A Heart to Heart with Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou
For Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou, every day is Valentine’s Day because every day is about the heart. An internist and researcher with the McGill University Health Centre, Dr. Daskalopoulou has long loved the intellectual challenge of medicine and the fast-paced working environment that goes along with it. She sat down with Health Perspectives to talk about her devotion to this organ that keeps us going year round.
Dr. Daskalopoulou first became interested in the heart when she was studying medicine in her native Greece, where she obtained her medical degree and PhD at the University of Athens. Following further studies for her MSc and second PhD at Imperial College London and further clinical training in London, she took up a postdoctoral position at McGill University. She recalls her early days at the institution with great fondness: “during my postdoctoral studies, I fell in love with Montreal and with McGill. I was very lucky because a position tailored to my qualifications opened in the Division of Internal Medicine…the rest is history!” Her extensive training has given her a special mindset which allows her to treat her patients as a whole and to adopt what she calls a “bench-to-bedside-to-population research approach.” She elaborates, “I have always had a passion for science, and that’s what attracted me to medicine in the first place. The fact that I can make a difference in people’s lives while working in an environment that keeps me on my toes is amazing.”
It is this innate curiosity in the world around her that first attracted Daskalopoulou to what is arguably the body’s most vital organ, the heart. She describes the fist-shaped blob of blood and muscle as “perfect and fascinating because it is always working,” like our own internal perpetual motion machines. “I became very interested in the vascular system and its interaction with cardiac function. Over the past couple of decades, we have seen tremendous progress in the field; however, there is still room to improve our understanding and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.”
It is this drive to advance knowledge and treatment options in her field that propels Daskalopoulou forward in her groundbreaking research. Her goal is to identify early markers of vascular impairment and maintenance of vascular health using non-invasive imaging techniques. Ultimately, her intention is to integrate biomedical technology into an innovative research program aimed at unraveling the mysteries of vascular disease. To this end, she currently has several projects on the go: one focusing on the effect of smoking and exercise on arterial stiffness in young healthy smokers; another on the effect of ovarian hormones, the menstrual cycle, and oral contraceptives on the heart; and also, studies involving the analysis of digital images to characterize the morphology of atherosclerotic plaques.
With such innovative research projects on the go, Daskalopoulou is always busy: on top of working in the wards and teaching small groups of medical students, she also runs two half-day clinics per week. Seeing her patients is one of the highlights of her job, she says with a bright smile. She goes on, “I feel like my job isn’t really a job, but a part of who I am, part of my life. To me, being able to do clinical work and have hands-on experiences with my patients as well as being able to do research and teach is absolutely amazing. I never get bored.”
As Dr. Daskalopoulou looks to the future of cardiac care at the McGill University Health Centre, she sees a bright outlook and is confident that the hospital will continue providing the best care for patients well into the future. She explains, “this means not only staying on top of my game and knowing about current techniques and treatments but also contributing to these through my research. My long-term goal is to make our lab famous for innovative research in the field of atherosclerosis and vascular diseases. This will certainly mean a lot of hard work but I love a challenge!”
Dr. Daskalopoulou is excited about where this research will be carried out: in a redeveloped McGill University Health Centre for the 21st Century. “I’m very excited about the Redevelopment Project,” she says with enthusiasm. “Localizing our hospital’s resources will have a positive impact on all our work. Moreover, having multiple labs in close proximity to one another will help MUHC researchers like me to do our best work possible through fostering collaborations.” Her face lights up as she contemplates where her research will one day take her: “this is a very exciting time to be part of the MUHC.”
