Dr Tomas Holubec
More information coming soon!
Assoc. Prof Prasanta Kumar Chanda
More information coming soon!
Dr Li Yue
Designations:
Consultant, Thoracic Surgery, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, National University Heart Centre, Singapore
Qualifications:
M.D. (PUMC), MRCS (Ire), FRCS CTh (Edin)
Specialties/Sub-specialties:
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Clinical Disciplines/Programmes:
Cardiothoracic Surgery (Heart), Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Lung Surgery, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery
Special Interests:
Lung Cancer, Mediastinal Tumor, Minimally Invasive Pectus Repair, Robotic Thoracic Surgery, Uniportal VATS (Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery)
Dr Jinny Ha
More information coming soon!
Dr Jia Hu
More information coming soon!
Dr Geetha Kayambu
More information coming soon!
Prof Chua Yeow Leng
More information coming soon!
Prof Aung Ye Oo
Professor Aung Ye Oo is the clinical lead for aortovascular surgery at the St Bartholomew’s Hospital and affiliated to William Harvey Research Institute of Queen Mary University of London as the Honorary Clinical Professor in Cardiovascular Surgery. He is also a consultant cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic London. He has developed the largest and most prolific complex aortic surgery service in the United Kingdom.
Professor Oo is an international expert, mentor and one of the key opinion leaders in complex aortic surgery. He has trained and supported many surgeons across the world in development of aortic surgery programmes.
The research interest of Professor Oo has been the organ protection in complex aortovascular surgery. He has introduced the cost-effective intraoperative and postoperative Motor Evoked Potential monitoring in management of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysm patients in United Kingdom. He subsequently development research into spinal cord ischaemia during surgery by detecting biomarkers utilising microdialysis catheter, multi-modality monitoring of spinal cord ischaemia and biomarkers in cerebral protection during complex aortic arch procedures. He has published over 200 papers and book chapters on cardiac and aortic surgery.
Professor Aung Ye Oo is the founder chair of the United Kingdom Aortic Surgery group which actively promotes education and research into aortic surgery as well as support patient groups like Aortic Dissection Awareness UK and Ireland, The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust and Marfan Foundation. He is a member of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery Taskforce in Thoracic Aortic Forum, Director of Barts Aortovascular Symposium, and Research Advisory Board of the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust.
Dr Yong Cui
Chief & Consultant Cardiac Surgeon
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery Department
Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, China
Member, Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), USA; Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons (CSCS); International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS)
Prof Xiang Wei
Professor Wei Xiang is the director of cardiovascular surgery at Tongji Hospital, a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Professor Wei has developed a novel transapical beating-heart septal myectomy (TA-BSM) procedure, enabled by an innovative beating-heart myectomy device, for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This novel procedure eliminates the need for sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass, and reduces the operation time from five hours to one hour while maintaining less than 1 percent of mortality and achieving similar symptom alleviation. With real-time transesophageal echoaortography guidance, the individualized TA-BSM approach can effectively achieve adequate and precise resections in terms of the length and volume of septal myocardium. To December 2024, over 1000 cases have received TA-BSM in China, and the follow-up outcomes showed that the therapeutic advantages of TA-BSM potentially broaden the applicability of surgical septal reduction in HCM treatment.
Prof Torsten Doenst
More information coming soon!
Dr Thirugnanam Agasthian
I am Dr T.Agasthian, Thoracic Surgeon practising in private practise in Singapore at Mt Elizabeth Hospital. My main areas of interest are thoracic oncology and minimally invasive surgery. Currently I was the immediate President of the South-East Asian Thoracic Society (SEATS). I was previously Deputy Director and Head of Surgical Oncology at National University Cancer Institute (NCIS) at National University Hospital (NUS) and Senior Consultant at National Cancer Center Singapore.
Dr Tae-Gook Jun
May 1995 to present Staff
Cardiac Surgeon
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Samsung Medical Center
Sep 2009 to Mar 2015
Director of Cardiac Surgery
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Samsung Medical Center
School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University
April 2015 to Mar 2019
Director of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Samsung Medical Center
School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University
April 2019 to October 2021
Director of Cardiac Center
Samsung Medical Center
Heart Vascular Stroke Institute
March 1997 – present
Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University
Dr Surin Woragidpoonpol
• Education
1977-1984 Secondary High School, Nakornsawan School, Thailand
1984-1989: Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Medical Education
1989 – 1990 Clinical Science Course in Surgery, Mahidol University, Thailand
1989 – 1993 Resident in General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of medicine, Chiang Mai university, Chiang Mai Thailand
1993 – 1995 Resident in Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of medicine, Chiang Mai university, Chiang Mai Thailand
• Academic Position
1996 Instructor in Division of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Chiang Mai university, Chiang Mai Thailand
2012 Head of Division of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of medicine, Chiang Mai University
2019 Senior consultant of Cardiovascular – Thoracic Surgery , Faculty of medicine, Chiang Mai University
• Qualification
1989 Diploma of Medicine
1990 The Graduate Diploma in Clinical Science (surgery)
1993 Diplomat Thai Board of Surgery
1995 Diplomat Thai Board of Thoracic Surgery
• Member
1997 – current 1. Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand
2. The Heart Association of Thailand
3. The Society of Thoracic Surgeon of Thailand
• Presentation
– Challenges in Management of TOF and Pulmonary Atresia Institut Jantung Negara, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
– Theme “Evidence, Controversy and Innovation in Aortic Management” topic Open aortic arch repair : Cadaveric workshop, Mikkennium Hilton, Bangkok
– Atrial Fibrillation Surgery in Thailand, meeting Excellent Heart Center
– “Common problems in cardiac surgery” and workshop Endovascular skills for thoracic surgeons, Siriraj hospital
– Mentor patient treatment after cardiac surgery, Chaingrai Prachanuklao
– Update in OR: Aortic aneurysm repair with Thoraflex hybrid graft, Chiangmai university hospital
– Board committee of Division of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
– Pulmonic Valve Replacement and live demonstration cases, Queen Sirikit Center, Khon Khaen 2020
– 30th Two Days in Cardiology 2021
– 35 yrs annual meeting Theme : “update in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery” – Outcome of coronary endarterectomy -Aortic arch surgery, Webinar
– “Challenging of aortic disease in covid-19 situation and referral aortic center”, Nakornsawan
– CNF 13th Cardiac Network Forum 2021 : Save your heart smart with new Normal, Webinar
– Case cardiac surgery collaborated with Naraesuan hospital
– Case cardiac surgery collaborated with Nakonsawan hospital
– Case cardiac surgery collaborated with Chaoprayayommaraj hospital
– 31st Two Days in Cardiology, Sheraton Hua Hin hotel
• Clinical Research
– Coil embolization to giant LAD and LCX coronary artery aneurysm after failed coronary aneurysmal repair in IgG4 related disease: A case report, Nov 2021
– Liver nodules after the Fontan operation: role of the computerised tomography scan, Aug 2021
– Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with local recurrence and cardiac invasion: case report, Apr 2021
– Survival and predictors of mortality in patients after the Fontan operation, Aug 2020
– Risk factors for morbidity and mortality after a bidirectional Glenn shunt in Northern Thailand, Aug 2020
– Comparison between mitral valve repair and replacement in active infective endocarditis, May 2019
• Clinical interested
1. Complex congenital heart disease
2. Valvular heart disease
3. Great vessel surgery
4.Endovascular surgery
5. Ischemic heart disease
Dr Song Wan
Song Wan had worked at Prince of Wales Hospital, the Chinese University of Hong Kong for 26 years, where he had been Professor and Honorary Advisor in Cardiothoracic Surgery since 2008. Currently he is Professor and Director at Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.
Professor Wan is a Fellow of American College of Cardiology and Royal College of Surgeons of England. Over the past decades his clinical and research interests have been focused on adult cardiac surgical issues, such as reconstructive valve surgery. To date, he has published 240 peer reviewed articles and 18 book chapters. Professor Wan is a Councillor of ASCVTS and member of 12 learned professional bodies, such as American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He has been awarded Visiting Professorship at 11 leading medical schools. He is an editorial board member of 15 international referred journals including JTCVS and Asian Annals. At present, he also serves as the International Chair for two AATS committees.
Dr Shakil Farid
More information coming soon!
Prof Sahin Senay
More information coming soon!
Prof Paul Sergeant
More information coming soon!
Dr Ourania Preventza
More information coming soon!
Adjunct Assistant Professor Ong Boon Hean
Clinical Assistant Professor Ong Boon Hean is a Senior Consultant and Deputy Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the National Heart Centre Singapore. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore in 2006. He subsequently completed his training in cardiothoracic surgery at the National Heart Centre Singapore and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in 2014. He was then awarded the Singapore Ministry of Health-SingHealth HMDP Award in 2014 to pursue an advanced clinical fellowship in general thoracic surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in the United States of America.
In 2016, he returned from fellowship training to practice cardiothoracic surgery with subspecialty interests in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, thoracic oncology and lung transplantation at the National Heart Centre Singapore. He currently is the service chief at the Singapore General Hospital campus for the SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Centre and vice chairman of the Chapter of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore. Aside from his clinical work, he is also actively involved in education and research in thoracic surgery. He is a core clinical faculty member of the National Heart Centre Singapore Cardiothoracic Residency program, a clinical senior lecturer with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and an examiner for the Joint Committee on Specialist Training / Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) Joint Specialty Fellowship Exit Examination in Cardiothoracic Surgery. He also a co-investigator for several studies related to lung cancer screening and novel treatment strategies for lung cancer.
Dr Nakao Masakazu
More information coming soon!
Dr Murali P Vettath
Dr. Murali P. Vettath is a trailblazing coronary surgeon of this generation. Hailing from Kerala, India, he is one of the few globally renowned specialists to carry out all of his coronary surgeries using the beating-heart technique, His pioneering spirit and unwavering obligation to this state-of-the-art medical procedure have made him a leading protagonist and a revered mentor. As an advocate of this avant-garde technology, Dr. Vettath has imparted his knowledge, insight, and expertise to numerous aspiring surgeons and anesthesiologists across the world, solidifying his reputation as an influential educator and clinician.
He is the only cardiac surgeon in India and around the world who has invented and patented both a proximal and a distal anastomotic device for performing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery.
Apart from being an off-pump coronary surgeon, he has innovated, fabricated, invented, patented, and developed techniques and technology for performing off-pump coronary surgery with ease.
He is both the Director of the International Centre of Excellence in OPCAB Surgery at Meitra Hospital and the Chairman of Cardiac Surgery in the Institute of Heart, Vascular, and Transplantation, and he has numerous publications to his credit.
His name was engraved in one of the stones at Kos Island, Greece, along with that of three other Indian surgeons, on the occasion of the 18th World Congress held by the World Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons, held between April 30 and May 3, 2008.
He has 33 years post MCh experience in Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, including 23 years as Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon. He has had more than 9000 open heart surgeries done here, with more than 5,800 bypass surgeries being done on beating hearts and a mortality rate of less than 0.5%. Which remains better than the world standard.
