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Congratulations to Marios Margaritis and Rohan Wijesurendra, who have won this year’s RDM Graduate Studies Prize. Both students showed immense dedication in their studies and have made significant findings in our understanding of cardiovascular disease.

Dr Margaritis, from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, was supervised by Prof Charalambos Antoniades, Prof Barbara Casadei and Prof Keith Channon, and is now an Academic Clinical Fellowship Core Medical Trainee at the University of Leicester/University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. During his DPhil in RDM, Marios made key discoveries in the relationship between fat and the blood vessel wall in atherosclerosis. He focused on a hormone called adiponectin (involved in glucose regulation and fatty acid breakdown) and teased apart its role in defence against oxidative stress. Besides a number of high impact publications, Marios received the Young Investigator of the Year award at the European Society of Cardiology Congress – not once but twice. You can read more about Marios’ fantastic achievements on the website.

Dr Wijesurendra, also from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, was supervised by Prof Barbara Casadei, Prof Stefan Neubauer and Prof Vanessa Ferreira, and now works as a Clinical Lecturer in Cardiovascular Medicine at the University.  During his DPhil, Rohan employed a host of imaging modalities to investigate atrial fibrillation and its impact on left ventricular function. His work has led to a greater understanding of the relationship between atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy. Rohan has published his work extensively and has also won the Young Investigator of the Year award at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. Learn more about Rohan’s achievements online.