Prof Van Mieghem initially intended to train as a cardiac surgeon but decided to specialise in interventional cardiology instead, following advice from a mentor. This decision was cemented when he read the first-in-human case report of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in Circulation by Alain Cribier in 2002. Prof Van Mieghem believes that great cardiologist genuinely cares for their patients. He names Gary Roubin, Dr Manu Malbrain and Professor Patrick Serruys among his mentors. 

Academic History

Prof. Nicolas M. Van Mieghem completed his medical training at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), where he earned both his medical degree and his specialist degree in cardiology. During his time in Leuven, he developed a strong interest in cardiovascular medicine, particularly in the emerging field of minimally invasive cardiac interventions. After finishing his core medical and cardiology training, he pursued multiple advanced…

Dr Kendra Grubb is the surgical director of the Emory Structural Heart and Valve Center. She is also an associate professor of surgery at Emory University School of Medicine.

Kendra is a champion for women's heart disease and is dedicated to improving the lives of all patients through innovation, collaboration and a patient-centred approach to the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Her clinical interests include valve repair or replacement, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and hybrid coronary revascularization.

Dr Grubb research interests are innovative cardiac surgery technologies. She has led and participated in multiple clinical trials of innovative cardiac surgery technologies, including studies of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), MitraClip percutaneous therapy and the GORE® conformable TAG® thoracic endoprosthesis for the primary treatment of…

Prof David Hildick-Smith is Professor of Interventional Cardiology and Consultant Cardiologist at the Sussex Cardiac Centre - the Regional Specialist Unit. He is Director of the Cardiac Research, ex-Treasurer of the British Cardiovascular Interventions Society, and, with more than 20 years experience of Interventional Cardiology, is considered one of the country's leading experts in management of Cardiovascular complaints.

A pioneer of Interventional Cardiology, David is recognised internationally as a leader in cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment. 

Dr Holger Thiele, former director and full professor in the Department of Internal Medicine/Cardiology/Angiology of the University Heart Center Lübeck at the University of Lübeck has been nominated by the faculty of the University of Leipzig as full Professor and Director of the Department of Internal Medicine/Cardiology of the Heart Center Leipzig which is affiliated with the University of Leipzig. 

Roxana Mehran is an internationally recognised interventional cardiologist and clinical researcher based in New York, United States. She has spent much of her professional career at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Hospital, where she has become a leading figure in cardiovascular clinical trials, interventional cardiology, and outcomes research. Her work is widely noted for its focus on improving patient outcomes, advancing evidence-based care, and promoting sex-specific research in cardiovascular medicine.

Academic History

Professor Mehran pursued her medical education and postgraduate training in internal medicine and cardiology, followed by subspecialty training in interventional cardiology. Her academic career has been closely aligned with Mount Sinai, where she has advanced through senior academic ranks.

She currently holds appointments as Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Professor of Population Health Science…

Didier Tchétché, (Clinique Pasteur, Toulouse, France) Graduated from the University of Paris V where Dr Tchétché obtained his post-graduate diploma of cardiovascular pathology in 2004. From 2004 to 2005, he completed a 12-month fellowship period in the Hemodynamic and Interventional Cardiology department of Clinique Pasteur in Toulouse and from 2005 to 2007 he was Head Assistant at the intensive care unit of Bichât Hospital in Paris.

In 2008, he joined the interventional cardiovascular group in Clinique Pasteur, Toulouse, and he is currently Head of the Structural programme with an experience of more than 5000 TAVI procedures. His main areas of interest are coronary interventions and valvular heart disease. He has been actively involved in many clinical trials involving new technologies and devices in the field of interventional cardiology.

Ajay J Kirtane, is Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) Hospital / CUMC. Dr. Kirtane is an internationally-renowned leader in Interventional Cardiology, specializing in the care of patients with complex coronary and peripheral vascular disease.

In addition to his clinical commitments, Ajay has a strong interest in clinical education and research, serving as Chief Academic Officer of Columbia Interventional Cardiovascular Care. He is a director of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference, has served as a director of several international, national, and regional educational conferences, and has participated on the program committees for the scientific sessions of both the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association. Ajay’s research…

Professor Lars Søndergaard is a consultant cardiologist at Rigshospitalet – Copenhagen, Denmark. Professor of Cardiology at University of Copenhagen, he published over 300 peer reviewed articles, and more than 15 textbook chapters. His research interests are focused on adults with congenital heart diseases and catheter-based heart valve interventions, as well as congenital and structural heart diseases. He led the first-in-human transcatheter mitral valve implantation (CardiAQ) in 2012 and he actively participated to several trials, including NOTION (transcatheter vs. surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with aortic stenosis and low surgical risk), and the REDUCE randomised trial (PFO vs anti-platelet therapy after cryptogenic stroke).

Dr Mohamed Azeem Latib was born and raised in South Africa, where he also completed his early medical training. He later advanced his clinical and professional career internationally. He now resides in New York City, where he serves as the Section Head and Director of Interventional Cardiology and the Director of Structural Heart Interventions at the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Heart & Vascular Care. His career has spanned multiple countries and premier cardiovascular institutions.

Academic History

Dr Latib earned his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh) from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1995. He completed a fellowship with the College of Physicians of South Africa in 2002 and received his certificate in cardiology in 2005.

He pursued advanced subspecialty training in Europe, completing a Master’s degree in Interventional Cardiology at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute and University…

Dr Joost Daemen, MD, PhD is a senior interventional cardiologist at the Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL. Dr Daemen obtained his degree in medicine at the Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam in 2005 and did 2 years of internal medicine training and 4 years of general cardiology training at the Thoraxcenter, Rotterdam. 

Dr Daemen is actively involved in several drug-eluting stent trials and is Principal Investigator of four trials focusing on the safety and efficacy of renal sympathetic denervation in hypertension, heart failure, vasospastic angina and heart failure. Dr Daemen is a member of the editorial board of EuroIntervention and the Netherlands Heart Journal, member of Young ICIN, and has completed courses in biomedical statistics and device training.

Dr Margaret McEntegart serves as the Director of Complex PCI and CTO programmes at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, US. She also holds the role of Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at Columbia University Irving Medical Center / New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Before joining Columbia, Dr McEntegart served as a consultant interventional cardiologist at Golden Jubilee National Hospital (UK), where she played a pivotal role in establishing and leading the CTO and Complex PCI Programme.