RSU Resident of the Year 2023 Māris Lapšovs cannot imagine his career without research

18 December 2023

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Few people at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) have not heard of Māris Lapšovs (pictured), who is now a 2nd-year resident in cardiology at the Faculty of Residency and a lecturer at the university.

Throughout his undergraduate studies, Lapšovs was active and passionate in everything he did. He was even the Chairperson of the RSU Student Union (Studējošo pašpārvalde, SP) for a year.

2023. Māris Lapšovs working at Pauls Stradiņš University Hospital. Photo from private archive

During his residency, Lapšovs has proven himself to be a determined and motivated young specialist with an excellent academic track record. Moreover, his colleagues at RSU are proud of his award-winning achievements and participation in international research.

About me

I do not like to talk about myself a lot, but if I met a stranger, I would definitely mention that I am a medical resident in cardiology. In addition, I am a lecturer at the RSU Department of Internal Diseases and the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Outside my professional life, I am interested in foreign languages and I am currently studying French. Thanks to the influence of my friends, I have started hiking with my family both in Latvia and abroad – it helps me relax from the daily hustle.

Māris Lapšovs (centre left) was presented the award for Resident of the Year at the RSU Academic Ball held on 9 September 2023 at the Riga Latvian Society House by the Vice-Rector for Health Studies Prof. Guntis Bahs

The road to a residency in cardiology

I started liking cardiology when I took the cardiology course in my 3rd year of undergraduate studies. After that I started volunteering at the Latvian Centre of Cardiology (Latvijas Kardioloģijas centrs, LKC), and also got involved in some research projects, all of which I did parallel to my studies. In my 5th year, I got involved with the LKC School of Junior Cardiologists, and in my 6th year, I was the head of the student scientific interest group in cardiology at RSU.

RSU residency studies

Residency was definitely different from what I had imagined. In addition to practical work, RSU places a strong emphasis on theoretical lectures.

I highly appreciate that RSU supports residents’ research work.

Amongst other things, the University provided me with the opportunity to receive consultations in statistics while I was drafting an international publication, and financial support to attend conferences outside Latvia.

Participation in various studies, and international projects

I am currently involved in several areas of research. One of them is related to coronary heart disease, and primary arterial hypertension. I am one of the residents involved in maintaining the Latvian Early Atherosclerosis Register, which includes patients with coronary artery disease diagnosed at an early age. The information in the register allows us to explore additional risk factors, as well as to evaluate how medical treatment affects the course of the disease.

I am participating in a renal denervation project under the supervision of Prof. Kārlis Trušinskis. Renal denervation is used in patients with resistant arterial hypertension when medications cannot control the pressure. During this invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency ablation, it is possible to reduce the innervation of the renal arteries or the stimulate the nervous system, thus reducing the patient's blood pressure in the long term.

We have presented some of these findings at international conferences, such as the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2023 and the American College of Cardiology Congress 2023, as well as at local conferences.

2023. Lapšovs speaking at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. Photo from private archive

A career in Latvia or abroad?

I will definitely pursue a career in Latvia! I believe that we should give back to our country.

It is here that I have acquired an education, knowledge, and experience that I can use in my daily work at the hospital, in outpatient consultations, or teaching students. I enjoy working with patients and hope to continue to do so in the future, and I am passionate about research, which I definitely want to continue.