Holger Burchert

BA, MSc

DPhil Student

I started my DPhil in Michaelmas term 2018 under the supervision of Doctor Adam Lewandowski and Professor Paul Leeson. My research focuses on lifestyle interventions to reduce the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease in preterm born individuals.

Due to medical advancements in the last 30 years, about 10% of today's population is born preterm and the numbers are increasing. Epidemiological studies identified preterm birth as an independent risk factor for cardiac disease and hypertension in adulthood.

With cardiopulmonary exercise testing, spirometry and cardiac MRI, I investigate how preterm born young adults respond to exercise stress and how early life nutrition affects cardiac size and function.

I hold an interdisciplinary BA in Sports Science and History from the University of Hannover and a MSc in Sports Science - Human Movement Science and Health from the University of Freiburg. In my Master's thesis, I investigated the long-term effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on fat metabolism during endurance exercise of high intensity.

Publications

Burchert, Holger, and Adam J. Lewandowski. 2019. ‘Preterm Birth Is a Novel, Independent Risk Factor for Altered Cardiac Remodeling and Early Heart Failure: Is It Time for a New Cardiomyopathy?’ Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine 21 (2).

Huckstep, O. J., Williamson, W., Telles, F., Burchert, H., Bertagnolli, M., Herdman, C., ... & McCormick, K. (2018). Physiological stress elicits impaired left ventricular function in preterm-born adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 71(12), 1347-1356.