He has been widely quoted for his numerous publications in national and International journals, of which he is on the editorial board of a few and a reviewer of many more. He has also contributed by writing chapters on his technique of OPCAB surgery in international textbooks. Many eminent cardiac surgeons from India and abroad had come over to Kozhikode to observe and work with Dr. Murali during the last twenty-one years. Cardiac surgeons from the USA, Europe, Australia, China, Singapore, and the Gulf had visited his International Centre of Excellence in OPCAB surgery to learn his first-hand techniques in beating heart surgery,
With his innovations and inventions, which include;
Has delivered invited lectures in 25 countries and operated in 8 countries to train surgeons in these countries to perform this innovative technique to the world. has performed operative workshops in Romania, Peru, Vietnam, Dhaka, Australia and South Africa, demonstrating his technique of beating heart surgery there.
Dr Mohammad Ziaur Rahman
Current position is Chief Cardiac Surgeon & Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Apollo Imperial Hospital
Former Associate Professor & Senior Consultant at National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh
Worked at St Vincents Hospital, Sydney, Australia
Worked at NUHS (National University Hospital of Singapore)
Former Fellow – Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at National Heart Foundation & Hospital
Studied MBBS at Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Studied MS at National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh
Went to Comilla Cadet College
Dr Matteo Saccocci
More information coming soon!
Prof Martin Czerny
More information coming soon!
Dr Lowell Leow
More information coming soon!
Prof Filip Casselman
Filip P. Casselman MD PhD FETCS has been trained in General and Cardiac Surgery at the University of Leuven, Belgium (1991-1997). He continued his training with a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (1997-1998) and at the St Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands (1999-2000). During these fellowships he completed a PhD thesis at the University of Utecht.
Since 2003 he is a staff surgeon in the department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the OLV Clinic in Aalst, Belgium. His interests include minimally invasive cardiac surgery (including robotics, videoscopic surgery, percutaneous valve technology, …), aortic and mitral valve reconstructive surgery and atrial fibrillation surgery. He is actively involved in clinical research which led to over 160 scientific publications and more than 310 international presentations. He is a member of the Belgian Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, the International Society of Minimally invasive Cardiac Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association of Thoracic Surgery.
He serves as the co-director of the Heart Center OLV Clinic Aalst, Belgium since 2021.
He is the current Chair of the Acquired Domain within EACTS and member of the EACTS Council.
Dr Eduard Charchyan
EDUCATION (certifications/license/qualification)
PHD MD, Corresponding Member of Russian academy of Science
Member of STS, EACTS
CLINICAL WORK EXPERIENCE
22 year, at last 12 years performs more than 200 thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgical cases per year, and more then 100 cardiac operations per year
PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS
Aortic surgery, cardiac surgery, hybrid surgery
Prof Duke Cameron
More information coming soon!
Prof David Taggart
More information coming soon!
Dr Anelechi C. Anyanwu
More information coming soon!
Dr Aneez DB Ahmed
Dr. Ahmed graduated from Karnatak University in Dharwad, India. He further specialized in cardiothoracic surgery, completing his training at the National University Hospital in Singapore. He expanded his expertise with a fellowship at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.
Dr. Ahmed pursued advanced robotic surgical training at the University of Pisa in Italy and in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He made history as the first in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) cohort to complete the Level 3 Robotic Certification Program.
Dr. Ahmed served as the head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital from 2014 to 2020. Currently, he is the Director and Senior Consultant at the International Centre for Thoracic Surgery at Mount Elizabeth Hospital Novena, in Singapore.
Dr. Ahmed is actively involved in several prestigious professional organizations. He has been a Thoracic Domain Board Member for the Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ASCVTS) since January 2020 and part of the Committee and Board Member for the Asian Thoracic Education Program (ATEP) since 2016. He served as President of the Robotic Surgical Society (RS3) from 2019 to 2021 and as General Secretary of the South East Asia Thoracic Surgery Society (SEATS) from 2019 to 2021. He currently holds the position of Vice President at SEATS.
Dr. Aneez D.B. Ahmed’s dedication to advancing thoracic surgery and his leadership in the field have significantly contributed to the progress and education in minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques.
Dr Wilson Szeto
Dr. Wilson Szeto is the Julian Johnson II Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as the Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery. His clinical practice spans the entire field of adult cardiac surgery. His clinical interest involves the treatment of thoracic aortic pathology and complex structural heart and valvular disease. His expertise encompasses the full spectrum of surgical strategies ranging from complex open cardiac surgery to the latest techniques in transcatheter and endovascular therapies.
At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Szeto remains extensively engaged in the clinical trial research and education of cardiothoracic surgical residents. He has been active in multiple clinical trials involving both endovascular stent graft therapies for thoracic aortic pathology as well as transcatheter therapies for valvular disease. From an education perspective, he has been involved with the development of an advanced integrated training program that emphasizes the integration of catheter-based interventional skills and conventional cardiovascular surgery, preparing surgeons for the future.
Dr Sotirios Prapas
More information coming soon!
Dr Sivathasan Cumaraswamy
More information coming soon!
Dr Peyman Sardari Nia
More information coming soon!
Dr Oleksandr Babliak
More information coming soon!
Dr Keita Kikuchi
More information coming soon!
Dr Joseph F. Sabik
More information coming soon!
Dr Huiming Guo
More information coming soon!
Dr Hani K. Najm
More information coming soon!
Dr Gorav Ailawadi
More information coming soon!
Prof Franca Melfi
More information coming soon!
Prof Chun Soo Park
More information coming soon!
Prof Yin-Kai Chao
Yin-Kai Chao, MD, PhD, is currently Professor and Chief of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Chang Gung memorial hospital-Linkou in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Additionally, he is the director of the robotic surgery center and deputy director of cancer center.
Dr. Chao acquired his MD degree from Chang Gung University in 2001 and completed specialist training as thoracic surgeon in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 2006. In 2010, he received PhD degree in Medical sciences at the Chang Gung University.
Dr. Chao and colleagues’ early research was seminal in identifying markers for treatment response prediction and prognostic stratification in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. He also focused on developing biodegradable medical devices for the management of difficult thoracic disease. Early in his career, Dr. Chao’s clinical work was focused on minimally invasive esophagectomy, for which he is internationally recognized. In 2015, he was awarded the international guest scholarship of the American College of Surgeons. After his return to Taiwan, he became the chief of thoracic surgery of CGMH in 2016 and established the biggest robot-assisted thoracic surgery program. His unit is the first and only da Vinci Robotic Epicenter for thoracic surgery in Taiwan. He is also a pioneer in developing image-guided video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(iVATS) for the single-stage diagnosis and resection of small impalpable lung cancer. He established a standardized protocol to enhance the efficacy and safety of iVATS and is hosting the world first iVATS reference center.
In addition to his work, Dr. Chao also performs research to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience at hospitals. He is the primary investigator of several surgical trials, including a multi-center randomized trial to compare robotic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy(NCT03713749), two pilot trials exploring the feasibility and safety of uniportal robotic surgery on anatomical lung resection(NCT05535712) and anterior mediastinal surgery(NCT05455840) and one randomized trial to compare iVATS and VATS for the treatment of small lung cancer(NCT03395964).Being a 15 times recipient of research awards across different societies, he has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers and has served as lecturer and visiting professor over 150 times around the world.
Dr Chao has served nationally through professional societies, including being the current President (2024/7~2026/7) of the Taiwan Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Executive Director of the Taiwan Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
He has played an active role in many international surgical societies and sits on the executive boards of Upper GI International Robotics Association (UGIRA), for which he was the president of 2023 UGIRA Congress.
As an internationally known academic thoracic surgical oncologist and expert in minimally invasive thoracic robotic surgery, Dr. Chao has made significant contributions to the field of thoracic surgery and has an outstanding record of transformative scholarly research, instructional excellence, academic leadership, and proven clinical outcomes. As a surgeon-scientist, his academic efforts have had an impact in many focused areas, including esophageal cancer, robotic thoracic surgery, and advanced imaging technologies in thoracic surgery.
Dr Worawong Slisatkorn
Associate Professor Worawong Slisatkorn is a chief of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Division, and chief of Siriraj Aortic Center, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
He received Thai Thoracic Surgery Board certification in 1999 and was trained at Utrecht Medical Center University, the Netherlands in 2004 then became a cardio-thoracic surgery fellow at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA in 2005. The fields of interest are thoracic aortic surgery including aortic root, aortic arch and endovascular surgery.
The 1,400 cardiac operations are performed annually by Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Division, with 200 thoracic aortic and 100 abdominal aortic operations performed by Siriraj Aortic team.
Dr Woong-Han Kim
Dr. Woong-Han KIM is a Professor at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine. He is also the Director of JW Lee Center for Global Medicine at Seoul National University and was the Chairman of The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery from January 2020 to December 2021.
Dr. KIM holds various esteemed positions, including Planning Director at the National Academy of Medicine of Korea. He is a member of numerous prestigious societies such as The Society of Thoracic Surgery, The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and The Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia.
His affiliations extend to several Korean medical societies, including The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine, The Korean Pediatric Heart Association, and The Korean Society of Circulation. Dr. KIM has a significant impact on the field of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, both in Korea and internationally.
Dr Vinayak Bapat
Prof. Bapat completed his medical education in Mumbai, India and then in Canada and UK. After completing Fellowship in Toronto General hospital in 1999, he moved to UK and completed Cardiothoracic training in UK and obtained FRCS.CTh in 2005. He was appointed as a consultant at the Guys and St. Thomas’ hospital in 2007 with special interest in aortic surgery. He became full Professor in UK in 2014 in recognition of his work in the field of TAVI his work in training most institutions in UK.
He was the surgical lead for the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) program at St. Thomas’ Hospital, which is the largest TAVI program in UK and acts as a tertiary referral center for complex TAVI cases. He pioneered new methods of performing TAVI (trans-aortic approach), led the original research and guidance on valve-in-valve indication and has developed smartphone Apps, which are used all over the world as a reference tool for valve-in-valve. He also leads research in advance indications of TAVR such as MAC. Dr. Bapat has trained over 100 centers in TAVI all over the world and continues to participate actively in teaching and training on all aspects of TAVI.
He has been involved in early feasibility study of the Transcatheter mitral valve implantation and has performed first-in-man implant of Edward’s FORTIS device in February 2014 and of Medtronic’s Intrepid device prior to its acquisition. He was the PI for the global feasibility trial investigating Intrepid device. He has led bench and clinical application of newer Mitral and tricuspid replacement and repair devices such as Navigate, Intrepid, Saturn, Cephea and Tricinch to name a few. He is the national PI for Intrepid Tricuspid trial in USA.
Prof. Bapat has a large research and innovation program to help advance the field and has over 150 publications. He is an invited faculty for all major cardiology and cardiac surgical meetings all over the world. Dr. Bapat has developed three Apps (Valve-in-Valve Aortic, Valve-in-Valve Mitral and Valve PPM) which are now used all over the world to treat patients with TAVR. These Apps were developed as educational tools and are free. In the last calendar year, the Apps were accessed more than 350K times in 157 countries. His role as an educator continues to evolve as he has unique knowledge of heart surgery, intervention, imaging and engineering. His latest App on Redo-TAV is eagerly awaited and will be released soon for clinical use.
