Interview with Dr. Jennifer Fumanelli—Winner of the Journal of Clinical Medicine Best PhD Thesis Award

Dr. Jennifer Fumanelli is a young pediatric cardiologist and arrhythmologist with an interest in cardiac resynchronization therapy for patients with pediatric and congenital heart disease. She is currently pursuing a post-doc fellowship in Prague, focusing on this topic and conducting further investigations in arrhythmological and cardiological fields. In the near future, she will be spending time in Rotterdam for the Electrophysiology (EP) Fellowship.

She is a member of several national and international societies such as the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), and Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), and she has taken part in many congresses and published several papers as the first author and co-author. We offer our congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Fumanelli as the winner of the JCM 2024 Best PhD Thesis Award.

The following is a short interview with Dr. Jennifer Fumanelli:

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and the core focus of your PhD research?
   Thank you all for this award. I am truly honored and grateful to be given this opportunity to share my PhD research with the broader scientific community, especially on a topic as specialized as pediatric cardiology.
   I am a pediatric cardiologist, originally trained in Padova, Italy, where I completed most of my academic and clinical education. For the past year, I have been based in Prague, where I continue to pursue my primary research interest: pediatric arrhythmology.
   My PhD work specifically focused on device therapy in children—particularly the use of implantable defibrillators in young patients. It has been a deeply meaningful project, and I am very happy to have had the chance to present some of our key findings here today.
2. What was the most significant challenge you faced during your PhD research, and how did you overcome it while maintaining your motivation?
   The most significant challenge during my three years of PhD research was undoubtedly obtaining an adequate sample size. The pediatric studies—especially in subspecialties like arrhythmology—involve a much smaller patient population compared to adult studies, and so building a robust single-center dataset was difficult.
   My PhD thesis covered several purposes: the definition of the type of pediatric population requiring defibrillator implantation (like the primary electrical disease, cardiomyopathies and congenital heart disease) focusing on a subgroup of patients like the patients affected by HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).
   In this latter subgroup, the sample size remained very small, which limited our ability to draw statistically significant conclusions. Despite this, I believe the absolute data we gathered still provide meaningful clinical insights and valuable information for the scientific community.
3. Looking forward, and from the unique perspective your research has provided, what broader trends or emerging areas do you believe will be critical for advancing clinical medicine in the next decade?
   From my research experience in pediatric cardiology—particularly in arrhythmology—I believe one of the most critical areas for advancement in the coming decade will be the development of device technology specifically designed for children.
   Currently, we often rely on devices and technologies originally developed for adults, adapting them as best we can through customized programming and implantation techniques. While this is practical, it is not ideal. There is a clear need for more personalized, pediatric-specific technologies that account for children’s unique physiological and developmental characteristics.
   Beyond devices, I also see great potential in preclinical research aimed at discovering new antiarrhythmic drugs—especially those that can be administered via parenteral routes. The current arsenal of medications suitable for acute arrhythmia management in children remains limited. Developing new, safe, and effective antiarrhythmic agents would significantly enhance our ability to respond to emergent situations in young patients.
   These two directions—tailored device technology and novel drug development—will, in my view, substantially elevate the safety, efficacy, and personalization of care in pediatric arrhythmology over the next ten years.
4. What role does AI technology currently play in your research field, and what do you see as its most exciting future opportunities and challenges?
   The artificial intelligence technology is really a nice emergency tool, which now is basically used for every topic of medicine. Regarding pediatric cardiology, the improvement of the 3D-echo is a concrete example of this application, which has positive effects like a tailored surgical plan. Besides, the use of non-radioscopic mapping systems for electrophysiological studies represents another application. I hope there will be further developments on the technology of these types of electroanatomical mapping systems, which help physicians to better define the anatomy and the relative arrhythmic diagnosis and therapy without delivering X-rays.
5. What prompted you to apply for the JCM Best PhD Thesis Award, and what has been your experience with our journal? How does it feel to receive this recognition for your work?
   I decided to apply for the JCM Best PhD Thesis Award because I truly wanted to share the results of my PhD research. My work focuses on a highly specialized area—pediatric arrhythmology—which involves many unique aspects and challenges. My primary goal was to present these findings to the broader scientific community through a respected platform.
   My connection with the Journal of Clinical Medicine (JCM) goes back several years. I have previously published papers in JCM as both first author and co-author, and this positive experience motivated me to submit my thesis for consideration here as well.
   Receiving this award is truly encouraging. It inspires me to continue advancing in this field, and I am already actively involved in new research projects—basically all centered on arrhythmology. I look forward to the possibility of sharing these future results with JCM as well.
6. Who has been your most important mentor during your PhD, and how did they influence you?
   Rather than having one single mentor, I feel deeply grateful to all the doctors and professors I've had the chance to learn from—both in Italy and during my research time abroad. Each of them, in different ways, encouraged me to grow and pushed me to do my best throughout my PhD journey.
   These collective interactions and guidance have shaped my development, and I consider this shared mentorship a truly positive and invaluable part of my experience.
7. JCM is an Open Access (OA) journal. As an award-winning researcher, what is your perspective on the Open Access publishing model? What advantages or challenges do you see it presenting for scientists like yourself?
   I believe Open Access is a very positive development for researchers. It makes scientific work far more accessible to the entire research community, allowing us to find and engage with relevant articles more easily. This is especially helpful when addressing specific clinical questions or seeking new ideas in our field.
   While every publishing model has its challenges, I see significantly more advantages in OA—particularly in how it supports the sharing and impact of knowledge.
8. Beyond publishing, MDPI is committed to supporting the academic community through various initiatives. We are planning the Academic Publishing Workshop. Could you please indicate which of the following topics you would be most interested in?
        1. Academic article writing techniques.
        2. Benefits of the Open Access publishing model, emphasizing its significance in Europe from MDPI’s perspective.
        3. Overview of MDPI’s history, including our journals and services.
        4. MDPI Peer Review Guidelines.
   Certainly. I would be more interested in the first option you mentioned—the one focusing on academic article writing techniques. As an early-career researcher, I believe such guidance would be extremely helpful. Having clear, actionable points to apply during the drafting process would undoubtedly support me in writing stronger and more effective papers.

Finally, we would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Jennifer Fumanelli and all the distinguished scholars for their significant contributions and support. Your achievements and insights are an inspiration to the community. We welcome you to stay connected for future updates on our awards and academic initiatives. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jcm/awards.