Dr Peter Swoboda

Profile

Tissue characterisation in the athlete’s heart. Using MRI T1 mapping techniques, I conducted a study demonstrating that athletic cardiac hypertrophy is mediated by an increase in myocyte cell mass  Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2016; 9(4) and that this principle can be used to differentiate athletic physiological cardiac hypertrophy from cardiomyopathy J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016; 67(18). This work generated significant scientific interest and is regularly discussed at international scientific meetings. For this work, I won the Faculty of Medicine and Health prize (2015) and was a finalist in the Young Clinical Investigator Award, American Heart Association (2015) and postgraduate researcher of the year, University of Leeds (2015). Based on this work I was invited to a yearlong visiting fellowship at St George’s, University of London under the supervision of Professor Sanjay Sharma where I gained unparalleled insight into research in sports cardiology. 

I was awarded an Academy of Medical Sciences starter grant (£30K) for a subsequent project investigating the cardiac sequelae of detraining. I presented preliminary data at the Academy of Medical Sciences meeting in 2017 for which I won the “research in 3” competition. Data from this study showed that regression in cardiac hypertrophy on detraining is mediated by a decrease in cellular content was presented at ESC Congress 2018 and is currently under review at Circulation.  

Cardiac fibrosis in diabetes. In 2012 I was awarded a BHF clinical research training fellowship (£212K) to investigate cardiac disease in patients with diabetes. Using comprehensive phenotyping including MRI in this supposedly low risk cohort we showed 17% of patients had a previously undiagnosed myocardial infarction. I won the Institute early career group prize (2015) and was finalist (2015) runner up (2016) in the Diabetes UK type 2 research award (2016). So far the work from the study has been published in the top ranking clinical endocrinology journal J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016;101(9) and J Am Heart Assoc. 2017 Jul 17;6(7). 

Research interests

My research interests involve using established and novel cardiac magnetic resonance imaging techniques to improve diagnosis and treatment of patients with a wide variety of conditions including heart failure, diabetes, cardiomyopathy and athlete's heart. 

Qualifications

  • MA (cantab)
  • PhD
  • MBBS
  • MRCP (UK)

Professional memberships

  • ESC
  • SCMR
  • BCS

Student education

I currenty co-supervise 2 PhD students, an academic F2 and 2 undergraduate students. I also deliver bedside and classroom teaching for 3rd and 5th year medical students. 

Research groups and institutes

  • Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine
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