BUA Institution
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Description of research
Semi-automated quantitative tissue characterization for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. Integration of computational approaches with innovative cardiovascular imaging.
Where in the world has your career been largely based until now?
Berlin, Germany
Why Berlin?
Because of Berlin's many opportunities for collaboration, it's excellent research groups and inspiring culture.
What fascinates you about your research area?
If I had to name a single thing it would probably be the multidisciplinarity of our field. Physcists, computer scientists, physicians, mathematicians, etc., all working together toward a common goal. The second thing I really like, is our focus on getting techniques ready for clinical use, which can sometimes be quite a challenge, due to the difference between scanning environments.
How will your research change the world?
We are developing novel techniques to improve upon our understanding of multi-faceted cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, we aim to enable innovative risk stratification pipelines in clinical routines. Using data science methods, we have a strong focus on quality assurance, which forms the basis of translational cardiovascular imaging techniques.
How did you become interested in your specific topic?
My first two medical internships were in a radiology and a cardiology department. Even though I had the opportunity to work at many other departments during my studies, I was somehow hooked from that point. My current position combines these two exciting fields. My interest in computational methods and their application to practical medical problems came with my thesis on gating methods in ultra-high field cardiovascular magnetic resonance and the interaction with computer scientists from our group.
What is something surprising that people might not know about you?
Before studying medicine at Charité and computer science at TU Berlin, I considered pursuing a career as a classical guitarist. I still play and my teacher became a great friend.
What were some challenging or discouraging moments in your career?
During my thesis, I was facing some major technical challenges as I was working on an experimental magnetic resonance system. Together with the exciting discussions with the technical people from our multidisciplinary team, this challenge inspired me to study computer science after finishing my medical degree.
Who is the most interesting or inspiring person you have ever worked with?
Our whole working group at Charité, but if I had to name a single person, it would be our PI, Prof. Schulz-Menger, for her energy, open-mindedness and skill to find and manage a team of great people.