Dr. Bapat moved to Columbia University Medical Center in New York in 2017 as Professor of CV surgery and helped to start the advance Mitral and Tricuspid therapy. In June 2020 he accepted the appointment at the Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Minneapolis Heart Institution as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and now overseas United hospital as well.
Dr Ruggero de Paulis
Ruggero De Paulis is the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Department of the European Hospital in Rome, a position he has held since 2006. After graduating from the University of L’Aquila and completing his residency at the University of Torino, he spent two years in the Artificial Heart Programme at the University of Utah, and then two years as staff surgeon at the VI and XII University of Paris. Since then, he has been working in Rome, at the University of Tor Vergata, where he was appointed Associate Professor in 2002. In 2006 he became the Director at the Cardiac Surgery Department of the European Hospital in Rome. In 2018 he has been appointed Associate Professor at the Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbiterian Hospital. In 2020 he has been appointed at the Unicamillus Medical International University in Rome where is now full Professor in Cardiac Surgery. His main interest is in aortic and mitral repair surgery and he is the designer of the “Valsalva” graft, currently used in most aortic root surgeries and the co-designer of the new “Physioflex” ring for mitral repair. He has been Associate Editor of the ICVTS for 6 years. He has been EACTS Chairman of the Vascular Domain from 2014 to 2017. He has served as EACTS President in the period 2018-2019. He is currently the Chairman of the Francis Fontan Fund at the EACTS.
He has authored more than 250 scientific articles in peer reviewed journals.
Prof Friedhelm Beyersdorf
| University | 1975 – 1981 School of Medicine, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., Germany and Thomas Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA. Final exam (“Approbation”): October 30, 1981 |
| US-Medical Exams | National Board, Part I (ECFMG), June 1980 National Board, Part II (VQE), September 1982 |
| Scholarship | Scholar of the Dr. Carl Duisberg-Foundation |
| Doctoral Thesis | “Determination of the maximal ischemic tolerance of the human heart by ultrastructural and biochemical recording of the preischemic hypertrophic and degeneration degree of the myocardium” Mark: summa cum laude (best possible mark), 11/1981 |
| Post Graduate Training | Senckenberg’s Department of Pathology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt/M. 12/01/81 – 02/28/83 Department of Thoracic- and Cardiovascular Surgery, 03/01/83 – 08/08/90 |
| Research Training | Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1984 – 1985 |
| Boards of General, Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery | Frankfurt/M., 1990, 1992, 1994 |
University Appointments
| Assistant Professor 06/1990 | Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt/Main |
| Associate Professor 06/1992 | Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt/Main |
| Full Professor and Chairman 10/1994 until 04/2022 | Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Germany |
| Full Professor 10/1994 until today | Member of Medical Faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Germany |
Honours and Awards
| 11/1981 | Award of the Society of the Friends of Paul Ehrlich for the best Doctoral Thesis in Frankfurt/M. in the Year 1982 |
| 02/1999 | Appointment as Fellow of the EACTS (FECTS) |
| Professor honoris causa | University Marilia, Brazil, November 2000 |
| 1. Implantation of a permanent | 05/2001, First destination therapy with a LVAD Jarvik 2000 LVAD in Germany |
| European LVAD Training Center | Election of Freiburg as a European training center for LVAD HeartMate I |
| Dr. Barbara Stark-Mez Research Laboratories of the Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery (2004) | Research Laboratories, financed by a patient donation (1 Mill DM) |
| February 2007 | Election as 1. Vicepresident of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery |
| Doctor honoris causa | National University of Health Sciences, Laos, 03/ 2008 |
| February 2009 | Election as President of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (2009 – 2011) |
| May 2010 | Founder of Start-up „ResuSciTec“ of the University Medical Center Freiburg |
| September 2010 | Election as Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery/Interactive Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery |
| Fritz-Acker Award 2011 | Award given by the German Society of Cardiology |
| Dezember 2013 | Nomination as „Membre Correspondant Etranger de l’ Académie Nationale de Médecine”, Paris, France |
| 2018 | Nomination as Surgical Chairman of the German Aortic Valve Registry (GARY) (2018 – today) |
| 2019 | Nomination as Surgical Chairman of the 2021 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of Valvular Heart Disease |
| 2020 | Election as Vice-President of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) (2020 – 2021) |
| 2021 | Election as President of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) (2021 – 2022) |
| Visiting Professorships | Stanford-University, CA; Harvard-University, Boston; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); University of Virginia, Charlottesville; Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem; and others. |
| 2024 | Election as Chairman of the EACTS Innovation Ciommittee (2024 – 2027) |
Personal “first” cardiac surgery procedures in Freiburg, Baden-Wuerttemberg resp. Germany
| 1st Heart Transplantation in Freiburg (1994) | November 29, 1994 |
| 1st implantation of a permanent left ventricular assist device (2001) | May 16, 2001, First implantation of a “permanent” LVAD of the Jarvik 2000 type in Germany |
| 1st implantation of a complete Total Artificial Heart (TAH) (2005) | May 05, 2005, First TAH implantation “CardioWest” (Jarvik 7) in Baden-Wuerttemberg |
| 1st heart-lung transplantation in June 2008 | Performance of the 1st heart-lung transplantation in Baden-Wuerttemberg |
Foundation of the Charity Organisation “Kinderherzen retten e.V.” (“Save the Children´s Hearts)
| Kinderherzen retten e.V. | Foundation in 2002 256 congenital procedures from all over the world (09/2020) Donations: 2.7 Mill EUR Positive follow-up in terms of sustainability |
Foundation of the Start-up Company ResuSciTec from the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
| Foundation | 2010 |
| Finances 2012 – 2022 | Complete financial support (50 Mill EUR) by State Ministry of Science and Technolgy (BMBF), EU grants and private investors |
| December 2021 | CE certificate of the CARL Controller, CARL-MOX and CARL-Cooler |
Publications
| Total Impact Factor (1980 – 2022) | 1,540 | |
| Publons Feb. 16, 2022 | Publications | 902 |
| Total times cited | 17,760 | |
| H-Index | 58 | |
Prof Vipin Zamvar
Dr Vipin Zamvar is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Dr Zamvar has a joint cardiac and thoracic surgical practice and his main areas of interest are Coronary Artery Surgery (off-pump surgery, arterial revascularization), Aortic Valve Surgery, Lung Cancer Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery and Robotic Assisted Thoracic Surgery. He takes a keen interest in teaching and education of junior surgeons.
He has given many lectures world-wide on cardiac and thoracic surgical topics. He is the author of more than a100 papers published in peer-reviewed journals with a H index of 30 and i10 index of 51. (Total number of citations > 5000). He was the President of the World Society of CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgeons (WSCTS) from 2015 to 2016; and is currently the General-Secretary. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of the “Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery” since 2006. He is an elected trustee of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery since 2006 (Impact Factor 1.6; 1.5 million downloads in 2022).
In 2017, he described the “Zamvar Pericardial Fold”. This is a fold of pericardium over the left superior and inferior pulmonary veins, which is an ideal spot to place a deep pericardial retraction suture during off-pump coronary surgery (the Zamvar Pericardial Stitch).
Dr Zamvar enjoys playing chess and his FIDE rating is just over 1750.
You can follow him on Twitter: @VipinZamvar
Prof Thomas A. D’Amico
Dr. Thomas A. D’Amico is a graduate of Harvard University (BA) and the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University (MD). He received training in General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery at Duke University Medical Center. After completing a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgical Oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. D’Amico joined the faculty at Duke University Medical Center in 1996. He is currently the Gary Hock Endowed Professor, Chief of General Thoracic Surgery, and Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program of the Duke Cancer Institute
Dr. D’Amico is in leadership positions in the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, including the Board of Directors, the Practice Standards Committee, and the Ethics Committee. He is also the course director for AATS Focus China. Dr. D’Amico serves as an Associate Editor for the Annals of Surgery and serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Finally, he the co-chair of the NCCN Gastroesophageal Cancer Guidelines Committee.
Dr Rawn Salenger
Rawn Salenger, MD is the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Maryland St Joseph Medical Center and the Surgical Director of the University of Maryland Cardiac Service Line. He strives to optimize access, quality, and equity in delivering complex cardiac services to patients throughout the state. Dr. Salenger is a pioneer of Cardiac Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and an Executive Board member of the ERAS Cardiac Society, as well as the Editor of the ERAS Cardiac Newsletter. He has published numerous studies on Cardiac ERAS, patient blood management, and minimally invasive valve surgery. He has also served as the Chair of the Maryland Cardiac Surgery Quality Initiative and on the planning committee for the High Value Academic Alliance Annual Conference. Dr. Salenger is Co-Chair of the Maryland Health Care Commission Cardiac Services Advisory Committee which advises the state on health care policy.
Dr. Salenger is also an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He received his BS/MD magna cum laude from the Union College/Albany Medical School Seven Year Medical Education Program, where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He received cardiac surgery training at the University of Massachusetts, and additional specialized training in mitral valve repair at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. His clinical practice includes all aspects of adult cardiac surgery with a special emphasis on minimally invasive mitral valve repair, minimally invasive aortic valve surgery, and coronary bypass with arterial grafting. Dr. Salenger believes a specialized team-based approach helps the University of Maryland team deliver the highest quality care and optimal recovery for patients.
Dr Randolph Wong
More information coming soon!
Dr Niv Ad
More information coming soon!
Dr Krishna Subramony Iyer
More information coming soon!
Dr Kay-Hyun Park
More information coming soon!
Dr Kalliopi Athanassiadi
More information coming soon!
Prof Jose Luis Pomar
Born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain in 1947. After completing his school studies in Mallorca he moved to the University of Navarra in Pamplona, where he obtained the M.D. degree in 1972. Since the 4th year, he was already living at the University Clinic, engaged in the Cardiothoracic Department where he was widely involved in the clinical and the experimental fields. In 1969 he published his first experimental paper on the Pharmacological properties of a new drug: the LB 46, now popularized as propranolol. He did his housemanship at the Nuffield Dpt. of Surgery at the Radcliffe Infirmary of the University of Oxford, UK.
After completing his residency training in Pamplona he went to Santander together with his former boss Prof. Carlos Durán. At that time he became also involved in teaching programs, both in the Nurses School of Valdecilla Medical Center and the Cantabria University Medical School, where he was able to start and run a new Experimental Laboratory. From this laboratory, many papers have been published and among them his own PhD thesis on the experimental and clinical development of a New Totally Flexible Ring for Mitral & Tricuspid Annuloplasty, today worldwide known as the Duran Flexible Ring and distributed by Medtronic, Inc.
During close to three years he joined the team of the Montreal Heart Institute in Canada, in an attempt to get better skills especially in coronary artery revascularization. There, he was able to perform more than 800 operations as first surgeon under the tutorship of Claude Grondin, MD. After visiting a few Cardiothoracic Units in the US and Canada, in 1983, he went back to Spain and appointed at the Cardiovascular Surgery Unit of the Hospital Clinic of the University of Barcelona. In 1987 he got the position of Professor of Surgery at the University of Barcelona and was running since then the Adult Cardiovascular Section and coordinating the studies of Cardiovascular Medicine on an integrated program. He got the European Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
After being Senior Consultant Cardiovascular Surgery at the Hospital Clinic and Professor of Surgery at the University of Barcelona Medical School, he became Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Institute; he was also Director and conducted all scientific aspects of the Cardiovascular Tissue Bank at the same institution (now BST) and the Cardiothoracic Transplantation Program of the Hospital. He has also been President of the Catalonian Commission for the CV Tissue Transplants.
