Elena Cavarretta

Elena Cavarretta is an Associate Professor at Sapienza University of Rome in the Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnology. She holds a medical degree with honors from Sapienza University (2004), specialized in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Padua (2010), and earned her PhD in Clinical Pathology from Sapienza University of Rome (2013). Since December 2011, she has been actively engaged in cardiovascular research and teaching at Sapienza University.

Her educational background includes extensive international training at institutions including TUFTS University (Boston), Freie Universitat Berlin, CHU Dijon, University of Lisbon, and University of Split. She completed her PhD with a dissertation on "New diagnostic tools for left ventricular hypertrophy: biomolecular and echocardiographic techniques" under Professor G. Condorelli.

Dr. Cavarretta's research primarily focuses on sports cardiology, preventive cardiology, and cardiovascular imaging. Her work examines mitral and aortic valvular pathology, assessment of left and right ventricular function, and the role of microRNA in cardiac pathologies. She has made significant contributions to understanding cardiac involvement in metabolic syndrome and the cardiovascular effects of intense physical exercise. Her research often bridges basic science with clinical applications, particularly in the context of athlete health and cardiovascular prevention.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on sports cardiology, cardiovascular imaging techniques, and the intersection of technology with cardiac diagnostics. Her work spans from traditional echocardiography to novel applications of artificial intelligence in sports cardiology. She has published extensively on athlete cardiac screening, post-COVID cardiac effects in athletes, and valvular heart disease in sports participants. Her research often involves multicenter collaborations and contributes to European clinical consensus statements.

Dr. Cavarretta serves as a reviewer for over 10 indexed journals and is an Academic Editor for Plos One. She has co-authored two book chapters and more than 30 indexed scientific papers with an h-index of 10 in Scopus. Her research has been supported by Sapienza University grants, including projects on COVID-19 and cocoa flavonols supplementation.

As an educator, she teaches in the Dental Hygiene, Assistance Technique, and Medicine and Surgery programs at Sapienza University. She has served as thesis tutor for at least one student. Her research collaborations include the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging and the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, where she contributes to developing clinical guidelines and consensus statements.