RSU lecturer Andris Skride to chair European Society of Cardiology working group

Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) Faculty of Medicine lecturer, cardiologist at Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital and Chairperson of the Board of Rare Disease Specialists Association of Latvia Andris Skride will lead one of the working groups of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Dr. Skride is the only Baltic specialist to lead a working group at the European Society for Cardiology. This is a noteworthy international assessment and demonstrates a high-level of proficiency and international recognition of our medical specialists. 

A. Skride (pictured) maintains that this position will allow for international representation of Latvia’s interests and provide development opportunities in medical treatment, knowledge transfer and research. The working group to be chaired by the cardiologist mainly deals with acute pulmonary embolism, pulmonary arterial hypertension and other causes of pulmonary hypertension, including chronic thromboembolic pulmonary vascular diseases. The aim of the working group is to facilitate development and knowledge distribution in this area, explicate the outcomes, facilitate clinical trials and upskilling. 

This summer A. Skride defended his doctoral thesis with excellence and earned a PhD in medicine. Since 2014 A.Skride is Head of the Working Group on the Right Ventricle and Pulmonary Circulation of the Latvian Centre of Cardiology and since 2016 he chairs the Rare Disease Specialist Association of Latvia. Among other things A. Skride has introduced the lung transplant procedure and pulmonary endarterectomy method used in Latvia and is also Head of the Pulmonary Hypertension Register. Last year he received the “Young Scientist of the Year” award which is awarded by the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LZA), SIA Latvijas Gāze and RTU Development Fund.

About the European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology is the world’s leading organisation in the area of cardiovascular diseases which aims to compile and disseminate the best examples of international practice in cardiovascular medicine. The Society brings together 56 national cardiology societies with over 95 000 members – cardiovascular healthcare experts.  The Society disseminates knowledge and innovations, organises congresses, develops training programmes for continuing education and publishes the European Heart Journal and 11 other specialised scientific periodicals. Another important operating direction of the Society is the development of clinical guidelines for ensuring the highest standards in research and quality of treatment. The European Society of Cardiology also acts as the representative for stakeholders, operating with the aim of making and influencing policy and legislation at an international level by advancing and implementing programmes for the improvement of cardiovascular health. For more detailed information about the Society, please refer to its webpage www.escardio.org.