In 2025, many authors make outstanding contributions to our journal. Their articles published with us have received very well feedback in the field and stimulate a lot of discussions and new insights among the peers.

Hereby, we would like to highlight some of our outstanding authors who have been making immense efforts in their research fields, with a brief interview of their unique perspectives and insightful views as authors.

Outstanding Authors (2025)

Anabel Carmona-Nunez, Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Spain

Mariia A. Parfenenko, Veltischev Institute, Russia

Outstanding Author

Anabel Carmona-Nunez

Anabel Carmona-Nunez is a pediatrician at a Health Center in Barakaldo. She earned her medical degree from the University of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) and completed her pediatric residency at Cruces University Hospital (Barakaldo), where she developed a particular interest in pediatric oncology during her final year. She undertook external rotations at Niño Jesús University Hospital (Madrid) and Garrahan Hospital (Argentina). After completing her residency, she pursued a post-residency research fellowship at the Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, focusing on pediatric oncology. Her work involved fertility preservation in pediatric oncology patients and the publication of a case report on a neonate diagnosed with congenital methemoglobinemia due to a novel genetic mutation. She is deeply committed to comprehensive pediatric care, which has led her to continue working in primary care while maintaining an active interest in clinical research and the advancement of pediatric oncology.

In Dr. Carmona-Nunez’s opinion, an author must possess several key skill sets to be effective and impactful. Precision and objectivity are essential to ensure that the content is clear, accurate, and credible. Discipline is equally important, as writing requires a significant investment of time and sustained effort. An author must be willing to dedicate the necessary hours to develop and refine their work. Additionally, perseverance is crucial; the writing process can be challenging and often requires resilience in the face of setbacks or revisions. Finally, a strong sense of personal motivation drives an author to pursue their goals with dedication and passion. To her, these qualities—precision, objectivity, discipline, perseverance, and intrinsic motivation—are fundamental to producing high-quality and meaningful work.

To avoid biases in one’s writing, Dr. Carmona-Nunez stresses that it is essential to critically question each idea before including it in the text. Every statement should be filtered through the lens of scientific reality, and supported by objective evidence that justifies the conclusions being drawn. This process helps determine whether the available evidence is truly sufficient to support a particular judgment or if further validation is required. In essence, avoiding bias involves maintaining a constant attitude of self-criticism and reflection throughout the writing process. Being self-critical allows authors to identify and correct potential assumptions or subjective influences, ultimately leading to more accurate, balanced, and credible work.

“My motivation for academic writing lies in the desire to contribute to scientific knowledge and to strengthen the foundations of evidence-based medicine. In clinical practice, we are constantly required to make decisions, and it is essential that these decisions are guided by the best available evidence. To achieve this, we rely on high-quality scientific articles that provide relevant data and keep us up-to-date. Furthermore, ongoing research is indispensable, as reality is constantly evolving and science must evolve with it. Academic writing is one way to ensure that our understanding advances alongside the changes we observe in medical practice and in society as a whole,” says Dr. Carmona-Nunez.

(by Brad Li, Masaki Lo)

Mariia A. Parfenenko

Mariia A. Parfenenko is a biomedical researcher at Veltischev Institute, specializing in clinical genetics, as well as an educator. Her main interests in clinical research include genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders - primarily syndromic forms of autism spectrum disorder - as well as rare and unique phenotypes. Having worked at Veltischev Institute since she was 15 years old, Mariia was able to participate in several research projects focusing on imprinting disorders, cardiogenetics, neurogenetics, as well as skeletal and overgrowth disorders, gaining diverse clinical and research experience. At 22, Mariia is on track to graduate from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Medicine, while simultaneously receiving training in pedagogy and clinical psychology. She has recently begun working on her PhD, focusing on genotype-phenotype associations in syndromic autism. Follow her on ResearchGate.

TP: What are the key skill sets of an author?

Mariia: Data synthesis and objectivity, attention to detail, as well as the ability to write clearly and consistently. Also, while those can hardly be called skills – genuine interest and passion for your research area.

TP: How to avoid biases in one’s writing?

Mariia: While every academic work is not just pure data presentation – it is a narrative; an author must ensure that it is the data driving the narrative – not the other way around. It’s not about what we would like to say, but what we can say with the data we have – especially the imperfect, the unexpected and the thought-provoking parts. The more detailed and nuanced your work is – the more valuable it is as part of the scientific discussion.

As for analyzing the data presented by our fellow researchers - obviously, we have all heard about logical fallacies and “cherry picking” data. But taking it a step further – when reviewing an article for the “introduction” or “discussion” sections – while deciding to cite or not to cite – take a moment to consider whether this decision is based on data quality, or other reasons. I would also encourage checking the “methods” section, making sure that data were collected and processed in a way that meets your standards, as well as reading the reviews of the article (if available), since the reviewers’ comments may help you think of unexpected ways to consider your own and your colleagues’ results.

TP: Academic writing takes a lot of time and effort. What motivates you to do so?

Mariia: Having fallen in love with clinical genetics and biomedical research as a child (and having pursued that dream since I was a teenager), I am still very excited about every part of my job. My main motivation are my colleagues – most importantly – the incredible team of doctors and researchers that I’ve had the honor to work with for the past 8 years – who have taught me everything I know and have supported my professional and personal development since day one. I love our collaboration and want the results of our work to be shared with the wider research community. I recognize the value of scientific discussion and data sharing, and am ecstatic to be able to participate in it to read works (and have my work read) by researchers all over the world. Additionally, our patients often present challenges that necessitate conducting experiments and analyzing large datasets, with the results of these efforts often being too compelling not to publish.

(by Brad Li, Masaki Lo)