Dr. Jeffrey J. Kim, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine was the recipient of the 1st Annual SADS Foundation Young Investigator Award in Cardiac Channelopathies which was presented at the annual Pediatric and Congenital EP Society (PACES) evening meeting in May. His award-winning manuscript describes the identification of a new long QT syndrome susceptibility gene that encodes syntrophin alpha and provides further electrophysiological characterization of its associated phenotype. More importantly, this discovery stretches the current paradigm of primary channelopathies and lends credence to the novel concept that defects of non-ion channel proteins can indeed affect ion channel gating kinetics and cause secondary channel dysfunction leading to LQTS. Proof-of-concept studies such as this may cause us to shift our focus to new classes of proteins and candidate genes, helping us to explain the residual 20-25% of LQTS patients who currently remain genotype negative.

"This inaugural award is very important to the SADS Foundation as we are striving to encourage research into the cardiac channelopathies and to recognize the next generation of outstanding investigators like Dr. Kim as they pursue questions that ultimately will benefit the families that we support", said Dr. Michael Ackerman, SADS Foundation Board Chair and director of Mayo Clinic's Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory and Long QT Syndrome Clinic.

The award committee received numerous submissions and we would like to thank them for their service: J. Philip Saul, MD, Medical University of South Carolina-chair; Michael Ackerman, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic; Robert Hamilton, MD, University of Toronto.

Dr. Kim began his research career at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, then attended the University of Illinois College of Medicine and finally came to the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital for a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology. In the midst of his clinical training, Dr. Kim also continued his pursuit of molecular research, where he worked on the identification of novel genes implicated in both Long QT Syndrome and Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Currently, Dr. Kim remains clinically active on both the heart failure and electrophysiology services. His research interests include arrhythmias in heart failure as well as the molecular and genetic basis of arrhythmias and sudden death.