Andrew Agbaje has been elected Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC). The induction ceremony took place on August 30, 2024, at the 74th European Society of Cardiology congress in London, UK.
The prestigious FESC title was awarded to Agbaje for demonstrating the highest professional standard and commitment to reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases. The FESC is a title of honour that is awarded to healthcare professionals who have made a significant contribution to cardiology. Being a FESC grants the privilege to actively lead within the cardiology society, thus, Agbaje chaired an abstract session at the ESC 2024 congress. The ESC is the largest and most prestigious cardiology society in the world.
Andrew Agbaje is a physician and associate professor (docent) of clinical epidemiology and child health at the University of Eastern Finland. Agbaje has discovered arterial stiffness as a novel causal risk factor for elevated blood pressure, premature cardiac damage, obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. Agbaje has also shown that sedentary time above 6 hours/day from childhood through young adulthood significantly increased the risk of premature cardiac damage by mid-twenties. Agbaje has proposed the adoption of a cholesterol passport for adolescents as a tool for universal paediatric lipid screening which could aid in preventing atherosclerosis and premature heart damage in youth.
Agbaje receives Top Reviewer award
At the ESC Annual Congress in London, Agbaje received the 2024 Top Reviewer Award in distinguished recognition of his contributions to the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The prize is awarded by the Editor-in-Chief and President of European Society of Cardiology to reviewers who consistently provide outstanding and timely reviews of scientific manuscripts.
Agbaje is a reviewer for over 40 international scientific journals and international funding agencies. He is an associate editor of the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle (JCSM) and an editorial board member in Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and vascular Biology (ATVB) and Pediatric Exercise Science (PES) journals.
“A nation that jettisons children and adolescents’ health darkens her future. Promoting healthy lifestyle from childhood is a budget saver, since it lowers the burden of cardiovascular diseases in later life. Parents must lead by example and practice what they preach, for they are the perfect role models for their children. Let’s keep fighting for kids’ health, because today’s kids are tomorrow’s adults,” says Agbaje.
“None of these awards and recognition would have been possible without the extraordinary research collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Bristol and the University of Exeter in the UK, and the financial support of several funders. We appreciate the Children of the 90s who continue to participate in the three-decade long study, contributing world class data that is updating paediatric cardiovascular health sciences,” Agbaje concludes.
Agbaje’s research group (urFIT-CHILD) is supported by research grants from Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation Central Fund, the Finnish Cultural Foundation North Savo Regional Fund, the Orion Research Foundation, the Aarne Koskelo Foundation, the Antti and Tyyne Soininen Foundation, the Paulo Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the Paavo Nurmi Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Ida Montin Foundation, Eino Räsänen Fund, Matti and Vappu Maukonen Fund, the Foundation for Pediatric Research, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, and the European Association for the Study of Obesity - Novo Nordisk Foundation.
For further information, please contact:
Andrew Agbaje, MD, MPH, PhD, FESC, FAHA, FNYAM, Cert. Clinical Research (Harvard), Professor (associate) of Clinical Epidemiology and Child Health, Principal Investigator (urFIT-child). Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. andrew.agbaje(a)uef.fi, +358 46 896 5633
Honorary Research Fellow – Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre, Public Health and Sports Sciences Department, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. a.agbaje@exeter.ac.uk
https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/andrew.agbaje/
Webpage: urFIT-CHILD Research group
