Ultimately, the most gratifying aspect [as Associate Editor of Cardiovascular Diabetology] is knowing that by improving how research is communicated and evaluated we accelerate progress that benefits patients with cardiometabolic disease and diabetes.

Congratulations on winning this year’s Cardiovascular Diabetology Associate Editor Award! What were your first thoughts when you learned that you won?

I was genuinely surprised and deeply honored to learn I had received this year’s Cardiovascular Diabetology Associate Editor Award! I have long believed in the journal’s mission as a leading platform for disseminating high quality research at the intersection of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Over the years I have invested considerable effort in launching new initiatives and special issues to highlight important topics within cardiometabolic medicine, diabetology and heart failure. I am very grateful for this recognition; it not only validates those efforts but also motivates me to continue strengthening the journal’s impact and supporting the community of researchers and clinicians it serves.

Please do introduce yourself.

I am Francesco Paneni, Professor of Cardiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich. I serve as Senior Cardiology Consultant and Head of the Cardiometabolic Division in the Department of Cardiology at Zurich University Hospital. I am also Director of the Center for Translational and Experimental Cardiology (CTEC) at Zurich University Hospital and Group Leader of the Cardiovascular Epigenetics Lab within CTEC.

Why did you choose this research area?

I chose this research area because it sits at the nexus of two of the most urgent health challenges of our time: metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease. Early in my career I became captivated by how metabolic disturbances - driven by lifestyle, environment and aging - reprogramme cells and organs, and by the striking observation that these changes often persist long after the initial trigger. That persistence pointed me toward epigenetic regulation as a fundamental mechanism linking exposures to lasting cardiometabolic risk. What excites me most is the combination of intellectual depth and real-world impact. This field requires mastering molecular biology, systems physiology, clinical science and data analytics, then bringing those disciplines together to understand causal pathways and translate discoveries into better prevention, diagnostics and therapies. We can move from observation to mechanism to intervention: identifying molecular fingerprints of risk, validating biomarkers in human cohorts, testing targets in experimental models and ultimately designing clinical trials that change care in cardiometabolic patients.

What is your vision what you’d like to achieve with your research/work?

My vision is to transform cardiometabolic medicine from symptom management to mechanism driven, precision care by making epigenetic insights actionable. In my clinic and lab we map the epigenetic changes that reprogram the heart, vasculature and immune system under metabolic stress, then validate those signatures in well phenotyped human cohorts to enable early detection and dynamic risk stratification. From these causal insights we pursue targeted interventions (i.e. epigenetic modulators, repurposed drugs, and combined metabolic lifestyle strategies) tested in translational models and early clinical studies. We integrate multi omics, imaging and clinical data with advanced analytics to build individualized treatment algorithms that predict response and guide timely intervention. By partnering across disciplines and with industry, we accelerate discoveries from bench to bedside.

How does a typical working day look like for you?

My days weave clinic and laboratory into a single, purposeful story. I move between patient rooms and microscopes with the same question in mind: how can what I see at the bedside be explained at the molecular level, and how can molecular insight change a life in front of me? Conversations with patients - their histories, worries and responses to therapy - spark hypotheses that I bring back to the lab. There, amid data, assays and animated discussions with students and colleagues, those hypotheses are sharpened into experiments and measurable outcomes. Mentoring and collaboration are constant threads: I learn from trainees’ fresh ideas, coordinate with bioinformaticians to make sense of complex datasets, and align with clinical teams to design studies that can reach patients. Writing grants and papers, designing trials and negotiating partnerships may feel less immediate than a patient consultation, but each is a strategic move to translate discovery into practice. By evening, the day’s threads converge: clinical observations refined by laboratory evidence, experiments oriented toward tangible clinical questions, and plans laid for the next step in moving a finding from bench to bedside. It’s a rhythm that keeps me rooted in patient care while driving the science that can change outcomes - and that balance is what makes the work deeply rewarding.

You have been working as Associate Editor for Cardiovascular Diabetology since 2022, what do you like about your work as Associate Editor for the journal?

Serving as Associate Editor for Cardiovascular Diabetology has been deeply rewarding. I value the opportunity to shape the scientific conversation at the interface of metabolism and cardiovascular disease by promoting rigorous, clinically relevant research. The role lets me support high quality science - identifying innovative studies, guiding authors to strengthen their work, and ensuring sound peer review - so findings reach clinicians and researchers who can apply them. I also appreciate the intellectual breadth: I read across basic, translational and clinical disciplines, which sharpens my own thinking and inspires new research directions. Mentoring authors and reviewers, fostering special issues and new initiatives, and helping the journal highlight emerging topics are all ways I contribute to advancing the field. Ultimately, the most gratifying aspect is knowing that by improving how research is communicated and evaluated we accelerate progress that benefits patients with cardiometabolic disease and diabetes.

Now that you’ve worked for 3 years on the journal, what was the most rewarding or challenging interaction/situation you had? 

After three years with the journal, the most rewarding moments have been when editorial work directly improved a paper’s clarity and impact - turning a promising but rather confusing manuscript into a crisp, clinically relevant contribution that advances the field. Those transformations, often achieved through constructive reviewer feedback and hands on guidance to authors, feel like true scholarship in service of patients. The most challenging situations involve balancing fairness and speed: handling borderline manuscripts where reviewers disagree, or urgent submissions with important clinical implications that require rapid yet rigorous assessment. Navigating these tensions - protecting scientific quality while minimizing delay - has taught me a lot about transparent communication and editorial judgment.

Has the journal work had any impact on your research or views?

Yes, my editorial work has meaningfully influenced both my research and my perspective. Reading broadly across submissions exposes me to emerging methods, novel hypotheses and diverse patient centered study designs that I might not encounter otherwise, which has directly inspired new experiments and collaborative projects. Evaluating manuscripts and peer reviews has sharpened my critical appraisal skills, improved how I frame research questions and strengthened study designs and reporting in my own group. The role also reinforced the value of rigorous, transparent science and clear communication: reproducibility, robust statistics, and translational relevance are non negotiable if findings are to change clinical practice. Finally, engaging with authors, reviewers and editors worldwide has broadened my view of priorities in cardiometabolic medicine and motivated me to align our work more closely with real world needs and implementation pathways.