Emily Backes, MD, assistant professor, and Nicholas (Nick) Von Bergen, MD, professor, both in the Division of Cardiology, were recently awarded a $3,000 subaward from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). This subaward to the R01 grant “Imaging-enhanced Prediction of Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death in HCM (PRISM)” aims to improve prediction of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children and adolescents with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). SCD can now largely be prevented using implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD). Identifying young patients at high risk of SCD who would benefit from ICD implantation remains a challenging dilemma for physicians. To date, no single marker has been identified as a suitable predictor of SCD in HCM, and risk prediction is chiefly based on integrating several clinical tests. The success of this project will provide a significantly improved method to assess risk to guide ICD recommendations. Backes and Von Bergen began their one-year collaboration with OHSU on this multicenter retrospective observational cohort study in July 2026.