Congratulations to A. Phil Owens, III, PhD, a post-doctoral trainee in the Mackman lab at the UNC McAllister Heart Institute. With this award, Dr. Owens will have support to transition from a mentored research environment with Dr. Nigel Mackman to an independent laboratory setting. Dr. Owens’ research focuses on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and the role of coagulation and platelets in protecting AAA from ruptures.