Science Space
Ana Almeida - The first Cardiologist to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the heart
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We had a few conversations scheduled, but due to setbacks that were always out of our control, there was only time for a quick talk at the Cardiology Technique Unit of which she is the coordinator.
Ana G. Almeida is an Associate Professor with Cardiology Aggregation and the head of Cardiovascular Imaging at the Santa Maria Hospital/CHLN. Her main focus is heart diseases and heart valve diseases, and it is through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) that she observes the mechanisms and functions of the heart.
One of the physicians most trusted by Fausto Pinto, Director of the Department of Heart and Vessels at Santa Maria and of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, Ana Almeida was one of the people to know. Longtime friends, they tightened their ties in the United States, then time only consolidated what their hearts had already begun.
It was also her departure from the country that allowed him to develop and specialise in non-invasive techniques and, later, to implement them in Portugal. Ana Almeida was indeed the first Cardiologist in the country to practice Magnetic Resonance Imaging. She trained at the Magnetic Resonance Unit of the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Centre, and the same Unit of the Royal Hospital in London. Today she guides the PhD and Master Theses of other students with a passion for Cardiac Imaging. She is also part of the CMR Study Group of the European Society of Cardiology, as well as of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. She is also a member of Scientific Committees in the same area.
The morning was agitated at the Cardiology Technique Unit, but she did not keep me waiting. Among patients waiting for scheduled appointments and others being brought in on stretchers, Ana Almeida appeared with the apparent calm and efficacy of someone who learned how to be on top of things, even amongst turbulence. There were patients waiting and other physicians had also called in sick, so those had to be the main priorities. Our interview was not to take place.
We agreed to meet for a proper conversation, but because her presence was mandatory this month, she generously sent me some notes over the weekend.
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Has being a doctor always been a well-defined goal from an early age?
Ana Almeida: Yes, in fact the decision was relatively easy and occurred naturally at the end of high school. I was fascinated by the prospect of treating patients but also by the possibility of conducting research. The choice of Medicine was indeed unequivocal, although there were other choices for me, including physics and mathematics.
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And why Cardiology?
Ana Almeida: Cardiology is a fascinating speciality that combines the clinical area with diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, as well as a connection to cardiac surgery. When I finished my general internship, I spent some time in the Cardiology Service, while I was waiting for the admission exam. I realised then that it was a very stimulating speciality, by participating actively in clinical activity and in the execution of techniques.
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Currently Coordinator of the Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging Unit, how did you come to specialise in heart imaging?
Ana Almeida: Even before choosing the speciality, and joining the Service as a general intern, I followed and participated in cardiac catheterisations and echocardiograms under the guidance of the senior physicians with whom I worked. Cardiac Imaging attracted me right away, I found its potentialities extraordinary, although at that time I could not, of course, predict that it would be my choice for future activity in Cardiology. Over the last few decades, cardiac imaging has undergone an expansive growth and has taken a central role in Cardiology. In addition to echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and cardiac CT, modalities that I perform and are in continuous development, with extraordinary applications, have also emerged.
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Do you teach classes to Faculty students still in their early academic life, or is your area of intervention more in the scientific orientation of post- and undergraduates' Master's and PhD Theses in Cardiac Imaging?
Ana Almeida: In reality, I play all of these roles. As a Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, I teach classes to Faculty students in the Integrated Master's Degree Course in Medicine, and also in Biomedical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, but I also oversee PhD and Master Theses, which are complimentary academic functions. In this context, I am the conductor of an elective Echocardiography course for students who have their first encounter with cardiac imaging. At the same time, I have planned and carried out numerous courses and postgraduate refresher and upgrading training activities in the field of cardiac imaging. I also provide imaging training to Cardiology physicians and to those of other specialities. I have also held positions at the Portuguese Society of Cardiology, coordinating the Group of Imaging Studies and also in the European Association of Cardiac Imaging, as a member of the MRI Board and Co-Leader in European certification in these techniques.
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I noticed that you were replacing some of your colleagues, who were ill. Despite the specificity of your area, when you have to go "to the battlefront" do you see all patients with a heart condition?
Ana Almeida: This situation occurred at the Cardiology Technique Unit, of which I am Coordinator, but evidently yes, when it is necessary, I must go ahead and solve the challenges of unexpected events in the most efficient way, making sure that the patient is assessed and treated without delay.
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Does a doctor make a constant exercise of altruism, or is it "just personal satisfaction," when they save lives?
Ana Almeida: The two perspectives are right. The Doctor is naturally altruistic, because their activity aims to recover health and prevent disease in other human beings, but they draw great personal satisfaction from it, since this activity is highly gratifying in itself, and is also complemented by and inseparable from research and training activities.
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You know, it was Professor Fausto Pinto that spoke of Professor Ana Almeida as someone whose interview was essential.
Ana Almeida: I have known Prof. Fausto Pinto for many years, since the Cardiology Internship he carried out in the United States and then over the years in Cardiology. As well as a good working relationship, we have also developed a friendship and I would like to express my admiration for his invaluable career, both nationally and internationally.
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Joana Sousa
Editorial Team