Jewish General Hospital, Canada
My name is Julia Rodighiero, and I am a second-year medical student at Trinity College, Dublin.
I began medical school after obtaining my BSc in molecular biology from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. During my undergraduate degree, I became involved in several research projects focused on frailty in cardiovascular and vascular patients. Through this research experience, I quickly realized that a career in either interventional cardiology or vascular surgery would be extremely fulfilling and mentally stimulating. What fascinates me most about vascular surgery is that it is a specialty that offers a variety of medical and surgical interventions to treat the breadth of vascular pathologies in a comprehensive fashion.
My interest in vascular surgery led me to taking part in several research projects under the supervision of Dr. Laura Drudi. My current research interests are centered around nutrition and lifestyle modifications to optimize clinical outcomes for complex vascular patients. Our most recent work explores the prevalence and prognostic implications of malnutrition among vascular surgery patients.
In the future, I hope to develop a patient-centered program focused on pre-procedural patient optimization. This would involve a multi-disciplinary team, whereby patient baseline status is thoroughly assessed using validated screening tools. Evaluated parameters would include nutrition status, physical condition, cognition, mood, and polypharmacy, essentially providing a holistic approach to patient care. As the field of vascular surgery continues to evolve, I hope to see more emphasis on nutrition and preventative approaches, and I would very much like to be a part of that change.