Research
Publications & Research
Peer-reviewed publications, editorial contributions, forthcoming conference presentations and academic-profile links — led by the Director and Curriculum Author, Professor Rajesh Varma.
Last editorial review: 6 June 2026 · Next scheduled refresh: 1 September 2026.
European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026, Munich — accepted abstract
Digital phenotyping and additive multimorbidity scoring to operationalise very-high-risk secondary prevention in primary care
| Detail | Information | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abstract number | 84246 | Accepted to ESC Congress 2026 |
| Topic | 35.1 — Cardiovascular Disease in Primary Care | Final category |
| Format | Moderated Poster Presentation | 3-min oral + 3-min Q&A |
| Session | 3478 — Cardiovascular risk detection in primary care | Two-chairperson moderated ePoster session |
| Date | Sunday 31 August 2026 | 13:15–14:00 local time, Munich |
| Location | Station 8 — Research Gateway, Hall A1, Messe München | Onsite presentation; ePoster on adjacent screen all day |
| Congress | ESC Congress 2026, Munich | 29 August – 1 September 2026 |
Authors
Z. Mathieson1, R. Simmonds-Rosten1, E. Shuker1, W. Yang1, R. Varma2
1 University of Cambridge, School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
2 New Vision University Hospital, Tbilisi, Georgia
Significance. The abstract operationalises a digital-phenotyping approach to very-high-risk secondary prevention in primary care — combining multimorbidity scoring with structured electronic-health-record phenotyping to identify the patients in whom ESC/EAS 2025 and NICE NG238 evidence translates into the largest absolute risk reduction. Led by a University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine team with the Director as senior author, presented at the principal European cardiovascular meeting.
InnovAiT journal article series
A coordinated three-article series in InnovAiT: Education and inspiration for general practice — the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners — across the three primary-care domains where guideline-shift has been most consequential in 2025–2026: MASLD, chronic kidney disease, and the cardiometabolic shift of menopause.
MASLD: A Practical Diagnostic and Treatment Pathway
Authors: Robb P, Ravindran N, Varma R. · Journal: InnovAiT. 2026. In Press. · DOI: 10.1177/17557380261438592
A practical primary-care pathway for metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease — FIB-4 risk stratification, the cardiometabolic overlap with type-2 diabetes and obesity, and emerging pharmacotherapy. Anchored to the 2024 AASLD–EASL nomenclature update and the NICE NG49 / NG28 / NG203 framework.
Stepwise management of chronic kidney disease in primary care
Authors: Varma R, Ravindran N. · Journal: InnovAiT. 11 April 2026. · DOI: 10.1177/17557380261435934
Stepwise UK primary-care management of CKD, anchored to KDIGO 2024 and NICE NG203, with the SGLT2 inhibitor and finerenone (NICE TA877) prescribing pathway, ACEi / ARB titration, and the cardiorenal-metabolic overlap with NG28.
Cardiometabolic changes at menopause: Time for precision menopause treatment
Authors: Ravindran N, Varma R. · Journal: InnovAiT. 17 March 2026. · DOI: 10.1177/17557380261425194
The perimenopausal cardiometabolic shift — the measurable adverse trajectory in visceral adiposity, ApoB-containing lipoproteins, insulin sensitivity and blood pressure independent of weight change — and the case for precision menopause treatment per NICE NG23 (2024) and BMS 2024.
BMJ Rapid Response & Total Health
Let’s get the basics right before pursuing esoteric longevity mechanisms
Author: Prof Rajesh Varma. · Venue: BMJ Rapid Response, 12 December 2025. · Link: bmj.com
An editorial-level commentary calling for prioritisation of the evidenced primary-care longevity interventions — smoking cessation, statin therapy to ApoB target, structured aerobic and resistance prescription, sleep optimisation, Mediterranean-pattern diet — ahead of weakly-evidenced interventions. It reflects the School's evidence-first approach to longevity content.
Living Longer, Living Better: the promise and reality of Longevity Medicine
Author: Prof Rajesh Varma. · Venue: Total Health editorial blog, 26 August 2025. · Link: totalhealth.co.uk
A patient-and-public-facing essay distinguishing the evidenced promises of longevity medicine from the marketing-driven hype that surrounds them, written for the general reader.
PhD thesis — University of Birmingham, 2009
An investigation of basic science and clinical research methodologies to benefit clinical practice
Candidate: Varma, Rajesh. · Awarding institution: University of Birmingham, 2009. · Link: etheses.bham.ac.uk
Doctoral research-methodology training that underpins the editorial discipline of the MD Acumen platform — the bridge between basic-science investigation and clinical translation that informs the curriculum-authorship standard the Director sets for every CAS module.
NICE Osteoporosis Guideline Committee — member
Professor Rajesh Varma serves as a Member of the NICE Osteoporosis Guideline Development Committee — contributing to the published-guideline body that the MD Acumen curriculum itself anchors to. It is the clearest example of our editorial-currency principle: the Director sits at the table where pivotal guidelines are written, and the credentialled curriculum he authors is aligned to those same guidelines.
Committee documents: Osteoporosis guideline in development (GID-NG10216) · committee member list.
Researcher identifiers, metrics & profile links
| Identifier | Value | Link |
|---|---|---|
| ORCID iD | 0000-0003-4672-4461 | orcid.org |
| Scopus Author ID | 8932600800 | scopus.com |
| h-index | 18 | Scopus |
| GMC registration | 4196453 | UK General Medical Council |
| profrajeshvarma | linkedin.com |
Affiliations
Current research interests
Cardiovascular–renal–metabolic continuum
Translation of the DCRM 2.0 framework and the AHA Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) construct, and the SGLT2-GLP-1-finerenone prescribing-decision integration into UK primary-care decision-support.
Precision menopause & the cardiometabolic shift
The timing-of-initiation hypothesis in menopause hormone therapy, the perimenopausal cardiometabolic shift independent of weight change, and an operational framework for precision menopause treatment per NICE NG23 (2024) and BMS 2024.
Osteoporosis risk-stratification in midlife
Risk-stratification and fracture-prevention pathways in the perimenopausal and andropausal patient — informed by the Director's parallel role on the NICE Osteoporosis Guideline Development Committee.
CGRP-era migraine prevention
The CGRP-era pharmacology of migraine prevention — anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies, the gepant class, and switching — and its translation into primary-care prescribing via the NICE technology-appraisal portfolio.
Digital phenotyping for secondary prevention
Structured electronic-health-record phenotyping with additive multimorbidity scoring to find the patients in whom ESC/EAS 2025 and NICE NG238 evidence yields the largest absolute risk reduction. Collaborative work with the University of Cambridge. Presented at ESC Congress 2026, Munich.
Medical education & assessment science
How clinicians learn and retain; assessment validity and confidence calibration; and the standards that keep a postgraduate credential rigorous and trustworthy.
Collaboration enquiries. Academic collaborators interested in joint research, peer review or co-authorship on any of the interests above are welcome to contact the Director at enquiry@mdacumen.com.
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