Queen Mary researchers recognised at European Society of Cardiology Congress 2025
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging, part of the William Harvey Research Institute, were recognised in the prestigious international Young Investigator Awards at this year’s European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Madrid (29 August – 1 September).
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Dr Roman Roy (left) and Cynthia Maldonado (right).
Cynthia Maldonado, Postdoctoral Research Associate, and Dr Roman Roy, Academic Clinical Fellow in Cardiology, were shortlisted as finalists for the ESC Young Investigator Awards in the Population Science and Cardiovascular Imaging sessions. They were among only four researchers, in each session, selected to present their work to an international audience of leading cardiovascular experts.
Dr Roman Roy was awarded the overall Young Investigator Award in Cardiovascular Imaging. He presented his work on the atrio-ventricular coupling index, a novel imaging biomarker derived from cardiac MRI scans. Using data from the Healthy Hearts Consortium, the world’s largest databank of cardiac MRI scans of healthy adults established and led by Queen Mary, together with the UK Biobank, his study demonstrated how this index varies by age, sex, and ethnicity – and highlighted its potential for more precise prediction of future heart disease.
Cynthia Maldonado presented research on the link between retinal imaging and cardiovascular risk. She developed advanced algorithms to analyse thousands of retinal images from UK Biobank participants, and measure the thickness of different tissue layers at the back of the eye. Combining this imaging information with genome wide association analyses and a method known as Mendelian randomisation, the research provided evidence of a causal relationship between retinal features and cardiovascular disease. The findings point to the potential role of eye imaging in preventing heart disease at the population level.
Dr Zahra Raisi-Estabragh, Senior Clinical Lecturer at Queen Mary and supervisor to both researchers, said:
“I am incredibly proud of our fantastic research team for showcasing their work at ESC 2025. Special congratulations to Cynthia Maldonado and Roman Roy for being shortlisted in the Young Investigator Award sessions, and to Roman for winning! I am grateful to our funders and to Prof. Steffen Petersen, lead of the Centre for Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging, for the continued support that makes this work possible.”
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress is a major global conference held annually to advance cardiovascular health through cutting-edge research, clinical updates, and innovations in treatment and prevention. The congress brings together tens of thousands of clinicians, researchers, and healthcare professionals from around the world to share discoveries and discuss best practices. The theme of the 2025 Congress in Madrid was Global Health.