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 Alaide Chieffo is a Senior Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Clinical Research at San Raffaele Research Hospital, Milan, IT. She is also an adjunct Professor at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and has authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles on various topics in interventional cardiology. Additionally, she serves as a co-investigator and Principal Investigator in major international clinical trials and studies.

Prof Giuseppe Tarantini is the Head of the Interventional Cardiology Unit within the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences at the University of Padua Medical School, Padua, IT. He is a globally recognised researcher specialising in ischemic heart disease, structural heart disease, and cardiomyopathies.

Prof Tarantini serves as the primary operator for a diverse array of interventional procedures, encompassing coronary interventions (including atherectomies), peripheral interventions (such as carotid and renal procedures), and structural heart interventions (involving ASDs, PFOs, TAVI, and AVP).

In addition to his clinical work, Prof Tarantini is a distinguished faculty member at various international conferences, including Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), the Congresso della Societa Italiana di Cardiologia Invasiva (SICI-GISE), Euro PCR, and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). He boasts a publication record of 245 clinical…

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.