“I had a passion for academic work even as an undergraduate and wanted to pursue a career combining clinical work and research”

She is an outstanding student of the Dermatology and Pediatrics Group with a bilateral student agreement, which means she is a Ph.D. student not only at CTM but also at the “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iași. She is very diligent and meticulous in her work and always strives for quality presentations. She is progressing well in her research and not afraid of challenges. In January, Mădălina Andreea Beldie was named Ph.D. Student of the Month (Year-1) at the Centre for Translational Medicine.

Dr. Beldie was a second-year pediatric nephrology resident in Iași, Romania, when she learned about translational medicine at a meeting, and learned about the collaboration between Semmelweis University and the “Grigore T. Popa” Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Iași. “I was impressed by the progress and achievements of my colleagues completing their first year at CTM and decided that I would like to apply for this bilateral Ph.D. program. I had a passion for academic work even as an undergraduate and wanted to pursue a career combining clinical work and research. I am very grateful for the support of my home university for this opportunity to work and study in Budapest this year.”

In her projects, Dr. Beldie deals with immunoglobulin A vasculitis nephritis. In her daily practice in the nephrology department, she encountered many patients with this condition, which made her curious about how she could contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. “My supervisors, Dr. Magdalena Stârcea and Dr. Csaba Lodi have a special interest in pediatric kidney diseases from a clinical and intensive care perspective. I consider myself very lucky to work with them and learn from their medical and research experience. Starting the Ph.D. training helped me see IgA vasculitis nephritis from both perspectives, making me even more curious and excited about Pediatric Nephrology in general and this condition in particular.”

Currently, Dr. Beldie is investigating the predictive value of different biomarkers for renal involvement in IgA vasculitis patients through a meta-analysis. “It seems that we will be able to draw some important conclusions about the most appropriate biomarkers for the onset of renal involvement in these patients. We still have a lot of work until we get the final results, we will analyze around 130 studies comprising more than 14.000 patients. I think this shows the relevance of our project.” Dr Beldie and her team have already started the preparation of a second project focusing on different histopathological classifications of IgA vasculitis nephritis. Their third project will be based on a Eurostat analysis regarding the consequences of chronic kidney disease on the mental health of adolescents and young adults. Dr. Beldie is also looking forward to this project with great curiosity.

(Szabó Emese)