Dr Andreas Charidimou is currently a
post-doctoral clinical research fellow in Stroke at the Hemorrhagic Stroke
Research Program,
JPK Stroke Research
Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Twitter: @microbleeds
1.
What inspired you towards neuroscience?
The mystery of the
brain intrigued me since I was a medical student. The ‘fetishism’ of studying and trying to understand the
most ‘complex structure in the universe’ was sparked by three books that I came
across in the 2nd year of medical school: Eric Candel’s Principles of Neural Science, Vilayanur S.
Ramachandran’s Phantoms in the Brain and
Oliver Sacks’ Awakenings. I got my first taste of clinical neurology during my
Neurology rotation in the 5th year of medical school at the Eginition Hospital,
University of Athens, Greece. We had a great Lecturer of Neurology (Constantin
Potagas) who had an amazing talent for bringing the subject to life. I knew that this was my sort of ‘calling’
and from that moment I couldn’t really see how anything
in medicine could have ever been more interesting!
2.
Why stroke?
Stroke, because it is such a common and
devastating disease, but with so many things that could be done to further our
knowledge and help patients - I am really hoping to contribute in some ways
towards this direction. When I started my acute neurology rotations, one of the
first patients admitted was an elderly lady with an MCA stroke. I felt really frustrated by the general
nihilistic approach at the time, with so few things to offer for stroke
patients, especially compared to other acute syndromes, including acute
coronary disease. Some months later, and largely by chance, I had the
opportunity to do a clinical attachment to the only comprehensive
state-of-the-art stroke unit in Athens, at the
Alexandra hospital,
Greece, under Konstantinos Vemmos. It was there that I realised the exciting combination of different medical disciplines involved in acute and
chronic stroke pathophysiology and clinical care of stroke patients, including
neurology, neuroimaging, internal medicine etc. It was also encouraging and
inspiring to see how clinical stroke research is truly intertwined with stroke
medicine and how far this approach can get us.
3.
What have been the highs so far?
There have been so
many highs. Perhaps the most life-changing one was moving from Greece to London,
UK to continue pursuing my research career at Queen Square, UCL, which led be
to a PhD in cerebral small vessel disease and intracerebral haemorrhage. Well, during these years the satisfying
moments have been many, both academically and personally. Becoming part of the
wider small vessel disease community and the smaller cerebral amyloid
angiopathy family has been amazing. Equally life-changing, was then moving from
London to Boston, USA to my current position as post-doctoral fellow at the Hemorrhagic
Stroke Research Program in Massachusetts General Hospital. The best part of
this adventure is of course meeting so many interesting people around the world
and making good friends, which, at the end of the day, it’s all that matters.
4.
What have been the lows?
Occasionally, some rejection letters from
journals! The slow progression in prevention and treatment of small vessel
disease and vascular dementia. Also, the realization that working in research can
occasionally be incredibly competitive, and the inherent flaws resulting from
how the research academic system is structured which to a certain extend can
prevent progress. But this a big topic for a lengthy discussion!
5.
How do you balance work life with the needs of home life?
Achieving such a balance is really challenging
and almost a lifelong exercise! It is always useful to put things into
perspective and enjoy time with family and friends. I am very lucky because my family members are
very supportive, especially my partner.
6.
Who are your most important mentors and how did you find them?
Real mentorship is
a complex matter. I am
grateful to many generous and interesting people, whom I was lucky enough to
encounter in my professional life. Among them, my primary PhD mentors, David
Werring at Queen Square, UCL who have generously
provided me with professional opportunities that were important steps in my
career and shaped me as a researcher. My secondary PhD advisor, Rolf Jager, also at Queen Square, UCL who
trained me in clinical neuroimaging and . I am grateful
to both for their support and trust. My academic life wouldn’t have been
the same if I wasn’t lucky enough to meet Jean-Claude Baron, a great mentor generously
sharing his ideas, experience and passion for cerebrovascular disease. My
current mentors here at MGH, especially Steven Greenberg, is an amazing source
of advice, knowledge and inspiration and it’s a unique experience being part of
this group.
7.
What are your most important collaborations and how have you built them?
During the last
few years I have had the pleasure to collaborate on multiple projects with
amazing and very generous colleagues in the field of small vessel disease and
intracerebral haemorrhage.
My research
has always been very clinically-oriented, and collaborations grown around key
clinical questions in our field. Currently,
important collaborations include those within the cerebral amyloid
angiopathy community in building large multicentre cohorts to definitely
address relevant clinical questions. Building and being part of these
collaborations has been among the most fulfilling experiences.
