Dr Stefano Spolitu is a postdoctoral research scientist at the Columbia University Medical Center in Dr Lale Ozcan’s lab. He received his BS and MS in Biology from the University of Cagliari (Italy) and he earned his PhD from The University of Turin (Italy) in 2016. During his PhD studies, in the lab of Dr Barbara Batetta, he investigated the role of cholesterol ester (CE) metabolism in inflammation and malignant cell proliferation and he demonstrated that high CE storage and low HDL levels observed in cancer, infections, and atherosclerosis are closely related to the peculiar biology of immune and cancer cells. As part of his graduate work, he spent 1 year in the laboratory of Dr Ira Tabas at Columbia University, where he studied the signaling pathways and mechanisms underlying the protective actions of endogenous specialized proresolving mediators and how proresolution pathways can be exploited for atherosclerosis treatment. His current work in the laboratory of Dr Ozcan focuses on investigating the role of hepatic glucagon receptor signaling in the regulation of PCSK9 and lipid metabolism. He elucidated the new downstream pathway of glucagon/cAMP signaling involving Epac2/Rap1a mediators in the protein downregulation of PCSK9. Outside of the laboratory, he loves spending his free time drawing, listening to music, and watching Juventus’ soccer games. (This makes the Editor-in-Chief, who is also a staunch Juventus fan, very happy!)

Dr Vahitha Banu Abdul Salam is currently a Research Associate in the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy with first-class honours from National University of Malaysia, finishing as one of the top students in the country. After completing her Pharmacist residency, she briefly joined the University Teknologi MARA as a lecturer prior to continuing her PhD at Imperial College London (mentors, Dr Martin Wilkins and Dr Robert Edwards). Her work was focused on using proteomics to identify protein targets or biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases, with a particular focus on pulmonary hypertension. She is currently interested in unravelling the roles of intracellular chloride channel in vascular dysfunction and hopes to identify new drug targets in the future. Outside of work, she spends most of her time being a mom to her two children, aged two and four. She is passionate about the philosophy of life and science, interior design, and childhood education. Someday, she hopes to publish a children’s book based on the bedtime stories she makes up for her children.

Fengfeng Guo is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, China. She obtained her MS in cardiovascular pharmacology at Harbin Medical University, and then joined Dr Ping Liang’s lab in 2016 to study cardiovascular diseases using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). With the support of Dr Liang, Fengfeng is focusing on establishing disease models of channelopathies and screening therapeutic drugs by using patient-specific and gene-corrected iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Outside the lab, she loves reading books, watching movies, and spending time with friends.

Dr Yaxun Sun earned his MD from Dalian University, China. As a 20-year fan of Scientific American magazine, he focused on the mystery of gene in human disease and earned his PhD from Peking University (mentor, Dr Jihong Guo). He currently works at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University as an EP doctor, pursuing the basic mechanism and clinical resolution of arrhythmia disease, especially sudden death. For him, “Death is unavoidable, but sudden death is not.” Though basic research, medical therapy, catheter ablation, device implantation, and patient education have all piqued his interest, he also enjoys caring for his patients on a day-to-day basis, which oftens require patience. Yaxun attributes his patience to the 6 years he spent training as a serious table tennis competitor in his childhood. Though his spare time is rare now, he still tries to squeeze in some time to practice and maintains the rating of 2100 in table tennis.

Erik Blackwood is a doctoral candidate in the lab of Dr Chris Glembotski at the San Diego State University Heart Institute. Erik earned his BS from the University of Notre Dame, where he was first exposed to the world of cardiovascular research at the neighboring Indiana University School of Medicine, studying the role of hydrogen sulfide as a signaling molecule. Prior to starting his doctoral studies, Erik worked full-time as an emergency medical technician in San Diego County while also volunteering full-time as a research assistant in Dr Glembotski’s lab. Erik’s research interests are focused on understanding the role and harnessing the therapeutic potential of the unfolded protein response during physiological and pathological cardiovascular remodeling, specifically through modulating the compensatory phase of cardiac hypertrophy. After earning his PhD, Erik plans to attend medical school with the goal of becoming a physician/scientist and focusing his research on translational molecular cardiology. While Erik interacts with mice more often than people these days, he does indeed enjoy human contact and can often be found in the weight room powerlifting or trying out new recipes in the kitchen.

Claire Trincot is a Genetics and Molecular Biology PhD candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill in the in the lab of Dr Kathleen Caron. She earned her BS in Biology from Indiana University. She is interested in the mechanisms of disease, and her thesis project focused on the molecular factors that govern cardiac lymphatic vessel growth and function following ischemic heart injury. She is currently on the job market and seeking employment in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry sectors where she hopes to transition to drug development research. Her passion for science began in the 7th grade when her teacher taught a lesson on Punnett squares. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, podcasts, live music, and spending time with friends and family.

Dr Marina Mola-Caminal is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Neurovascular Group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona. After obtaining a BSc in Biology and a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Barcelona, her interest in Molecular Biology led her to pursue an MSc in Molecular Biotechnology, completing her master’s thesis on the genetics of coronary artery disease. In June 2012, she began her doctoral thesis on the genetic contribution to cerebrovascular disease at IMIM, in collaboration with the Centre for Genomic Regulation, and directed by Dr Jiménez-Conde. In July 2017, she obtained her PhD in Genetics. During her research, she used Genome and Epigenome-Wide Association Studies and Exome Sequencing techniques. Her experimental and translational research interests focus on the genetics of complex diseases with an emphasis on vascular pathologies. She was previously an associate professor in physiology, and she is passionate about educating future scientists and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Besides science, she enjoys hiking, singing, playing piano, and yoga. She is inspired by learning about other cultures, countries, and languages while travelling.