s research, which deals with childhood obesity and its prevention and the effects of physical inactivity on cardiometabolic health, has been recognised with the Elizabeth Barret-Connor Research Award for Early Career Investigators and, for the third year running, with the Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award, both issued by the American Heart Association, AHA. He was selected as a Poster Prize Winner in the Novo Nordisk Scientific Conference held in Copenhagen.
At the Novo Nordisk Scientific Conference on Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Copenhagen, Denmark, fundamental challenges in the prevention of childhood obesity were discussed among leading scientists from all over the world. Andrew Agbaje, a physician and clinical epidemiologist at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, was awarded the best poster presentation in the post-doctoral award category on 2 November 2023. He presented results on the role of sedentary time and physical activity on adiposity during growth from childhood through young adulthood.
Award Ceremony with Dr. Andrew Agbaje from Finland (First prize) and PhD, Dr. med. Christoph Saner from Switzerland (Second prize). Image Credit: Novo Nordisk Foundation / Christian Als, November 2023.
Dr Agbaje was also recognised as a finalist in the prestigious Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award for Early Career Investigators Competition by the American Heart Association’s Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Dr Agbaje received the award at the organization’s 2023 Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia, US on 11 November 2023, following the presentation of his abstract now published in Circulation.
Award Ceremony for Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award Finalists in Epidemiology and Prevention. Image Credit: American Heart Association / Zach Boyden-Holmes, November 2023.
In his oral presentation, Dr Agbaje showed that cumulative sedentary time from childhood through young adulthood was associated with increase in systolic blood pressure over a 13-year follow-up period. Accumulating time in light-intensity physical activity was associated with reduction in systolic blood pressure during growth from childhood through young adulthood. However, engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity up to 60 minutes/day had no significant effect on reducing systolic blood pressure.
The Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award in Epidemiology and Prevention for Investigators in Training recognizes excellence in research by early career investigators and trainees and encourages continued biomedical research careers broadly related to cardiovascular function and diseases, including basic science, integrated physiology, and clinical problems. The award is named for Dr Elizabeth Barrett-Connor whose long-running study on aging led to insights into the biology of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bone health and menopause.
Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award 2023 Finalists after an oral presentation of their research. Image Credit: American Heart Association / Todd Buchanan, November 2023.
Moreover, Dr Agbaje also won an American Heart Association 2023 Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award. The award is presented to the primary author of the highest ranked abstract submitted from each country to the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2023. Importantly, Dr Agbaje has received the International Scholar Award every year for the last three consecutive years. This award is named for Dr Paul Dudley White, who was a founding father of the American Heart Association and an early leader in preventive cardiology. It reflects Dr White’s vision for global excellence in cardiovascular science and medicine.
Dr Agbaje’s research group (urFIT-CHILD) is supported by research grants from Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation Central Fund, the Finnish Cultural Foundation North Savo Regional Fund, the Orion Research Foundation, the Aarne Koskelo Foundation, the Antti and Tyyne Soininen Foundation, the Paulo Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the Paavo Nurmi Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Ida Montin Foundation, Eino Räsänen Fund, Matti and Vappu Maukonen Fund, the Foundation for Pediatric Research, and the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.
For further information, please contact:
Andrew Agbaje, MD, MPH, Cert. Clinical Research (Harvard), Principal Investigator (urFIT-child). Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. andrew.agbaje@uef.fi, +358 46 896 5633
Honorary Research Fellow – Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre, Public Health and Sports Sciences Department, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. a.agbaje@exeter.ac.uk