He has been for more than 20 years one of the co-directors of the European Master of Valve Repair having a wide teaching experience with close to 2000 surgeons trained. He is an active member of the most relevant scientific societies of Cardio-thoracic and Vascular Surgery included the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, where he was also the first European Councilor, and the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.
Prof. Pomar has been member of the Board of Advisors of the European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, the European Heart Journal, the Journal for Heart Valve Diseases, the Revista Española de Cardiología, Cor Europeum, Cirugía Cardiovascular and Cardiac Surgery Today.
He has published more than 300 scientific articles and presented more than 550 papers and lectures in the most prestigious meetings all over the world. His most relevant work refers to valve diseases and organ or tissue transplants, mitral valve repair and biomaterials. Pulmonary thrombendarterectomy and health management are other topics of his more recent interest.
Prof. Pomar has been President of the Society of Cardiac Surgeons and Vice President of the European Society for Cardiovascular Surgery. He has also been President of the International Scientific Committee for the Advancement on Cardiac Bioprostheses and Chairman of the Working Group on Bioprostheses of the Society of Heart Valve Diseases. Moreover, until a few years ago he was the President of the Society for Heart Valve Disease and leader of the joining process to the Heart Valve Society of America together with Prof. Jeff Borer. Today, after Past President and finished this merging is currently Senior Advisor of the Heart Valve Society.
He was also, in the past, elected President of the Catalonian Society of Cardiac Surgery and some years later, elected Vice-President and President of the Spanish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery.
He has been largely involved in the Program Committee of the EuroPCR and the London Valves PCR.
Prof. Pomar was President of the EACTS and is currently a Past President of the Association. Previously, he was member, Treasurer and Chairman of the Adult Cardiac Domain and Councilor for more than 12 years. He is currently the Chairman of the International Cooperation Committee of EACTS.
He has been Councilor of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and member of the Board of Directors of the European Heart Institute of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and of the Spanish branch. Also, he is since 2024, President of the World Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons.
In addition, he is President of the Council of the Consorci Corporació Sanitària Clínic and the Cardiovascular Coordinator and Consultant of the Program Hospital Clínic Barcelona – China.
He is member of several CECs (SURTAVI; EMPIRE; LANDMARK…) and DSMC for different transcatheter and surgical biological valve trials.
Prof James Tatoulis
James Tatoulis is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the University of Melbourne and at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and past Chief Medical Advisor, National Heart Foundation of Australia.
Together with Prof Brian Buxton, and colleagues in the University of Melbourne Hospitals, he has one of the largest experiences in Bilateral ITA grafting, Radial Artery use, and Total Arterial Revascularization in CABG, and has authored many publications on the use and patencies of arterial grafts and patient outcomes.
He has also helped train and mentor over 70 young cardiac surgeons, including many from Asia and maintains a close connection with them.
Amongst many awards for his contributions to Cardiac Surgery, he has been honoured with an Order of Australia.
Prof Igor E. Konstantinov
Professor Igor E. Konstantinov, MD, PhD, FRACS is Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. He is Professor at the University of Melbourne and Director of Melbourne Centre for Cardiovascular Genomics and Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Konstantinov graduated from the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1992 and obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada in 2004. He has published 495 peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters. Dr. Konstantinov is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, a Feature Editor of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and an Associate Editor of the Operative Techniques in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. In 2021, he received the the Order of Australia Award for his outstanding contribution to academic cardiovascular surgery.
A/Prof Glenn Tan
Dr Glenn Tan completed his training in General Surgery in 2010, where he was conferred the Gold Medal from the College of Surgeons, Singapore, following completion of the Joint Specialty Fellowship Examination in General Surgery and admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
His sub-specialty interest in Vascular Surgery lies in Complex Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair including Fenestrated and Branched Endografts in the Aortic Arch, Thoraco-abdominal and Juxtarenal aorta.
He has an active interest in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and is Adjunct Associate Professor with the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University where he was formerly Principal Lead for Surgery. He also serves as a Member of the Joint Committee for Specialist Training (JCST) General Surgery Examination Committee and is Co-Chief Examiner for the Joint Specialty Fellowship Exit Examination for General Surgery in Singapore.
Dr Bob Kiaii
More information coming soon!
Prof Arjang Ruhparwar
More information coming soon!
Dr Anson Cheung
More information coming soon!
Dr Akio Ikai
I am Dr. Akio Ikai, a pediatric cardiac surgeon and researcher. I previously worked as a surgeon at Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Children’s Hospital and am now focused on research in congenital heart disease. I was trained in unifocalization techniques at Stanford University and am passionate about bringing this approach to Japan and across Asia. My current research interests include exploring factors derived from hepatic venous blood in the Glenn circulation, as I work to better understand pulmonary vascular health in congenital heart conditions. I am grateful for the chance to share my findings and discuss these advancements with colleagues in the field.
Dr Zohair Y. Al-Halees
More information coming soon!
Prof Yutaka Okita
More information coming soon!
Prof Thomas A. Schwann
CURRENT POSITION:
Regional Chief, Cardiac Surgery
Corewell Health East
Detroit, MI
September 2023-present
Professor of Surgery
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Rochester, MI
September 2023-present
PREVIOUS POSITIONS:
Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Baystate Medical Center
Springfield, MA
June 2018-June 2023
Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine– Baystate
Springfield, MA
June 2018- June 2023
Associate Medical Director of the Baystate Heart and Vascular Program
Baystate Medical Center
Springfield, MA
June 2018- June 2023
Amjad Hussain Professor of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Vice-Chair, Department of Surgery
University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
December 2009-June 2018
Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education
Designated Institutional Official
University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH
April 2017-June 2018
Vice-Chair, Department of Surgery
University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
January 2016-June 2018
Interim Chair, Department of Surgery
University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
April 2015–August 2016
Director Heart and Vascular Center
University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH
January 2013-June 2018
Chief of Staff
University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo OH
April 2014 – April 2017
Founder and Medical Director
Advantage Home Telehealth of Ohio, LLC
1776 Tremainsville Road, Toledo, OH
January 2010 – December 2014
Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Vice Chairman of Quality, Dept. of Surgery
St. Francis Hospital, Hartford, CT
December 2008 – December 2009
Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
St. Luke Hospital, Maumee, OH
January 2007- December 2008
Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Saint Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Toledo, OH
January 1998 – January 2007
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Saint Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Toledo, OH
August 1994-Decemebr 1998
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: 1978-1982
Columbia University, Columbia College, New York, NY
Major: Biochemistry
Degree: B.A., Summa cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa; 1982
MEDICAL EDUCATION: 1982-1986
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY
Degree: M.D. – 1986
Honors: March of Dimes Distinguished Student Award; 1986
GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION: 1986 -1994
Yale-New Haven Medical Center, New Haven, CT
General Surgery Residency
Yale-New Haven Medical Center, New Haven, CT
Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship
ADVANCED EDUCATION:
University of Toledo
College of Business Administration and Innovation
Executive MBA
2010-2012
ADDITIONAL TRAINING:
Harvard School of Public Health
Program for Chiefs of Clinical Services
January 10-22, 2016
Boston, MA
Harvard Business School
Value Measurement for Health Care
Dec 14-18th, 2013
Boston, MA
SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION:
1987 – Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners – Certificate Number 323495
1991 – Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery – Certificate Number 37139
Recertified 2001
Recertified 2012
1995 – Diplomate of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery – Certificate Number 5734
Recertified 2003
Recertified 2013
LICENSURE:
1998 Michigan #4301073409
2018 Massachusetts #275133
CURRENT AND PAST ADMINISTRATIVE & LEADERSHIP POSITIONS:
Professional Societies
Society of Thoracic Surgeons; Chair, Participant User File Task Force, 2017 – present
Society of Thoracic Surgeons; Workforce on Research Development, 2018 – present
Society of Thoracic Surgeons; Workforce on Evidence Based Surgery, 2019 – present
Toledo Surgical Society, President, 2016-2017
American College of Cardiology; Board of Trustees, Ohio Chapter, 2014-2018.
Health System Consortium; Reducing Variation in Care across the Continuum Steering Committee, 2014
University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, Baystate Health
Chair, Heart and Vascular Operating Room Quality Improvement Committee, 2018-present
Chair, Heart and Vascular Center High Patient Risk Committee, 2021-present
Heart and Vascular Center Value Analysis Committee, 2018-present
Baystate Medical Practices Compensation Committee, 2021-present
Peer Review Committee, 2018-present
University of Toledo College of Life Sciences, University of Toledo Medical Center
Chief of Staff University of Toledo Medical Center, 2014-2017
Co-Chair, Patient Advocacy Reporting System (The PARS Project), 2014-2017
Vice Chief of Staff University of Toledo Medical Center, 2012-2014
Chair, Operating Room Committee University of Toledo Medical Center, 2013-2017
Chair, Cardiovascular Process Improvement Committee, 2009-2017
Chair, University of Toledo Physicians, LLC Pension Committee, 2014- 2017
Chair, Quality and Patient Safety Council, 2012-2017
Chair, Standard of Care Committee University of Toledo Medical Center, 2012-2017
Chair, Peer Review Committee University of Toledo Medical Center, 2014-2017
University of Toledo Medical Center Heart Failure Leadership Committee
University of Toledo Physicians, LLC Finance Committee
University of Toledo Physicians, LLC Managed Care Committee
Department of Surgery Academic Affairs Committee
Co-Chair, Department of Surgery Value Analysis Committee
HONORS AND AWARDS:
1981- Macy Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University
1991 – Gustaf E. Lindskog Scholar in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine
1994 – Glenn-Ferraiolo Award
2007 – Alley Sheridan Scholarship, The Thoracic Surgery Foundation
2012 – Pacemaker Award, University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation
2016 – RADIAL (Radial Artery Database International ALliance)
2017 – ATLANTIC (ArTeriaL GrAfting INTernatIonal Consortium Alliance)
2017 – Department of Surgery Chairman’s Award in Recognition of Leadership and Outstanding Academic Contribution.
2018 – Department of Surgery Chief Resident Award in Recognition of Excellence in Resident Education, Mentorship and Professionalism
2018 – The University of Toledo College of Medicine Leadership and Service Award
REVIEWER:
Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Annals of Thoracic Surgery
European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery
The Lancet
Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
PACE
CURRENT ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES:
ROMA TRIAL:
(Randomized Comparison of Clinical Outcome of Single versus Multiple Arterial Grafts)
Function: Steering Committee
Status: In progress
RADIAL PROJECT:
(Radial Artery Database International Alliance)
Function: Steering Committee
Status: In progress
PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES RESEARCH INSTITUTE (PCORI) GRANT: $3.4 million
Multi-arterial versus Single-arterial Bypass Grafting to Improve Late Patient Outcomes in the US.
