Interview with Erik Lipsic

You finished your medical training in Bratislava and finally your PhD and training as a cardiologist in Groningen. How did you get here and why did you stay here?

After my medical training, I worked at the University Hospital of Bratislava for four years. After this I wanted to go abroad to gain more experience and was looking around for opportunities. Coincidentally I came to Groningen for a football tournament, organized between the University of Bratislava and Groningen. And that even though I’m not much of a footballer at all. During the tournament I inquired at the department of Cardiology about possible internship opportunities. After this I came into contact with Dirk Jan van Veldhuisen, who was interim head of the department of Cardiology at the time. With an Erasmus grant I was able to conduct research for six months, after which this could be expanded to a full PhD trajectory and training to become a cardiologist. Because of all these possibilities I stayed, even though I didn’t count on this in the beginning. Now I have been settled for over 20 years with my wife and three children.

During your PhD you researched erythropoietin in ischemic heart disease. You were one of the first to do a PhD together in a team. What’s it like to be on a topic with someone else?

During my PhD I did indeed work together with Peter van der Meer in a team. It is very important not to do research alone, and to be able to spar in a group. This is very stimulating. One of the propositions in my thesis was therefore “1+1=3”.

What research are you doing now and where is the research going?

Our department is a large heart failure center. The ischemic heart disease research line was set up from the start to see how we can link up with heart failure. Post-infarction heart failure is still a major problem, with a particular focus on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. We also conduct research into improving technical possibilities in intervention cardiology, studies into the type of stents, valves, different treatment strategies. At the patient level, it is interesting to investigate which intervention is most beneficial for which patient group. So it’s really about specifying the indication.

What is the greatest achievement of your research career?

It is not one study or one article, research is always a work in progress. What matters to me is working with the entire team: colleagues and PhD students to devise and implement a project from start to finish. And the best thing about it is brainstorming about the question, study design and interpretation of the results. In other words, the road to a goal is often more interesting and important to me than the goal itself.

What is or what are Groningen Cardiology’s biggest advantages?

I think we are very strong in collaboration between our different research groups, encouraging each other, letting each other succeed, and remaining approachable to one another. We can easily view and combine issues from different perspectives. This is partly because the current staff has largely been trained here and everyone knows each other well. It’s easy to know who to ask which question to.

You are a researcher, interventional cardiologist and head of the cardiac catheterization room, do you still have time for hobbies and other things besides work?

I also have three children at home, and my wife is also a medical specialist at the UMCG. So it’s pretty busy, but I really can’t complain, we’re having a very good time. Time that is left I spend mainly with family and friends. Of course, that is also the most important thing in life, what makes us happy. And I try to run regularly, a good way to get rid of any negative energy.

Looking back at your own time as a PhD student, are there major differences with today’s PhD training?

There has been a big difference in the past 2 years due to the Corona pandemic, which was difficult for the current group of PhD students to deal with. During this period fewer physical contacts were possible, in the workplace and also in the private sphere, which has a huge impact for the young generation in particular.

Finally, do you have any advice for people considering a PhD?

You learn a lot from a PhD, and you will grow both as a researcher and as a doctor. It is actually an extension of your study time, which will never come back. And it is a fantastic journey of discovery socially and scientifically. The entire PhD track is valuable, whether you want to continue scientifically after your PhD or not. The 3 or 4 years you are busy are years well spent!