Dr Yuan Zhang developed an interest in Kawasaki disease (KD) in 2011 whilst working as a medical technician in Guangzhou Women and Children’s Hospital. She was intrigued that, despite optimal therapy with oral aspirin and IVIG, a small but significant proportion of KD children still developed severe coronary artery pathology. Yuan then earned her PhD from Southern Medical University, China, after which she pursued postdoctoral studies at the Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics in the laboratory of Dr Wai Ho Tang. There, she uncovered internalization of hyperreactive platelets in KD into vascular smooth muscle cells, regulating phenotypic switching via horizontal transfer of platelet miR-223. Transfer of miR-223 prevents the development of coronary arterial aneurysms. She hopes one day to utilize her studies to develop diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic insights and strategies to prevent the tragic consequences of coronary pathology in KD. Her career goal is to further explore the role of platelet-mediated cell-cell communication in vascular injury and the potential use of platelets as carriers for drugs and genes delivery in the laboratory of John Hwa, Yale Cardiovascular Research Center. Outside the lab, she enjoys jogging, hiking and reading.

Michelle Flynn is currently a PhD candidate at Monash University training under Dr Andrew Murphy at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia. Her research explores how metabolic and inflammatory diseases regulate myelopoiesis. Specifically, her interest lies in how metabolic substrates influence the fate of myeloid cell development and function. Michelle is eager to travel overseas to continue her research career following the COVID19 pandemic. Outside the lab, Michelle enjoys sketching, painting and relaxing with friends and family.

Michael Kraakman earned his PhD from Monash University in 2015 and completed postdoctoral work at Columbia University Medical School in New York. The published work herein was started while investigating the contributions of dysregulated hematopoiesis to cardiovascular disease at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He is currently a postdoctoral scientist at the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute in Vienna, Austria where he studies patients with inborn errors of immunity to understand immune cell metabolism. His spare time is mostly spent with friends and family, exploring his new home country, playing sports and discovering new music.

Dr Chi-Chung Wu earned his BSc and MS from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and his PhD from the Ulm University in Germany. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow with Dr Didier Stainier at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research. Chi-Chung’s research interests lie in cardiomyocyte biology, in particular the regulatory mechanisms underlying cardiomyocyte binucleation and polyploidization, and he hopes to use this knowledge to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation for cardiac repair in mammals. Outside work, Chi-Chung enjoys spending time with his beloved wife and two children. He can be found on Twitter @ChiChung_Wu.

Dr Shanshan Gu earned her BS from South China University of Technology. Then she entered the MS-PhD program with her mentor, Dr Huang-Tian Yang, at the Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science and earned her PhD in cell biology in 2018. Her thesis project focused on the role and mechanism of autophagy in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr Nan Cao at Sun Yat-Sen University, continuing her research in cardiac science. She has focused on the investigation of mechanisms involved in heart regeneration and stimulating the endogenous regenerative capabilities in the heart by screening and delivering reprogramming/regenerative molecules in vivo. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family and friends.

Malgorzata (Gosia) Furmanik earned her BS in Biotechnology at University of Gdansk, Poland and MS and PhD at King’s College London, UK for research on endoplasmic reticulum stress in vascular calcification. Currently at Maastricht University, Gosia continues to research vascular smooth muscle cell biology. Due to health problems Gosia has worked part time for the last four years. One of the challenges she has had to overcome is finding funding sources that have an understanding of flexible working arrangements. In her free time Gosia enjoys embroidery and hiking.

Dr Martijn Chatrou studied at the Technical University of Eindhoven and earned his MS in biomedical engineering in 2009. In 2009, his interest in the complex atherosclerosis process drove Martijn to continue his research as a PhD student at Maastricht University. Within the group of Dr LJ Schurgers, Martijn embarked on vascular smooth muscle cell-driven vascular calcification research at Maastricht University. After 4 years, Martijn obtained his PhD and decided to continue his career in an industry setting developing medical devices. He now leads several medical device projects within the cardiovascular field and wider medical field.

Miao FENG is a PhD student from Paris-Saclay University. She works at INSERM (National French Institute for Biomedical Research) Unit U1176, under the guidance of Drs Jean-Philippe ROSA and Régis BOBE. Her PhD project aims to investigate the SERCA3-dependent Ca2+ Stores Pathway in platelet function. Originally Miao comes from China, where she first obtained her BS in Clinical Medicine. After moving to France, she obtained her MS while simultaneously learning French. Following her PhD, Miao would like to start a career in academic research. Besides her love for platelets, she also enjoys running, reading and travelling.

Dr Anusha Seneviratne earned a BS in Biomedical Sciences, MS in Biomedical Research and PhD in Vascular Immunology from Imperial College London, UK. Her PhD established a novel mechanism of macrophage efferocytosis in atherosclerosis, published in Circulation in 2017. Her postdoctoral research, at Imperial’s National Heart and Lung Institute, focused on AMPK-ATF1 signaling in atherosclerosis and hematoma resolution. She is keen to help patients as a senior scientist in the Cell Therapy industry, where she works on immunosuppressive therapies for transplant, autoimmune and inflammatory disease patients. She is also designing a Planetary Health course for children educated by the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka, coaches young Table Tennis players as a former England champion, supports nature conservation, enjoys wildlife photography, crochet and sewing. She can be found on Twitter @AnushaNS.