Function: Principal Investigator
Status: Submitted
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
American Association for Thoracic Surgery
American College of Cardiology – Fellow
American College of Chest Physicians – Fellow
American College of Healthcare Executives
American College of Physician Executives
American College of Surgeons – Fellow
European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons
Society of Thoracic Surgery
International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery
Ohio State Medical Society
Toledo Academy of Medicine
Toledo Surgical Society
MILITARY SERVICE:
Captain, United States Army Reserve
455th General Hospital
Providence, RI 02905
Honorable Discharge 2001
Prof Stephen Yang
More information coming soon!
Prof Sertac M. Cicek
More information coming soon!
Prof Rui M S Almeida
Rui Manuel de Sousa Sequeira Antunes de Almeida trained cardiovascular surgery at Curitiba ́s Evangelical Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children, The National Hear Hospital, London.
Degrees: Parana Federal University– M.D. (1980), M.Sc. (1993), Ph.D. (2000), Full Professor (2008).
Career: Chief cardiovascular surgeon at Western Parana Institute of Cardiovascular Surgeryv(1993-2020), responsible for more than 10000 cardiovascular procedures, including endovascular surgeries. Dean of Medical School at the Western Parana State University (1995-2000). Medical School Dean of University Center “Assis Gurgacz” (2005-actual)
Association: Board member of the Paraná’ Society of Cardiovascular Surgery(2002-2006) and President (2006-08). President of the South Brazilian’ Society of Cardiovascular Surgery(2007-09). BSCVS Member of the Board(2009-2010), President of the Board(2011-2013) President of the Endovascular Department(2011-2013), Scientific Director(2014-2015) Vice-President(2106-2017), President(2018-2020) and Educational Director(2021-2026). World Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons -President (2023-2024l). President of the Latin American Association of Cardiac ane Endovascular Surgery (2024-2026).
Publications: More than 200 papers in national/international medical journals; presented more than 350 papers. Editor of five books and author or co-author of 20 chapters. Invited speaker more than 100 times, in Brazil, Argentina, Bulgari, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Uruguay and United States of America. Participation in the editorial board of ten international journals and five Brazilian ones.
Dr Malakh Shrestha
More information coming soon!
Prof Joseph Bavaria
More information coming soon!
A/Prof John Tam Kit Chung
More information coming soon!
Dr John D. Puskas
More information coming soon!
Dr Jianye Chen
More information coming soon!
Dr Javier Tejero
Dr. Javier Tejero is a passionate, young cardiac surgeon currently practicing at Hospital Universitari de Girona Doctor Josep Trueta, in Girona (Spain). He received his training at Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge in Barcelona, where from an early stage developed a strong curiosity for minimally invasive techniques. To further deepen his knowledge, during his residency he completed a one-month training at Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (Germany) under the supervision of Prof. J. Schmitto.
Dr. Javier Tejero further specialized in minimally invasive and percutaneous treatments for structural heart disease during his fellowship at San Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy) with Prof. F. Maisano. His other areas of interest include off-pump coronary artery surgery and aortic surgery.
Dr Edgar Tay
More information coming soon!
Dr David Kalfa
More information coming soon!
Prof Byung Choo Moon
More information coming soon!
Dr Antonios Pitsis
More information coming soon!
Prof Suk-Won Song
Professor Suk-Won Song is the member of ASCVTS, EACTS, STS, AATS, and Korean Society of Caridovascular and Thoracic surgery and working at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital. He has the skill of both the surgeon and the interventionist and has been the pioneer in defining the crucial role of the surgeon in aortic intervention.
Since 2008, he started aortic surgery, and until now he did more than 6,000 aortic cases, and doing more than 800 aortic cases every year with the mortality rate less than 3%. He established the Aorta and Vascular hospital in Ewha Womans University Medical Center where aorta team attends the patients from diagnosis to follow-up, and another team formed by attending fellows carry out clinical studies which is ongoing with the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant and the others with the granted approval of the institutional review board at the Ewha Womans University medical center.
Prof Shuben Li
Prof Sanghoon Jheon
Education
Postgraduate Training
Academic/Clinical Appointments
2007- Professor
Current Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea
Professor
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Seoul National University College of Medicine, South Korea
2012- President
Current Asia Thoracoscopic Surgery Education Program
1993-94 Chief of Thoracic Surgery
Andong General Hospital, Andong, South Korea
1994 -96 Clinical Instructor
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, South Korea
1996-98 Assistant Professor
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, South Korea
1998-00 Associate Professor
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, South Korea
2001-02 Director, Faculty of Medicine
Catholic University of Daegu, College of Medicine, South Korea
2003-06 Associate Professor
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Seoul National University College of Medicine, South Korea
Visiting Surgeon
Respiratory Center
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
2003-07 Associate Professor
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea
2009-12 Director
Respiratory Center
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea
2010-13 Chairman
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea
Managerial Appointments
2016-2019 President and CEO
Current Seoul National University Bundang Hosptial
2010-13 Executive Officer
Department of Public Affairs and Policy
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea
2013-16 Chief Executive Financial and Strategy Officer
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea
2015-16 Chief Program Advisor
Moscow Ministry of Health International Training Program
Global Medical Academy@SNUBH, South Korea
Honors & Awards
2003 The 35th Winner of Lee Young Kyun Award
2004 Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in the World 2004-2005 edition
2015 Masters Cup Winner awarded by European Society of
Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) at 23rd European Conference on General
Thoracic Surgery
2015 Founder, Developer
Lung CALC—Stage 1 Lung Cancer Recurrence Risk Calculator
Professional Societies
The Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery President
The Korean Society for Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery
The Korean Association for Thoracic Surgical Oncology
Korean Association for Study of Lung Cancer
The Korean Photodynamic Association
The Korean Bronchoesophagological Society
The Korean Society for Transplantation
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation
Asia Thoracic Surgical Club
Asia Thoracoscopic Surgery Education Program
Prof Rune Haaverstad
Professor of Cardiothoracic surgery, University of Bergen, Norway and Chief, Dept. of Cardiothoracic surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway 2007-2024. Main interests: aortic surgery, valve repair surgery, endocarditis surgery, ECMO and intraoperative quality assessment of coronary artery surgery.
Prof Paneer Selvam Krishna Moorthy
Professional Qualifications
Speciality
Society Membership
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA)
Committees/Appointments
Professional Achievements
Prof Fang Wentao
Fang Wentao
Chief Director, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tong Ji University Medical School
IASLC member
Staging and Prognostic Factor Group
Member, Data Quality Committee
Chair, Thymic tumor Subcommittee, M factor subcommittee
Multidisciplinary Clinical Science Committee member
ITMIG member
Chair, Education Committee
ISDE member
AATS member
EACTS member, Thoracic Domain Committee member
ASCVTS member, Thoracic Domain Executive member
Dr Taweesak Chotivatanapong
Dr. Taweesak Chotivatanapong is now
Dr Takashi Suda
Dr. Suda specializes in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. In 2005, he reported VATS extralreural pneumonectomy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. In 2009, he performed the first Da Vinci robotic lung cancer surgery in Japan. In 2012, he developed a single-port thymectomy via subxiphoid approach combined with carbon dioxide insufflation for thymoma and myasthenia gravis. In 2014, he developed a thymectomy method via subxiphoid approach using the Da Vinci robot. He has provided more than 300 surgical instructions to more than 140 facilities.
Dr Stephen Fremes
Dr. Stephen Fremes completed medical school at the University of Toronto in 1979 and then entered surgical residency in 1979, also at the University of Toronto. He was the recipient of a Heart and Stroke Research Fellowship from 1982 to 1984 during residency (MSc awarded 1984), from 1988 to 1989 following residency, under the supervision of Dr. Richard Weisel and a Career Support Award 1993-8. He has been on staff at the Schulich Heart Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre since 1989 and was the Head of the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre from 2000-2013. He is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto since 2001 with cross appointments at the University in the School of Graduate Studies, Institute of Medical Science, and the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation. He was the inaugural recipient of the Bernard S Goldman Chair in Cardiovascular Surgery. Dr. Fremes has had consistent peer reviewed grant support for studies in cardiac surgery as a principal applicant or co-principal applicant for 35 years. Dr. Fremes research interests have primarily centred on improving outcomes following CABG, arterial grafting, myocardial protection/cardiopulmonary bypass management, and lately transcatheter aortic valve surgery. The research methodologies include multi-center clinical trials, observational studies including health systems research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, health economics and modelling and considerable involvement in Clinical Practice Guidelines. He has regularly served on grant review panels for >30years. Currently, he is the nominated Primary Investigator of 3 CIHR funded international multicentre randomized trials in cardiac surgery. He has authored approximately 550 articles. His Google Scholar h index is 80 and the full list of publications is available at
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=fremes+s&sort=date&size=100
Prof Richard A. Jonas
Dr. Jonas undertook his general surgical training in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and his cardiothoracic surgical training at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and Green Lane Hospital in Auckland New Zealand. He was admitted to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1982 and subsequently moved to Boston where he undertook fellowships at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital. He was invited to take a staff position at Boston Children’s Hospital with Dr Aldo Castaneda in 1984. In 1994 he was appointed to the William E Ladd Chair of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and became the Cardiovascular Surgeon in Chief at Children’s Hospital Boston. In 2004 after 22 years in Boston he moved to Washington DC where he established the Children’s National Heart Institute which he co-chaired as Chief of Cardiac Surgery until 2020. He maintained NIH supported laboratory and clinical research studies until 2023.
In 2005/6 Dr Jonas was President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. In 2009/10 he was President of the Congenital Heart Surgeon’s Society of North America and from 2016-18 President of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery.
Dr Jonas has a long-standing interest in international education in congenital heart surgery and is currently President of the Global Council for Education in Congenital Heart Surgery. He played a key role in the establishment of the World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery. His textbook “Comprehensive Surgical Management of Congenital Heart Disease “has been published in several languages and continues to be widely used globally.
Dr Nuttapon Arayawudhikul
Dr Bijoy G Rajbanshi is a Cardiovascular Surgeon and is the Principal Consultant and Head, Department of Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgery at Nepal Mediciti in Lalitpur, Nepal.
He has a work experience of over 20 years. He has written multiple publications in International and National journals including chapters in textbook related to Cardiovascular surgery.
He is the Immediate Past President, Cardiac Society of Nepal which is the largest organization of medical professionals that are involved with cardiovascular diseases in the country. He was previously the Vice President of Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology. At present, he serves as a Council Member for Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia and Extra Corporeal Life Support (ELSO) – SWAAC Chapter.
Dr Bijoy G Rajanshi
Dr Bijoy G Rajbanshi is a Cardiovascular Surgeon and is the Principal Consultant and Head, Department of Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgery at Nepal Mediciti in Lalitpur, Nepal.
He has a work experience of over 20 years. He has written multiple publications in International and National journals including chapters in textbook related to Cardiovascular surgery.
He is the Immediate Past President, Cardiac Society of Nepal which is the largest organization of medical professionals that are involved with cardiovascular diseases in the country. He was previously the Vice President of Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology. At present, he serves as a Council Member for Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia and Extra Corporeal Life Support (ELSO) – SWAAC Chapter.
