Michal Vaľko | Global Health | Research Excellence Award

Mr. Michal Vaľko | Global Health | Research Excellence Award

Researcher | Katolícka univerzita v Ružomberku | Slovakia

Michal Vaľko is a multidisciplinary researcher whose work bridges public health, digital society, and behavioral sciences, with a growing focus on how lifestyle, technology, and social environments shape human wellbeing. His academic training at the Catholic University in Ružomberok established a strong foundation in social sciences and analytical research, which he has expanded through studies examining cardiovascular risk patterns across European populations, workplace wellbeing among young employees, and the psychological effects of social media on adolescents. His contributions include publications in global health, environmental sustainability, educational psychology, and social responsibility, demonstrating an ability to work across domains where health, behavior, and digital ecosystems intersect. He has collaborated with international scholars in public health, artificial intelligence, and behavioral science, contributing to research on carbon-labeling policies, explainable AI for lifestyle medicine, and personality-based educational analytics. His work is frequently grounded in both qualitative and quantitative methods, supported by proficiency in statistical tools and a sustained engagement with digital-behavior research. Beyond academic publishing, he has actively participated in conferences addressing digital safety, youth wellbeing, and interdisciplinary social challenges, earning recognition for excellence in scholarly work, including awards for research on adolescent cognitive functioning in the digital age and academic achievement within his faculty. His ongoing community-oriented engagements, including volunteer roles in digital communication and participation in participatory research initiatives with older adults, highlight a commitment to public-facing scholarship and societal impact. With a research profile that integrates health sciences, social informatics, and ethical considerations around technology, he contributes to emerging discussions on how digital transformations influence health outcomes, behavioral patterns, and institutional responsibility. This combination of interdisciplinary scholarship, international collaboration, and applied societal engagement positions him as an emerging voice in contemporary health-behavior research and digital-societal studies. He has 3 citations from 4 documents with an h-index of 1.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

1. Valko, M., Walker, M. D., Htoon, A., Dumlao, J., Lane, H., Lee, I. G., Amer, H., & Bursova, J. (2025). If Europe lived the same lifestyle: Insights into cardiovascular risk from the European Social Survey. Global Health Journal.

2. Lane, H., Pokutnia, O., Walker, M. D., Killingsworth, J., Valko, M., & Farias, A. R. (2025). What is carbon labeling of food and does it work? A preliminary review of the potential impact of carbon labeling on consumer choice. Green and Low-Carbon Economy.

3. Valko, M., Walker, M. D., & Lane, H. (2025). The impact of working hours and tenure on the wellbeing of young employees in Slovakia. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health.

4. Gioia, F., Vaľko, M., & Lane, H. (2025). Exploration of the Big Five: Educational correlations, dimensionality reduction and clustering techniques (Preprint).

5. Vaľko, M. (2023). Vplyv sociálnych sietí na fungovanie mysle adolescentov. ŠVOČ in Social Work – Bachelor Section.

Ehsan Arabzadeh | Public Health | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Ehsan Arabzadeh | Public Health | Best Researcher Award

University faculty member | Baqiyatallah University of medical science | Iran

Dr. Ehsan Arabzadeh is a health scientist and researcher currently serving as Director of Research at Histogenotech Company, Tehran, Iran, with an academic background deeply rooted in exercise physiology and sports sciences. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Sport Sciences from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2011), followed by a Master’s in Exercise Physiology from the University of Mazandaran (2013), and later completed his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology at Urmia University (2018), where he was recognized as an Exceptional Talent scholar by the Iranian National Elite Foundation. His research focuses on molecular and cellular exercise physiology, exercise biochemistry, clinical exercise physiology, and the therapeutic role of herbal and nano-supplement interventions, with significant contributions to understanding cardiokines, myokines, adipokines, oxidative stress, neurodegeneration, and metabolic disorders. Dr. Arabzadeh has authored and co-authored numerous publications in high-impact journals such as Nutrition, Pflügers Archiv-European Journal of Physiology, Biogerontology, Gene, and Journal of Food Biochemistry, where his studies explored exercise’s role in liver disease, cardiovascular function, skeletal muscle adaptation, and neuroprotection. His scientific excellence has been recognized through prestigious honors, including membership in the Iranian National Elite Foundation (awarded to less than 0.3% of Iranian students) and the Shahid Tehrani Moghaddam Award in 2019, alongside sporting achievements such as silver medals in national badminton competitions. In addition to his research, Dr. Arabzadeh has teaching experience at Urmia and Mazandaran Universities and serves on editorial and peer-review boards of several scientific journals, further contributing to advancing the fields of exercise physiology and health sciences. He has 267 citations from 43 documents with an h-index of 10.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

1. Arabzadeh, E., Samadian, Z., Tofighi, A., & Tolouei Azar, J. (2020). Alteration of follistatin-like 1, neuron-derived neurotrophic factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor in diabetic cardiac muscle after moderate-intensity aerobic exercise with insulin. Sport Sciences for Health.

2. Shirvani, H., & Arabzadeh, E. (2020). Metabolic cross-talk between skeletal muscle and adipose tissue in high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training by regulation of PGC-1α. Eating and Weight Disorders.

3. Shirvani, H., Arabzadeh, E., & Akbari, J. (2020). The short-term effect of caffeine supplementation on immune-endocrine responses to acute intensive exercise / Effet à court terme d’une supplémentation en caféine sur les réponses immunitaires et endocriniennes à un exercice intense et bref. Science and Sports.

4. Shirvani, H., Aslani, J., Fallah Mohammadi, Z., & Arabzadeh, E. (2019). Short-term effect of low-, moderate-, and high-intensity exercise training on cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) and oxidative stress biomarkers in brain male Wistar rats. Comparative Clinical Pathology.

5. Mirdar, S., Kazemzadeh, Y., Arabzadeh, E., Shirvani, H., & Hamidian, G. (2019). The effects of tapering with and without ethanolic extract of Nigella sativa on hypoxia inducible factor-1α and exercise-induced bronchial changes. Journal of Military Medicine.