EAPC Young Ambassadors: who they are

Afghanistan

Arash Nemat, MD, cardiologist, scientific researcher, and assistant professor in the Microbiology department of Kabul University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kabul, Afghanistan.

He is also working as a medical doctor at the echocardiography lab of Ariana Medical Center, Kabul, Afghanistan. In mid-2018 he received a scholarship from China Scholarship Council (CSC) in the Cardiology department (Nanfang Hospital) of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. His master's research includes conducting a meta-analysis to investigate the effect of SARS-COV-2 on cardiovascular diseases. His research focuses on medical preventive programs. He would like to work further on promoting healthy lifestyle, cardiovascular screening and preventive care in cardiology.

Austria

Patrick Haider, MD, resident, physician-researcher, and PhD candidate in basic sciences at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria.

"My doctoral research was conducted at the Medical University of Vienna as part of the special research network SFB F54 InThro (Cellular Mediators Linking Inflammation and Thrombosis, focusing on the role of monocytes and macrophages in chronic inflammatory conditions, especially in atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Currently, I am a resident at the Cardiology department with a special interest in lipids and their role in coronary and valvular calcification. I am convinced that excellent medical treatment starts with preventive care and public education."

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Edin Begic, MD, MA, PhD.

Dr. Begic is a cardiologist and a clinical scientist interested in the role of the coagulation system and the venous thromboembolism parameters in the development of atherothrombosis. He has a keen interest in cardiovascular pharmacology, as it represents his main clinical tool in the care of patients, which he shares with the medical degree students that he teaches for the pharmacology curriculum.

Czechia

Martin Satny, MD, physician, researcher, lecturer at Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine, General Teaching in Prague.

"My main clinical areas are internal medicine, preventive cardiology, especially dyslipidaemia management. My research is focused on the genetic determination of ASCVD."

Georgia

Tamar Shengelia, PhD student at Tbilisi State University, researcher, young scientist.

Ms. Shengelia graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University in 2017. From 2018 to 2022 she was a resident of cardiology at TSU University Clinic "Vivamedi", since 2019 she has been a doctoral student at Ivane Javakhashvili Tbilisi State University, and has participated in the scientific study, "The role of new biomarkers in determining the prognosis of heart failure" (17/07/2019).

Hungary

Attila Kovács MD, PhD, FASE, FESC.

"I am working now as assistant professor and echocardiography core lab leader at Semmelweis University, Hungary. We continue to investigate exercise-induced cardiac changes to better understand the physiology of athlete’s heart and potentially, to better prevent sudden cardiac death. I am passionate about the importance of the right ventricle and also about the added value of machine-learning techniques. Applying this experience and with my national and international peers, I would like to work further on promoting healthy lifestyle, cardiovascular screening and preventive care in sports cardiology both on amateur and professional levels."

Ireland

Abdelsalam Ben Saaud, MB, BCh, BAO, MSc, is a PhD candidate in preventive cardiology. Department at the National University of Ireland Galway, and a Research Assistant in the Western Vascular Institute, at the University Hospital Galway.

His doctoral research includes conducting a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary cardiovascular disease prevention programme versus standard care for patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Dr. Ben Saaud holds a master’s degree in Preventive Cardiology, with first-class honours, awarded from the School of Medicine, at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He was also awarded a prestigious Gold Medal from CROÍ, the West of Ireland Cardiac Foundation, for achieving the highest grade in his graduating master’s class. He has recently received the Young Investigator Fellowship Award from the European Atherosclerosis Society.

Israel

Liran Bradichansky B.Ed, M.A, Non-Medical Head of Cardio Rehabilitation, Bnei- Zion Medical Center.

Actively involved in several research activities. "My aim is to create better linkage between physical training science and principles to the rehabilitation programs, in order to maximise their efficacy and benefit."

Italy

Dr Francesco Perone, Italy

Latvia

Barbara Vitola, MD, trainee cardiologist at Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital and Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.