Assoc Prof Nishith Patel
Nishith Patel is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Waikato Hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand and an Associate Professor in the department of surgery at the University of Auckland. He completed his Cardiothoracic training in Bristol, London and Papworth in the UK, was awarded a PhD from the University of Bristol, FRCS (C-Th) from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and was appointed as a Consultant cardiac surgeon at the Royal Papworth Hospital. He currently leads a programme of research in to aortic disease and was recently awarded the Foundation 100 Fellowship by the Heart Foundation of New Zealand. His research focuses on the epidemiology of aortic disease in New Zealand, the pathophysiology of hypertension in patients with aortic disease, the role of the coagulation system in aortic dissection and the use of radiomics, biomechanics and AI to predict aortic events.
Assoc Prof Jonathan Yap
Clinical Associate Professor Jonathan Yap is a Senior Consultant with the Department of Cardiology at NHCS and Director ot Structural Heart Interventions. His sub-specialty interest is in interventional cardiology, pulmonary hypertension and structural heart disease including transcatheter aortic valve interventions (TAVI) for aortic stenosis and percutenous left atrial appendage closure for atrial fibrillation, amongst others. He spent a year in the United States performing his advanced fellowship in structural heart interventions at UC Davis Health, a high-volume tertiary cardiac centre. He has a keen interest in performing complex coronary and structural heart interventions.
Clin Assoc Prof Yap has a passion for education and research. Besides being the Director of Medical Student Training, he is actively involved in numerous ongoing research projects and has published and reviewed extensively in many international scientific journals. He is on the editorial board of several international journals and is also the editor of an electrocardiogram (ECG) teaching app.
Dr Jai Sule
Dr Jai Sule is a consultant cardiac and aortic surgeon at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore, having graduated from the National University of Singapore. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh with special interests in modern aortic surgery, arrhythmia surgery and minimally invasive cardiac surgery techniques. He is part of the institution’s aortic surgery team in enhancing the management and follow up of acute aortic syndromes.
Ass Prof Hong Son
Title:
Vice director of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, VDUH.
Head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery department, VDUH.
Visiting lecture of Hanoi Medical University.
Visiting lecture of Medical Faculty – National University of Vietnam.
Specialized:
Aortic surgery
Valve surgery
Minimally invasive cardiac surgery
Heart transplantation
Training and Education:
2001-2007 – Graduated from Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University. Moscow, Russia
2007-2009 – Resident doctor of Bakulev Scientific Center of Cardiovascular Surgery. Moscow, Russia.
2009-2012 – PhD at Bakulev Scientific Center of Cardiovascular Surgery. Moscow, Russia.
2017 – MICS course at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taiwan.
2022: Associate Professor in Surgery, HMU
Professional strengths:
Aortic surgery
Heart transplantation
Scientific researches NA
More than 70 national and international publications
Teaching experience
Supervisor for 12 Master and other post-graduating studies
Dr Ho Kay Woon
I am a senior consultant cardiologist in National Heart Centre, Singapore. My area of specialization is in Cardiology with special interest in Interventional Cardiology and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation. I participate actively in Medical Education and hold the role of Education Vice Chairman in National Heart Centre Singapore. My areas of research interests are in Interventional Cardiology and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.
Prof Faisal G. Bakaeen
Faisal Bakaeen, MD, is Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Distinguished Chair in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He serves as the Surgical Director of the Coronary Center at the Heart Vascular and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic.
Previously, Dr. Bakaeen was the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Chair of the VA Surgical Quality Data Use Group and a member of the Surgical Advisory Board that oversaw the clinical operations at all 44 VA cardiac surgery centers.
Dr. Bakaeen earned his medical degree from the University of Cambridge School of Medicine, Cambridge, UK. He completed residency in general surgery at Mayo Clinic followed by a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Bakaeen runs a busy clinical practice and has performed over 5000 cardiac surgeries. His areas of expertise include multi-arterial and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting in addition to complex valve and aortic surgery. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and the Fulbright Jaworski Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award from Baylor College of Medicine. He has over 340 publications and is an active member of multiple editorial boards. He has served in leadership positions of numerous high-profile trials including ROOBY, REGROUP, and EXACT and chaired and co-authored multiple professional clinical practice guidelines.
Dr. Bakaeen is a member of the American Surgical Association; served as Treasurer and President of the Association of VA Surgeons; Chair of Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Evidence Based Surgery; Co-Chair of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Clinical Practice and Standards Committee; and Councilor of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association.
Dr David Pachini
Dr. Davide Pacini graduated from the University of Bologna in 1993. He completed Cardiac surgery residency training at the same University in 1998. Since 2000, he was a staff surgeon of the Cardiac Surgery Department at the S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna and in 2018 he become Director in the same Department. He is mainly interested in cardiac and aortic surgery as well as heart transplantation. In 1998, he was recipient of the “C. Walton Lillehei giovani laureati” Award. In 2009, he was recipient of the “Hans Borst Award”. He was Councilor of the Italian Society of Cardiac Surgery and Chair of the Vascular Domain of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery. He serves on the Workforces on New technologies and on International relationships of the Society of Thoracic Surgeon. He is the author or co-author of over 300 scientific papers. He is Full Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the Alma mater Studiorum, University of Bologna and Director of Cardiac Surgery Recidency Program. He is active member of the Italian Society of Cardiac Surgery, European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS), the Society of Thoracic Surgeon and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. He serves on several editorial boards and he is also reviewer of many scientific journals.
Prof Calvin Sze Hang Ng
Dr Ng is the endowed Environmental Foundation Professor of Thoracic Surgery at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Honorary Consultant Surgeon at Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong. He graduated from Imperial College, London in 1999 with Honours, Distinction in Surgery. He trained under Lord Ara Darzi, London; Prof. Anthony P.C. Yim, HK and Prof. Timothy R Graham, Birmingham UK.
Dr Ng is a pioneer in Uniportal VATS in Asia-Pacific region, performing the first single port VATS lobectomy in Hong Kong in 2012. He is also pioneer in hybrid operating room (HOR) image-guided surgery and procedures, with early publications of HOR use in single port VATS major lung resection (iVATS) in 2015, and image-guided electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (iENB) in 2016. In March 2019, his team performed Asia-Pacific’s first HOR non-invasive transbronchial microwave ablation of lung cancer, and now has one of world’s largest experience of this technique. He is PI & Co-PI of numerous international studies (NAVABLATE, INCITE, PSR-Emprint, TARGET, POWER and TiLT) on this topic of utilization of alternate ablation energies, and robotic assisted bronchoscopy in diagnosis and therapy. His team also performed; world first IllumisiteTM transbronchial microwave ablation, first Monarch robotic bronchoscopy procedure outside of US in 2021, world first robotic bronchoscopy microwave ablation, and first Galaxy robotic bronchoscopy procedure in Asia in 2023.
His academic contributions include more than 300 publications in indexed international journals including Lancet, Lancet Oncology, JCO, ERJ, JTO etc (Citations 6284; H-index 41; Scopus; Sept-2024), 31 book chapters (including in Pearson’s Thoracic & Esophageal Surgery 3rd & 4th Eds, Shield’s Thoracic Surgery 8th Eds). Dr Ng is the corresponding Editor of the book Atlas of Uniportal Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (Springer Science), the standard text for uniportal VATS surgeons, and Associate Editor of the book Lung Cancer (1st & 2nd Editions).
He is also Fellow of American College of Chest Physicians, and Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (FAPSR); Programme Director, Cardiothoracic Board, College of Surgeons of Hong Kong; and Fellowship examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Academy of Medicine Singapore and CSHK. He holds numerous editorial positions, including co-Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Translational Medicine; Editorial Boards of: Cancers; Innovations; JTD; Oncology Research and Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment (TCRT); Assistant Editor of EJCTS; Associate Editor, Frontiers in Surgery; and Committee Member (CME, Education & Webinar) of IASLC. He is also Board member of Asia-Pacific Thoracic Advisory Board (APTAB); Executive Board member of Asia Thoracoscopic Education Platform (ATEP); Council member of Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia (ATCSA); and Council member of IGNITE innovation & LCI.
Dr Bashi V. Velayudhan
-Former Professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
-Adjunct Professor, TN Dr. MGR Medical University
-51st president of Indian Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgeons
-Life time Achievement award by TN Dr MGR Medical University
-Life time Achievement award by Times of India
-Melvin Jones worthy person award – Lions club International
-Invited faculty to Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand
-More than 150 international publications
-Authored chapters in international / national textbooks
Dr Atsuo Doi
Dr Atsuo Doi is a Consultant with the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery & Transplantation of the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
Following graduation from Chiba University in Japan, he began his surgical training in Japan and then continued to work abroad in Singapore and Australia including National University Hospital, Alfred Hospital, and Princess Alexandra Hospital. In 2017, he was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He is also fully registered as a specialist in Cardiovascular Surgery with the Japanese Board of Cardiovascular Surgery.
He returned to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia as a consultant surgeon in 2018. His special interests include heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, aortic surgery including Ross procedure, and pulmonary endarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
Dr Alan Sihoe
Dr Sihoe received his medical training at the University of Cambridge, and after working in Scotland and England, he returned to practice Cardiothoracic Surgery in Hong Kong and China, with a special interest in minimally invasive Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS). He was Clinical Associate Professor of the Department of Surgery at the University of Hong Kong and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital before recently moving to private practice in Hong Kong. Dr Sihoe is currently Consultant in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the CUHK Medical Center in Hong Kong, and Honorary Consultant in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital.
Dr Sihoe is an internationally recognized advocate of ‘next generation’ VATS techniques – especially uniportal and needlescopic chest surgery. He has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference abstracts and book chapters in the international literature. His work in thoracic surgery and clinical research has won multiple awards – including from the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) and the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS). In 2018, Dr Sihoe was the recipient of the Medical Sciences Technical Award (2nd Class) from the Chinese Medical Association. In 2023, he received the Tsuguo Naruke Lectureship Award in Surgery from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Dr Sihoe recently stepped down from over a decade of service as the Thoracic Surgery Editor for three of the most important international Cardio-Thoracic Surgery journals: Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery, the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and the Asian Cardio-Vascular and Thoracic Annals. Dr Sihoe has previously served in leadership roles in multiple Cardio-Thoracic Surgery societies in Europe and Asia, and he is one of the very few Thoracic Surgeons to have been invited to perform surgery and lecture on every continent in the world.
Dr Sihoe’s indexed academic and research output can be found at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=sihoe+a+%5Bau%5D
Prof Akif Turna
Dr. Turna graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Medical School. He has been trained in thoracic surgery at Yedikule Teaching Hospital for Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery. He started VATS lobectomy program in 2007, received national and European Thoracic Surgery Board Certificates.
He received his PhD in Immunology in 2003.
He became a professor of thoracic surgery in Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa in 2013.
He has been serving as a chief of Thoracic Surgery at Cerrahpasa School of Medicine.
He has a strong interest in minimally invasive thoracic surgery particularly uniportal VATS and RATS resections, mediastinal staging procedures, VAMLA, inflammatory and infectious diseases, surgery for emphysema, anti-tumor immunology and molecular biology of cancer.
