PVRI announces first mentees for the Pulmonary Circulation Gateway Programme

Eckart De Bie studied Medicine at Radboud University in Nijmegen (The Netherlands), graduating with honours for both the preclinical BSc(Hons) and clinical MD degree. During an internship in a molecular biological laboratory at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan (Italy), his interest was sparked in translating results from the laboratory bench to the bedside. This experience led him to pursue an MPhil in Translational Biomedical Research at the University of Cambridge. Eckart is currently a Gates-Cambridge funded PhD student with Dr Mark Toshner and Dr Chris Wallace at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Medicine (United Kingdom). His research focusses on using multi-omics approaches to better understand inflammation in PAH. He combines his research with occasional clinical work at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge (United Kingdom) and University Medical Centre Utrecht (The Netherlands). He is excited to join the Pulmonary Circulation Gateway Programme. He hopes this experience will deepen his understanding of editorial processes and equip him to provide constructive, high-quality peer review for the PVRI community.

I am a pulmonologist and internal medicine physician based in São Paulo, Brazil, currently working in both clinical care and clinical research. Through my work with patients undergoing right heart catheterization and invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET), I have developed a growing interest in pulmonary vascular physiology, exercise hemodynamics, and the interpretation of complex clinical data, particularly in patients with Long COVID and unexplained exercise limitation. Through the PVRi Peer Review Mentorship Program, I hope to further develop my skills in critical appraisal, peer review, and scientific writing, while learning from experienced reviewers and contributing more effectively to pulmonary vascular research and academic discussions.

Ciara McCormack, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Exercise Science and Health at Maynooth University and a Clinical Exercise Physiologist. Her work is driven by a commitment to improving the lives of individuals living with pulmonary hypertension (PH) through holistic, patient centred lifestyle interventions that extend beyond exercise alone.

Dr. McCormack completed her doctoral research at Dublin City University, where she developed and evaluated a home based physical activity intervention for people with PH (The PHAHB intervention) in collaboration with the National Pulmonary Hypertension Unit at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. Her research has since focused on designing and implementing accessible, remotely delivered programmes that support individuals to engage in physical activity as part of broader lifestyle management and self care.

Her work integrates clinical, behavioural, and psychosocial approaches to understand the complex barriers faced by people living with PH. She is particularly interested in how tailored, person centred interventions can support not only physical function, but also confidence, autonomy, and long term wellbeing. 

Dr. McCormack’s contributions include the development of scalable, home based rehabilitation models and research exploring patient experiences and support needs. Her work bridges clinical physiology with real world implementation, supporting the integration of lifestyle and physical activity support into routine care pathways for people living with PH.

Louisa Mounsey is currently a pulmonary vascular disease research fellow and will join the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in July 2026. After attending the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, she completed residency and fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Combined Pulmonary and Critical Care program. She then joined the lab of Dr. Jennifer Ho, where her primary focus is leveraging patient-oriented research approaches to examine the role of inflammation as a mechanistic link between risk factors and PH.