Introduction The Texas Heart ® Institute Award for Undergraduate Writing in the History of Cardiovascular Medicine

his is the 7th year in which the Texas Heart Institute has granted an Award for Undergraduate Writing in the History of Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery. The purpose of the award is to stimulate interest in medical history among medical students, and every paper is considered for publication, regardless of whether or not it wins an award. The winner receives an honorarium, a plaque, and publication of his or her paper in the Texas Heart Institute Journal. The joint winners of the 2005 award are Sumit Isharwal and Shubham Gupta, both of whom are students at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Mr. Isharwal is from Hissar in the state of Haryana (in the north of India). He completed his secondary education at New Yashoda Public School in Hissar before entering upon the MBBS course of study at AIIMS. He has conducted undergraduate research on metabolic disease—especially diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, and their various determinants in Asian Indians. His outside interests include badminton, table tennis, and swimming. He plans to specialize in a surgical discipline. Shubham Gupta was born in Aligarh in the northern province of Uttar Pradesh. He completed his secondary education at Aligarh Muslim University before joining AIIMS as a medical student. Mr. Gupta’s research interests have included BK virus nephropathy in renal allograft recipients and pain mechanisms in rats. His extracurricular interests include quizzing, reading, and watching sports. He too plans to specialize in surgery. The 2006 competition is open to all undergraduate students enrolled in medical schools in the United States or abroad. For more information on the award, please visit the Undergraduate Award page on the Texas Heart Institute Web site (www. texasheart.org/journal.html) or write the Executive Editor, Texas Heart Institute Journal, MC 1-194, P.O. Box 20345, Houston, TX 77225-0345. E-mail on this subject should be addressed to jbagg@heart. thi.tmc.edu. © 2006 by the Texas Heart ® Institute, Houston T