He is currently associate editor of Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals, Euroasian Journal of Pulmonology, Heliyon
He is managing editor of Turkish Journal of Immunology
He is a member of 10th Edition of Lung Cancer Staging Committee (IASLC)
Prof Shinichi Fukuhara
Dr. Fukuhara is the G. Michael Deeb, M.D., and Nancy Deeb Research Professor in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. He also serves as the Co-director of the Structural Heart Program, Director of the Adult Ross Program, and Program Director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency and Fellowship at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Fukuhara earned his medical degree from Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan, in 2006, where he also completed his training in surgery and cardiovascular surgery, gaining extensive experience in endovascular therapy. After moving to the United States, he underwent further training, including a general surgery residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, NY, a cardiothoracic surgery residency at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, NY, an aortic surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA, and an aortic and endovascular fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH.
He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery, the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, and the Japan Surgical Society. Dr. Fukuhara’s expertise includes open and endovascular aortic surgery as well as catheter-based valve therapies.
Dr Wang Sheng
Current Position:
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery,
Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital.
Specialist, Cardiac surgeon.
Performing 250 cases per year, including around 150 minimal invisive cardiac surgeries（75 endoscopic valve surgeries，75 robotic assisted CABD）, and 50 transcatheter valve cases.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING:
09/1999-07/2004 Medical study in general clinical medicine, Xinxiang Medical College
08/2004-08/2007 Resident in Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Anyang People’s Hospital
09/2007-07/2010 MD in Cardiovascular Surery, Capital Medical University(Beijing)
08/2010-03/2015 Clinical Fellow in Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Henan Provincal People’s Hospital
03/2015-08/2015 Clinical Fellow in Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University.
08/2015-05/2017 Clinical Fellow in Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Henan Provincal People’s Hospital
05/2017-04/2018 Clinical Fellow for TAVI program training, German Heart Center Munich
11/2023-01/2024 Clinical Fellow for Robot assisted cardiac surgery training, New York Syracuse St.Jesoph Hospital
04/2018-Present Cardiac Surgery Specialist, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital
DOMESTIC SOCIETY: Active member of ISMICS;Silver membership of Asia Pacific Structural Heart Disease(APSHD) club;Member of Interventional Treatment Academic Committee,Association of Asian Heart Valve Disease(AAHVD) China Chapter;Active member of China Society of Minimal Invasive Cardiac Surgery(CMICS)
Prof Vegard Ellensen
Vegard S. Ellensen, MD PhD
Commencing clinical surgical training in 2003, I qualified for the specialty of General Surgery in 2010 and of Cardiothoracic surgery in 2014. That same year I defended my thesis on “Intimal hyperplasia” based on cell-culture and animal experiments, as well as clinical findings.
During my work as consultant surgeon, I have had the pleasure to visit clinics worldwide, such as Hannover Medical School, Skånes Universitetssjukhus (Lund), Leiden University Medical Center, Mayo Clinic (Rochester) and Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland).
I am, and have been, a board member of several organizations, currently serving as President of the Norwegian Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Scientifically, I have been involved in several multicenter studies, RE-ALIGN, RE-VERSE AD, NOTION 2 and SUNDAY, and have also supervised several master theses.
Prof Sivakumar Sivalingam
POSITION
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
SPECIALTY:
Dr Saeid Hosseine
Professor Saeid HOSSEINI is a graduate of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. He trained in General Surgery (1992-1996) in the same university and trained in cardiac surgery at Rajaei Cardiovascular Center (1996-1999). Finishing his studies in Iran, he moved to Paris to learn more in the field of cardiac surgery. So in La-Pitie Hospital worked with professor Gandjbakhch and Professor Acar to learn mitral valve repair (2000-2001) and congenital Heart Surgery with Professor Planche in CCML. He received AFSA; French specialty certificate in 2002. He then joined the faculty at Rajaei Cardiovascular Center. His clinical interests include all aspects of adult cardiac surgery, with particular interests in valve repair, Aorta and heart failure surgery. Now he is professor of cardiac surgery and is director of heart transplant and VAD department of the center and head of Heart valve diseases research center. He is proctor of Perceval aortic valve and HM3 implantation in Iran. He received European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (FETCS) too.
Dr S. Chris Malaisrie
Dr. S. Chris Malaisrie is a Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern University and Attending Cardiac Surgeon at Northwestern Medicine. Having graduated from the University of Maryland Medical School in 1998, he went on to complete a residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in 2006, followed by a fellowship in Heart and Lung Transplantation at Stanford University in 2007. Within the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, he is Surgical Director of Comprehensive Aorta Center. He specializes in cardiovascular surgery for valvular heart disease, the aorta, and the pulmonary artery. The procedures he performs include minimally invasive valve repair, valve-sparing aortic root replacement, Ross procedure, and pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. His research focus is on transcatheter and endovascular therapies for heart valves and the aorta.
Dr. Malaisrie serves as the Program Director for Thoracic Surgery Residency and Fellowship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Outside of Northwestern Medicine, he co-chairs the AATS Cardiac Clinical Practice Standards Committee, chairs the STS Taskforce for International Education, and is Chair for the ACC Cardiac Surgery Team Council. Additionally, he is currently an Ad Hoc Member of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) on the Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network, and serves on the Board of Directors of the ABTS.
Prof Roberto Di Bartolomeo
ACTUAL POSITION:
Director of the Cardiac Surgery Unit of the Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Department of the Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi of Bologna (Period: August 2002 – October 2018)
Full Professor of Cardiac Surgery of the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Period: October 2002 – present)
POSITIONS:
Dr Piroze Davierwala
Dr. Piroze M. Davierwala is the Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at the Peter Munk Cardiac Center in Toronto General Hospital. He graduated from medical school in 1993 followed by a residency in General Surgery (1994-1996) with the attainment of Masters in General surgery from the University of Pune, India. Thereafter, he did his residency in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (1997-2000), and obtained the degree of Master of Chirurgie from the University of Mumbai, India. Subsequently, he did a 3-year clinical fellowship at the University of Toronto, Canada. Following the completion of his training, he worked as a consultant in Cardiovascular Surgery in two private hospitals in the city of Pune, India. He was then recruited by the Division of Cardiac Surgery at the Leipzig Heart Center, Germany in 2009, where he was the Lead Senior Consultant and Director of Coronary Bypass surgery, until he moved to Toronto in 2021. During his 12-year tenure at this institute, which is predominantly renowned for minimally invasive cardiac surgery, he developed a keen interest and expertise in the entire spectrum of minimally invasive surgical procedures including mitral, tricuspid and aortic valve repairs, coronary artery bypass and aortic surgery. Additionally, he pioneered the development and establishment of the technique of multi-vessel total arterial minimally invasive coronary surgery with the use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries at the institute. Besides, he has tremendous experience in performing complex reconstructive surgery for endocarditis and complications of myocardial infarction among other procedures. His research work chiefly encompasses clinical studies and trials, which have been published in numerous peer-reviewed international journals. He has over 100 publications and is an author of several book chapters as well. He has been awarded the Angelo and Lorenza De Gasperis Chair in Cardiovascular Surgery Research at the University of Toronto starting January 1, 2023. He is a member of esteemed societies such as the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons, the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery and the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery and is also a fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA).
Dr Nikolaos Bonaros
Nikolaos Bonaros is an academic cardiac surgeon affiliated to the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. His clinical and academic interests focus on minimally invasive and endoscopic valve and coronary surgery and structural valve interventions. His scientific interests extend from clinical research on valvular heart and coronary artery disease to basic research on ischemic heart failure. He has a Master’s Degree on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and Innovation form the University of Pisa, and on Health Economics and Policy from the London School of Economics.
Prof Minoru Ono
Dr. Ono was graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1987. He started his career as Cardiothoracic surgeon. After he took his PhD degree, he joined the fellowship program at the Ohio State University Medical Center for advanced training in minimally invasive surgery and heart transplantation from 1999 to 2001. He came back to the University of Tokyo Hospital as a staff surgeon, and established a program of surgery for advanced heart failure. He was appointed as Professor and Chairman, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery in 2009. Since then, the advanced heart failure program of the University of Tokyo has grown up to be one of the leading centers in the globe. He has been actively participating in a cooperative development program of the medial devices with School of Engineering and some companies (endoscopic surgical manipulators and an innovative suture device). He was co-appointed as Professor at Research Institute for Biomedical Science and Engineering in 2017, and promoted to the Director in 2024.
He published more than 400 peer review English papers. He is actively involved in many major academic medical societies: President both for Japanese Society for Cardiovascular Surgery and Japan Society for Transplantation, and Board Member for Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery, Japanese College of Angiology and Japanese Society for Artificial Organs. He is also a member of many world-leading societies, such as AATS, STS, EACTS, ISHLT, and TTS. He also has the office of the President for International Federation for Artificial Organs and Secretary General with Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.
Dr Marco Solinas
In 2000, I was appointed to a Consultant position in Cardiac Surgery at “Ospedale del Cuore, Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy.
During this period I have been responsible for all aspects of modern Cardiac Surgery with a specific interest in minimally invasive techniques, including training and proctoring in Italy and Europe.
During the absence of the Head of Department, I have been responsible for the running of the Unit. I am also involved in dealing with inter-departmental relations with particular attention to management skills and the negotiation and management of conflicts.
In the above role I attended the course of the Italian Society for Cardiac Surgery on the subject “The Responsibility of the New Corporate Management and the elements necessary for the management of the Department” Bologna, 27-28 April 2001”.
I have coordinated work groups for the publication of scientific articles. Furthermore, I have been instrumental in the development and running of the hospital data-base and digital medical records.
July 2010 I was appointed for an initial period of 12 months to a Consultant position in Cardiac Surgery at Imperial College University/Imperial College Trust, Hammersmith Campus, London.
I have been recruited to lead of a specific project to develop minimally invasive mitral and aortic surgery.
1 January 2013 High specialization appointment: development of research and follow up activity on minimally invasive mitral valve repair; supervision for minimally invasive surgery training on junior surgeons; coordination of outpatient activity at Ospedale del Cuore in Massa and Ospedale S.Cataldo in Pisa, both Fondazione Toscana G.Monasterio.
May 2014 I was appointed to a substitute position as Director of Adult Cardiac Surgery Unit “Ospedale del Cuore, Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy
From January 2015- present: Director of Adult Cardiac Surgery Unit “Ospedale del Cuore, Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy.
Co-director of the II level Master Innovation in cardiac surgery: advances in minimally invasive therapeutics–Institute of Life Sciences of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna – Fondazione G.
Monasterio Regione Toscana-CNR- II and III Edition.
Dr Marco Di Eusanio
Affiliation:
Professor of Cardiac Surgery,
Director, Cardiac Surgery Department, Lancisi Cardiovascular Center, OORR
Director, Marfan Center
Director Minimally Invasive and Trans-Catheter Cardiac Surgery Research Center
Università Politecnica delle Marche
Ancona, Italy
His main practice and scientific areas include aortic and mitral valve repair, minimally invasive surgery and fast recovery, trans-catheter valve interventions (TAVI, percutaneous EtoE MV repair, TMVI) surgery of the thoracic aorta (open, endo, hybrid), cerebral protection, endocarditis, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy surgery, surgical education. He is author or co-author of >200 publications; he lectures nationally and internationally and hosts at his Center other surgeons to visit and learn minimally invasive techniques. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, practicing sports (tennis and skiing) and listening jazz pianists.
