Dr Abdul Qadir Nawabi is a cardiologist and cardiovascular researcher with a deep interest in the molecular mechanisms underlying heart disease. He completed his residency in general cardiology at Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University School of Medicine, starting in 2019. Shortly after beginning his PhD studies, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted his return to Afghanistan, where he served as a consultant cardiologist at Mellat Medical Complex. During this critical period, Dr Nawabi worked in the cardiac catheterization lab and coronary care unit, providing front-line care when many others were unable or unwilling to do so. This experience reinforced his dedication to patient care and ignited a renewed passion for understanding the basic science behind cardiovascular pathologies. He later returned to China to continue his doctoral studies, where his current research focuses on cardiac reperfusion injury and ferroptosis in cardiac tissue, utilizing both in vitro and in vivo m