Rate My Professor Gerry McCann

Professor Gerry McCann is NIHR Research Professor (Experimental Medicine) and Professor of Cardiac Imaging in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Leicester. He qualified with an MB ChB in Medicine from the University of Glasgow in 1992, following a BSc (Hons 2:1) in Physiology/Sports Science in 1989. He obtained MRCP (UK) in 1995, Dip Sp Med from the Scottish Royal Colleges in 1997, and an MD from the University of Glasgow in 2002. As an Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at Leicester's Hospitals, his career includes NIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship (2011-2014), Career Development Fellowship (2014-2018), and Research Professorship (2018-2023). He serves as Cardiovascular theme lead for the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, immediate past-chair of the British Society of Cardiovascular MRI research group, lead of the PhOSP-COVID cardiovascular working group, and lead of the East Midlands Cardiovascular Clinical Research Network. In 2026, he was appointed British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiology.

Professor McCann's research specializes in clinical imaging, particularly cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), conducting experimental studies and randomized controlled trials to optimize investigation and treatment strategies for patients with or at risk of heart disease, including type 2 diabetes-related heart failure, aortic stenosis, and coronary artery disease. He has published over 190 peer-reviewed articles, with more than 120 in the last five years, achieving an h-index of 38 and over 5,000 citations as of 2021. Key publications include the CE-MARC 2 trial (JAMA, 2016) demonstrating CMR reduces unnecessary angiography; CvLPRIT (JACC, 2015) influencing STEMI multivessel disease guidelines; and studies on myocardial fibrosis in aortic stenosis (Circulation, 2018) and perfusion in coronary disease (NEJM, 2019). His contributions have shaped international guidelines on coronary disease and heart failure. Major awards include NIHR Senior Investigator (2025), University of Leicester Research Excellence Award (2021), and Frank May Prize Lecture and Medal (2018). He regularly lectures at national and international conferences on CMR, aortic stenosis, and diabetic heart disease.