Dr Kisaburo Sakamoto
President of Shizuoka Children’s Hospital,
Consultant surgeon of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
Domestic activity
#) Clinical professor of Kyoto University and Hamamatsu University
#) Part-time clinical professor of Shimane University (part-time)
#) Part-time clinical professor of Yamanashi University (part-time)
#) Vice-Director (former director) of Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
#) Representative Director of Congenital Heart Surgeons Society Japan (CHSS-Japan)
#) President of Councils of Designated Teaching Institutions for Thoracic Surgery
#) Former Director of Japanese Association for Thoracic surgery
#) Former Director of Japanese Society for Cardiovascular Surgery
#) Former Director of Kansai Thoracic Surgical Association
International activity
#) Founding president of Asian Association for Pediatric and Cardiology Heart Surgery (AAPCHS)
#) Member of American Association for of Thoracic Surgery
#) Member of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
#) Member of European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons
#) Founding & Active Member (former council) of World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery(WSPCHS)
#) Member of Asian Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons
#) Honorary International Member of Indian Association for of Thoracic Surgery
「Personal history in Medical area」
1985.5〜 Resident of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Kyoto University in Japan
1987.1〜 Resident of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
1988.4〜Staff (like senior resident in USA) of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
1991.4〜 Staff surgeon of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
1995.9〜1997.2 Chef de clinic of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Strasburg University in France
1997.3〜1997.8 Chef de clinic of the department of pediatric cardiovascular surgery in Marie-lane long Hospital at Paris in France
1997.9〜 Consultant surgeon of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
2001.4〜 Director and Consultant surgeon of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
2007.4〜 Vice-president of Shizuoka Children’s Hospital,
Director of the cardiovascular center in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital,
and Consultant surgeon of the department of cardiovascular surgery
in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
2017.4〜 President of Shizuoka Children’s Hospital,
Consultant surgeon of the department of cardiovascular surgery
in Shizuoka Children’s Hospital in Japan
Dr Joseph Woo
Joseph Woo, M.D. serves as the Norman E. Shumway Professor and Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Bioengineering. He received his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania where he also conducted his postgraduate surgical training in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery as well as a postdoctoral research fellowship developing novel molecular strategies for attenuating myocardial ischemic injury. Dr. Woo has an active clinical practice of over 300 pump cases/year focusing on complex mitral and aortic valve repair, thoracic aortic surgery, cardiopulmonary transplantation, and minimally-invasive surgery, and has advanced these fields by developing several innovative operations. Currently funded via two NIH R01 grants on which he serves as principal investigator, Dr. Woo leads a basic science research lab studying stem cells, angiogenesis, tissue engineering, and valvular biomechanics and has held continuous NIH funding since 2004. He has also served as PI for several clinical device trials as well as translational scientific clinical trials entailing administration of stem cells during coronary artery bypass grafting and LVAD implantation. He has co-authored over 440 peer-reviewed publications. He serves as the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Foundation Secretary and as immediate past-president of the AATS Cardiac Surgery Biology Club.
Prof Husam Balkhy
Dr. Balkhy is Professor of Surgery and Director of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine. He received his Cardiothoracic and Vascular surgery training at Tufts New England Medical Center and the Lahey Clinic in Boston, MA. He was Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at the Wisconsin Heart Hospital in Milwaukee, WI prior to moving to the University of Chicago in July 2013.
Dr Balkhy runs a unique multi-spectrum robotic cardiac surgery program at the University of Chicago and is considered a pioneer of robotic cardiac surgery having performed over 2500 cases as of 2024. He has the largest series of robotic totally endoscopic coronary bypass operations in the world (over 1200 cases), a large robotic intracardiac and mitral valve experience as well as the world’s largest clinical experience with coronary anastomotic devices. With well over 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, he is a frequently sought after speaker and proctor worldwide and has trained many surgeons both nationally and internationally on robotic cardiac surgical techniques. He is currently the President of the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS) 2024-2025 and serves as a Governor of American College of Surgeons. He also sits on the Board of the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) and is on the Steering committee of the Endoscopic Cardiac Surgery Club (ECSC).
Prof Hirofumi Takemura
Hirofumi Takemura, M.D., Ph.D. MBA
Present Academic position: Professor and Chair, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kanazawa University School of Medicine
Research and Professional experiences
1985 Graduated from Kanazawa University (M.D. 1985)
1985-1986 Kanazawa University Hospital
1986-1988 Yokohama Sakae Kyosai Hospital
1988-1989 Fukui Cardiovascular Center
1989-1991 Kanazawa University Hospital
1991-1992 National Kanazawa Hospital
1992-1998 Kanazawa University Hospital (Ph.D. 1993)
1998-2000 Green Lane Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
2001-2013 Kanazawa University Hospital (Assistant Professor)
2003-2015 Gifu University (Professor & Chair)
2015-present Kanazawa University (Professor and Chair)
2016-2022 Vice Director, Kanazawa University Hospital
2020-2022 Director, Kanazawa University Health Service Center
2022-2024 Anglia Ruskin University (UK), MBA
Interest
OPCAB, Aortic arch operation, Mitral valve repair, Graft evaluation, VSP operation, Endoscopic cardiac operation
Organization
AATS, STS, EACTS, ASCVTS, JATS, JACAS, JSCVS, JCS, JCA, JSS
Prof Hermann Reichenspurner
Hermann Reichenspurner went to Medical School in Munich, Germany. In 1985 he started his training as a resident in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University Hospital in Munich. In 1987 he joined the Department of Cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Cape Town, South Africa as a registrar. In 1989 he went back to Munich to finish his training first in general surgery followed by a three-year additional training in cardiac surgery. In 1994 he started as a fellow of cardiothoracic transplantation at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, USA. In 1996 he got a position as Assistant Professor at the University Heart Center in Dresden, Germany. In 1997 he was appointed Associate Professor at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Munich-Grosshadern. In 2001 he was appointed full Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf. In 2005 he took over the position as Chair of the newly founded University Heart Center Hamburg. He served as President of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery from 2001 to 2002, as President of the International Society for Heart and Lung transplantation from 2014 to 2015 and as Chancellor of the World Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery since 2023. He received his MD degree in 1985 at the University of Munich and his PhD degree at University of Cape Town in 1992.
Dr Haibo Zhang
Prof El Khoury Gébrine
Prof. El-Khoury arrived in Belgium from Lebanon when he was 18 and completed medical school at Université Catholique de Louvain from 1977–1984 (maxima cum laude).
In September 1996, he joined the UCL St. Luc, as Associated Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Université Catholique de Louvain.
Since 2004, he has been the head of the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Department. He is recognized as a pioneer in aortic valve repair.
Prof. El-Khoury and his team run what has become a key center in the treatment of valve disease. The center is considered a true authority on cardiac surgery, as illustrated by its many daily visitors, its active involvement in high-level international conferences (live surgery, lectures, postgraduate courses, etc.) and the organization of three international meetings each year.
Prof Eduard Quintana
Eduard Quintana MD PhD trained in cardiovascular surgery at Hospital Clinic Barcelona and at the Mayo Clinic Rochester MN. He is a consultant cardiovascular surgeon and associate professor of surgery at the University of Barcelona Medical School – Hospital Clinic. He is a teacher and coordinator in the Biomedical Engineering Degree at the University of Barcelona.
He has been a board member of the EACTS Vascular Domain, chair of the aortic dissection task force and member of the cerebral protection task force. He is a board member of the EACTS Francis Fontan Fund Fellowship. He is currently a member of the EACTS Clinical Guidelines Committee. Dr. Quintana is a board member and the secretary of the European Board for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.
He has been a coauthor of the 2024 EACTS/STS Organ aorta guidelines and the 2023 ESC Guidelines for the management of endocarditis. He is a member of the international advisory board for the Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals and for the Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
His clinical interest focus on diseases of the aorta, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, infective endocarditis, critical care and education in cardiovascular surgery.
Dr Daniel Tai-Leung Chan
Dr. Daniel Chan Tai-Leung
After obtaining Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery of the College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2009, he pursues advance training in minimally invasive cardiac surgery in East Carolina University, USA, under the guidance of Prof. Randolph Chitwood. He has performed many first in Asia and Hong Kong procedures including off pump beating heart NeoChord procedure, Convergent hybrid ablation, TAVI for aortic regurgitation with J-valve, transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement with LuX valve, etc. He is also a clinical proctor of several companies and reviewer of several major journals.
Prof Carlos A. Mestres
Carlos A. Mestres, MD, PhD, FETCS, was born in Barcelona on the 27th of September 1956. He is currently an Extraordinary Professor at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Robert W.M. Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre, The University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, appointed 2018. He served as Senior Consultant in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (August 2017-September 2021) where he transitioned after there years as Staff Surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, UAE (August 2014-2017) and thirty years as Senior Consultant at the Hospital Clinico, University of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain (1985-2014). Dr. Mestres has experience and expertise in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Mestres received his medical degree in 1979 and his PhD in 1988 from the University of Barcelona. He holds the Spanish Certificates in Thoracic Surgery (1982) and Cardiovascular Surgery (1988) and The European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (FETCS – 1988).
He has shown particular interest in inflammatory and infectious diseases of the cardiovascular system in addition to the regular practice in all areas of surgery (especially endocarditis and HIV-1 infection), cardiovascular tissues (homograft valves and arteries), coronary surgery, valve surgery and surgery of the aorta, biomaterials, and medical devices. In addition, he has particular interest in hospital management, databases, and quality assurance. His research interest includes antiplatelet drugs, the behaviour of vascular grafts and homografts, aortic diseases and cardiovascular infections. He is active in clinical surgery.
As a member of the Hospital Clinico Endocarditis Working Group, the pioneer in cooperative work in the field in Spain and Europe, active for over three decades, several studies and publications were produced over the years. Dr. Mestres has participated in the development of Cardiovascular Tissue banking in Spain, as the tissue bank at the Hospital Clinico was the first of its kind in the country. Long-term follow-up on patients treated with homologous tissues is nowadays available. Dr. Mestres also participated in the development of the Endocarditis Board at the University Hospital Zürich, Zürich (Switzerland), the 5-year experience of the Board recently reported. Currently, Dr. Mestres has over 389 international publications in peer-reviewed international journals, 139 domestic publications in Spanish journals and over 30 chapters in books. (h-index 62, i10-index 183).
Dr. Mestres is a clinical surgeon. He has participated in teaching of surgical residents in the foundations of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery and has extensive experience in academic and scientific activities. He was a member of the Spanish National Cardiovascular Council, the regulatory body for Specialty training (1997-2006). He was a member of the European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons (EBTCS) (2005-2018) and continues to be an Examiner of the EBCTS. More recently, in March 2024, he has participated in the implementation of the first examination of the EBTCS Cardiovascular Critical Care.
Among other positions he has been a Foreign Teaching Fellow at the Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, National University of Singapore (1990-1991), Visiting Professor, The Third Teaching Hospital, Beijing Medical University, Beijing, PRC (1993-1994) and Visiting Professor, Tajoura National Heart Centre, Tajoura, Tripoli, Libya (2006-2010).
