The journal Biomedicines (ISSN: 2227-9059) is proud to present the winner of the Biomedicines 2024 Travel Award—Dr. David Martí Aguado!

Dr. David Martí Aguado is a hepatologist at Clinic University Hospital of Valencia (Spain) and belongs to the Cardiometabolic and Renal Risk Study Group from Health Research Institute INCLIVA. Recently, he has consolidated his position as a clinical researcher with a Joan Rodés award from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Carlos III Health Institute.

Please see below an interview with Dr. David Martí Aguado:

1. Can you share your current research direction and latest progress?
My research activities aim to generate and integrate multidimensional data to model computational tools based on Artificial Intelligence that define the biological processes involved in the phenotypic variability of steatotic liver disease (SLD), and to identify a signature of the disease that predicts its risk of progression.

2. Can you share with us your feelings after winning the award?
I was really excited and delighted to receive the generous Biomedicines Travel Award. Winning this award offered a perfect opportunity for my first research steps at an international liver congress.

3. Can you briefly introduce which conference you plan to attend with this award? What is the significance of attending such conferences in expanding your international cooperation or enhancing your academic influence?
With this award, I attended the EASL SLD Summit 2025 held in Estoril, Portugal. Definitively, this meeting exceeded my expectations which were already quite high. I actively participated in the conference by presenting my latest research advances in steatotic liver disease. I also had the opportunity to work with international liver researchers from different backgrounds and with several perspectives, who helped me to improve my teamwork and fuel my knowledge with the most cutting-edge information. 

4. As a winner, how do you view the role of open access journals (such as Biomedicines) in academic communication? Will you consider reviewing or contributing to them in the future?
The exercise of “open science” promoted by open access journals will achieve success by enhancing the dissemination of scientific content, increasing article citation rates, and accelerating academic recognition as well as a deep translation to clinical impact. Additionally, most research funders encourage that the derived studies should be published as open access, with the intent of increasing the availability and reproducibility of the obtained results from the research they funded.

5. Do you have any other suggestions on how academic journals and publishers can further support young researchers and academia?
Promoting networking among young researchers by organizing masterclass events on how to be successful in navigating through an academic career. This masterclass should be in person and combine academic lectures, interactive sessions, and work presentations about how to get your research studies published in prestigious journals. This will allow early-stage investigators to network between them and with highly recognized editors-in-chief.

6. Do you have any suggestions for the Biomedicines journal?
I am truly grateful for this opportunity, thank you all!