First MD/PhD Dissertation

We are pleased to announce the first successful completion of an MD/PhD dissertation in our working group by our long-standing member Benjamin Kendziora. The dissertation deals with computed tomography for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and magnetic resonance imaging for the quantification of saved myocardium after myocardial infarction. Four scientific papers were published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Radiology, the British Medical Journal Open (BMJ Open) and PLOS ONE as part of the dissertation. Additionally, Benjamin Kendziora presented research results on the conference of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago and the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna. In summary, the papers’ results suggest that CT angiography supplemented by CT perfusion can reliably and safely detect coronary stenoses and assess their functional relevance in patients with low to intermediate probability of coronary artery disease. It was also shown that magnetic resonance imaging allows the visualization of salvaged myocardium, allowing prognostic predictions to be made.

The thesis was awarded the highest grade “summa cum laude.” Benjamin Kendziora would like to thank his first supervisor Prof. Marc Dewey and his second supervisors Dr. Matthias Rief and Prof. Peter Schlattmann as well as the whole team of the research group for the educational and enjoyable time. In the meantime, Benjamin Kendziora is working at the Department of Dermatology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich as a resident physician in further training.  We will continue to work together and look forward to upcoming scientific projects!

Please find more information on the publications below:

http://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i5441

http://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2017162447

http://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034359

http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228736

Benjamin Kendziora and Prof. Marc Dewey  hi-fiving virtually
Prof. Marc Dewey and Benjamin Kendziora hi-fiving virtually