Specialises in cardiovascular imaging - excercise stress testing and nuclear cardiology. Focuses on preventive cardiology, emphasising women’s heart health. Major area of scientific interest is coronary microvascular disease and its endotypes, including intracoronary physiology measurements. 

Lithuania

Vaida Šileikienė, MD, PhD , consultant cardiologist at preventive cardiology department at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics.

"I am responsible for cardiovascular screening of primary prevention and care of secondary prevention. 
My research focuses mainly on the management of cardiovascular risk factors in the Lithuanian population."

Malaysia

Mohammed Ahmed Akkaif, is a PhD candidate in cardiovascular disease prevention at the Universiti Sains, Malaysia.

He has a specific interest in antithrombotic pharmacotherapies. His research activity also involves the pharmacogenetics and pharmacometabolomic approaches to personalised antiplatelet therapy.

Malta

Dr. Mark Abela is a cardiology registrar practicing at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta.

He has undertaken a fellowship in sports cardiology and inherited cardiac conditions at St George's Hospital in London. He is now leading the Sports Cardiology Service, Inherited Arrhythmia Clinic Service, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and Cardiac Rehabilitation in Malta.  He was recently elected to the EAPC Sports Cardiology and Exercise Nucleus. His main academic and clinical interests are athletic cardiac adaptation, cardiac screening, inherited cardiac conditions and cardiac rehabilitation.

Moldova

Assistant Professor Irina Cabac-Pogorevici, Moldova

Romania

Dr. Maria-Alexandra Pană, PhD student researching secondary prevention of heart failure using artificial intelligence, and teaching assistant at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in Bucharest.

Slovenia

Tim Kambič, MKin, clinical research fellow in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at the General Hospital Murska Sobota, Slovenia, and PhD candidate at the Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

"My research focuses on the effects of novel exercise training modalities (mainly resistance training) in cardiac rehabilitation. I hold a master`s degree in kinesiotherapy from University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and I have received several awards for my academic and research success during (under)graduate studies. I was recently awarded for best presentation at the ESC Preventive Cardiology congress."

Spain

Antonia Vaquer Segui MD, consultant cardiologist in the Department of Cardiology, Hospital San Juan de la Cruz, Spain.

"My area of expertise is sports cardiology. In the past, I have worked in cardiovascular screening of elite athletes, both at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and the Institute of Medicine and Sport Sciences of the Italian National Olympic Committee in Rome. I also took part in several research studies within the field and I have vast experience in CVD Prevention. Currently, I am starting a brand new cardiac rehabilitation unit at my hospital."

Tunisia

Faten Yahia, MD, FEACVI, assistant professor, Department of Cardiology, SAHLOUL Hospital, Tunisia.

Assistant Professor Yahia is very interested to work on healthy lifestyle promotion especially in women and diffusing evidence-based knowledge and practice in cardio vascular disease prevention among young peers.

Ukraine

Dr. Olena Torbas, Ukraine

"I have been working in cardiology for 10 years. For a long time, I studied the prevention of the development of severe target organ damage by correcting central blood pressure and arterial elasticity. Later, I began to investigate the formation of LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with arterial hypertension. All that led me to the idea to create my own PULSE-COR registry, the purpose of which was to demonstrate which factors are involved in the occurrence of major cardiovascular diseases in the general population."

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Emmanuel Androulakis MD, MRCP(UK), MSc, PhD, FESC, FEACVI.

Cardiologist subspecialised in Inherited cardiac conditions-sports cardiology and cardiovascular imaging. Current research interest focusing on pathology discrimination applications via commonly used and advanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance techniques, with the ultimate goal of providing best evidence-based and individualised care in clinical practice.

Uzbekistan

Jamol Uzokov is a PhD candidate and cardiologist at the Republican Specialized Scientific Practical Medical Center of Therapy and Medical Rehabilitation in Uzbekistan where he carries out research and works with patients. He is an author and co-author of number of scientific papers, abstracts, monographs and methodological manuals. He joined the EAPC as a Young Ambassador for a new mandate in September 2022.