Nick Spetko is an Advanced Cardiovascular Disease Research Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School and a Smith Center Postdoctoral T32 Research Fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Jordan Strom.
Nick joined the Smith Center in July of 2024. In his first year at the Smith Center, Nick has worked on analyses of both large administrative claims datasets and institutional data to understand and improve the use of cardiovascular imaging. Nick is presently working on multiple first-author manuscripts and has presented work at several national cardiology conferences.
We asked Dr. Spetko to reflect on his experience so far working at the Smith Center and what led to this:
What led you to come to the Smith Center and work with Dr. Strom?
I was very lucky to work with many of the Smith Center faculty and be exposed to their work during my clinical training at BIDMC. As I focused my clinical work on general cardiology and echocardiography, I wanted to learn how to leverage real world data to improve cardiovascular care. Jordi is a leader in observational outcomes research, and I have found both the types of questions and the methods he employs very exciting. I also really appreciated his enthusiasm and encouragement as I was first considering a transition to an investigative career.
Can you tell us more about your research interests?
I am interested in access to cardiovascular imaging and how this influences care outcomes, as well as how to refine and optimize imaging risk markers. I am also interested in understanding how novel technologies (point-of-care ultrasound, machine learning) can be used to improve access to care and improve diagnostic risk evaluation.
What do you enjoy most about working at the Smith Center?
I most enjoy the people and community. The Smith Center brings together skillsets and experience from many diverse backgrounds, whether that be clinical, public health, health policy, statistical, or economics perspectives. Impromptu conversations with my colleagues on research topics and questions often inspire new ideas and I find this interdisciplinary environment highly motivating. My primary mentor Jordi has been instrumental in identifying new opportunities for me to contribute to different projects happening at the Center. We have had a very productive first year working together and a lot of fun along the way.
What are you most looking forward to in the coming year? What do you hope to accomplish?
I am most looking forward to further cultivating my skills in idea generation. This is at the heart of investigative work and is an opportunity to be creative, reflective and collaborative. My goal is that I will translate this effort into a successful career development award.
Have you learned anything new about yourself since starting here?
While I typically emphasize structure and process in my approach to accomplishing tasks or solving problems, my research fellowship has been an opportunity to experiment with different working modes. Through this, I have found that more freeform and unstructured periods of work are also productive, particularly when I am brainstorming or writing.
Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?
I enjoy reading a mix of fiction and general nonfiction and try to finish at least one book per month. My favorite read this year was Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.
You can find a link to Dr. Spetko's bio page here.