Professor Daniel Piskorz

My name is Daniel Piskorz, and I would like to thank Drs. Lyudmila Korostovtseva and Nicolas Renna and the New Investigator Committee of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH NIC) for inviting me to share with you my views on time management in my clinical career and research findings and developments.

I was born in Rosario City, Argentina. I am married to Alicia Susana, and I am father of Ignacio, also a medical doctor, and Gonzalo, a systems engineer. I comment on this because I firmly consider that family support is essential for any professional career.

I obtained my medical doctor degree at the Medical College of the Rosario National University, Argentina in 1982, and specialized in cardiology at the Rosario Emergency Hospital “Dr. Clemente Alvarez”. I was matriculated as a cardiologist at Santa Fe 2^nd Circumscription Medical College and as an echocardiography specialist level three. The Latin-American Society of Hypertension (LASH) granted me the title of Hypertension Specialist.

In 1991 I attended to the course on Cardiology Clinic Researchers Formation Organized by the Mario Negri Foundation in Milan, Italy. This scientific meeting was key for my professional career. With Prof. Gianni Tognoni, Maria Grazia Franciosa and Aldo Maggioni, I understood that routine clinical practice should be a privileged scenario for clinical research. This concept undoubtably fired my career as clinical researcher. So, I suggest young investigators to attend stimulating courses to help understand and organize the next years of your careers.

In 1991 I went to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA on an international scholarship in the ventricular function department. There I was able to understand how a medical center of first rate, international quality is managed. This is my second suggestion to you, try to attend a top world center in the very beginning of your career because this opens your mind and eyes.

I have published almost 200 original papers and reviews as the main author in peer reviewed national and international indexed journals and the books “Hypertension, epidemiology, physiology, physiopathology and treatment”, and three editions of “Cardiometabolism, from physiopathology to treatment”. My third suggestion is that you try to decide from the very beginning, which topics are of greatest research interest to you. Of course this could change during your career, set general goals at least in the first few years, and supported by previous points, organize your data bases as comprehensively as you can. The advice of a senior researcher at this time could be very helpful. If you do not follow these steps at the beginning it is more difficult and complex to rectify a research career.

My fourth suggestion is that teamwork is much much better than working alone and participation in scientific societies could help you by sharing knowledge with peers and senior researchers. Sometimes they see things that you did not or you could receive very useful research council or advice on different paths to achieve your goals.

Currently, I am fundamentally interested in researching diastolic function of the left ventricle, the structural and functional remodeling of the left atrium, and the impact of antihypertensive treatment on these parameters over time. I have been following around 300 patients over 10 years and published the first results in 2021.

Again, my thanks to Lyudmila and Nicolas, and the ISH NIC team. Hoping to see you soon!