Meet the Editors | Interview with Prof. Dr. Chim C. Lang—Section Editor-in-Chief of “Cardiology” in Diseases

Thank you for accepting our invitation for the interview. We would like to interview you in two parts, mainly about your research work and editorial work. We believe your scientific experience would give some inspiration to the young researchers and your editorial experience will have a great impact on the development of science.

Part I — Regarding your research work:

1. Firstly, could you please introduce yourself?

Translational cardiologist with an interest in understanding the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases to help better define diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

2. What got you interested in scientific research in the first place?

Early in medical school, I did an intercalated BMSc degree in pharmacology that got me interested in research. Over the years, I had many encounters with mentors who have developed and shaped my research and I am very grateful to all of them.

3. Can you briefly describe your research and summarize it in several keywords?

My research is patient-oriented and it takes a multidisciplinary approach to the understanding of the pathophysiology of cardio-metabolic diseases. The metabolic aspect is driven by the pandemic of diabetes and obesity worldwide. My integrated cardiovascular research laboratory is dedicated to translational research and in the development of biomarkers and novel treatment strategies in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

4. Can you share your career development story briefly? For example, what cases have influenced you the most?

As mentioned, I have had many key mentors who have influenced me. Early in my career I worked with Professors Struthers and McDevitt in Dundee who got me interested in cardiology and clinical pharmacology. After Dundee, I spent time as a Merck Fellow at Vanderbilt University working with Professors Alastair Wood and Dan Roden who introduced the concept of precision medicine and inter-individual variability in drug responses. I then returned to Malaysia at the University of Malaya to build and start my research program and help establish the now very successful Clinical Investigation Centre or CIC under the guidance of Dato Professor Anuar Zaini who is a diabetologist. I was also a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University in New York working with Professors Donna Mancini and Milton Packer, who are giants in the field of heart failure research. I am very grateful to all of these mentors and there are other mentors that I have not been able to include. I am also very grateful to my patients and research fellows and team members who have inspired me.

5. As a researcher in cardiology, what valuable suggestions would you like to share with young scholars in terms of research topic selection?

I think research topic selection is driven by one’s passion and questions. Research pursuit is about answering key questions with good and relevant research methods that are capable of answering the research questions. The intellectual environent is important and one needs to work and collaborate with others.

Part II — Regarding your editorial work:

1. What do you think of the future of our journal Diseases?

The future of the journal in my opinion must be driven by integrity and quality.

2. How do you improve your academic writing ability?

Be open to new ways of communicating.

3. What do you think the development of open access in the publishing field? How do you respond to open access skeptics?

I think it is important to be transparent and responsive to criticisms. Research dissemination is very important and open access helps ensure research results are accessible to the public. I am of course concerned by the business interests of open access journals that must not influence the scientific reporting that must be rigorous.