Prof. Iacopo Olivotto is Head of the Cardiomyopathy Unit and Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Careggi University Hospital in Florence, Italy. Over the last two decades, his main clinical and research interests have includes various aspects of cardiomyopathies, with special focus on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), ranging from clinical predictors of disease progression and outcome, arrhythmias, medical and surgical management, advanced imaging and genetic studies, developmental, translational studies addressing cardiac myofilament contractility and cellular electrophysiology. These lines of research have been instrumental in creating a growing multidisciplinary network connecting the Florence team to distinguished Institutions worldwide. Prof. Olivotto has been involved in the design and execution of randomized studies in genetic cardiomyopathies, and has been the lead of the recently presented Explorer HCM trial. Prof. Olivotto has co-authored over 200 papers in international, peer-reviewed journals. He is a co-founder and board member of The Sarcomeric Human Cardiomyopathy Registry (Share).

Danny Dvir has large experience in structural heart interventions. He is internationally recognized as an expert in evaluating and treating prosthetic heart valves, including valve-in-valve therapy, BASILICA and many others. Dr. Dvir worked extensively and specialized in non-invasive strategies for the treatment of heart valves in the Center for Heart Valve Innovation in Vancouver, BC and in University of Washington in Seattle. He is the president of the board of the Institute of Valvular Research.

Dr. Reinoud Knops works as a Cardiologist at the Department of Cardiology and Electrophysiology from the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
He specialises in Cardiac Rhythm Management and also has a PhD in this field, with a primary focus on Leadless Pacing, Subcutaneous ICD’s and Lead Extractions. Dr. Knops has participated in both the Nanostim and Micra First In Man studies and has implanted over 150 leadless pacemakers in humans. He is a medical advisor for Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic and several start-up companies. Frequently he takes part as a steering committee member or PI of clinical trials in the field of CRM. He is a (co-) author of over 100 publication in peer-reviewed journals and is the Principal Investigator of the PRAETORIAN trial (NEJM 2020), which is a large international, multi-center, investigator initiated, randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of tranvenous versus Subcutaneous ICD therapy (further info on www.praetorian-trial.org). He has implanted over 400 S-ICD’s (largest single center experience in the world).

Dr Stephane Ledot is a consultant in critical care and cardiac anesthesia at the Royal Brompton in London, UK. He went to medical school at University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris. He then trained in anaesthetics and intensive care in Marseille at University de la Mediterranee.
Following this, he sub-specialised in intensive care for two years at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Israel, where he also gained experience in trauma. He remained at Hadassah for two and a half years as a consultant in anaesthesia and critical care.
In August 2013, Dr Ledot moved to the UK and joined the Trust for an extracorporeal life support fellowship. During this time, he was involved in the management and retrieval of patients with severe acute respiratory failure needing extracorporeal support.
He stayed an additional year at Harefield Hospital to complete a fellowship in cardiothoracic anaesthesia and gain some experience in the management of:
• complex cardiac surgery
• ventricular assist devices
• heart and lung transplant.
• peri-operative echocardiography
He then worked as a consultant in cardiothoracic anaesthesia and critical care in Barts Heart Centre for nine months before returning to the Royal Brompton Hospital in 2016 where he now leads the ECMO programme.
The Royal Brompton is a tertiary cardiothoracic hospital and one of the 6 nationally commissioned ECMO centres in the UK.

Professor David Taggart is currently the Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Oxford. He qualified from Glasgow University in 1981 and in 1989 was awarded an MD with Honours for studies on the effects of hypothermia on the metabolic response to cardiac surgery. He subsequently trained as the Senior Registrar at the Royal Brompton Hospital under Professor Yacoub and Mr. Lincoln.
In 1995, he was appointed Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, where he obtained a PhD (from Strathclyde University ) for studies of the inflammatory response during cardiac surgery. In 2004 he was appointed Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the
University of Oxford.
He was President of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery of GB and Ireland (April 2010 – April 2012), Chairman of the European Society of Cardiology Cardiovascular Surgery Working Group, a member of the Adult Domain of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery and a member of the AATS and STS.
He was appointed as the lead for cardiothoracic surgery research in the UK by the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 2013-16.
His main interests are coronary revascularization, especially a critical appraisal of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using stents vs. CABG surgery, arterial grafts and off-pump surgery. He has authored over 340 peer-reviewed scientific papers and is the PI of the ART trial – one of the largest surgical trials ever conducted (a randomised trial of 3000 CABG patients to single
or bilateral IMA grafts during CABG).

Mr. Halevy was born in London U.K.in 1934 and immigrated to Israel in April 1948. He graduated from the Hebrew University in 1956 with a degree in Law (cum laude). During the height of the Cold War he served as Secretary General of the National Union of Israeli Students and played a role in creating contacts with young Jews behind the iron curtain in the mid-fifties.
Halevy joined the Mossad in 1961 and rose rapidly in the ranks reaching senior management level in 1967. From 1970 he served as Washington D.C. Station Chief for four years. During the Yom Kippur War of 1973, he played a key role in the US-Israeli relationship.
He went on to serve in Paris where he was deeply involved in Western European activities. He then commanded two operational divisions, each for a period of fine years. This was followed by his appointment as Deputy Head in 1990. During this time he acted as the personal envoy of five Prime Ministers (Shamir, Rabin, Netanyahu, Barak and Sharon), to Heads of State on matters of high diplomacy and strategic security.
He was publicly acclaimed by Prime Minister Rabin for his liaison with King Hussein leading to the peace treaty concluded between Israel and Jordon in 1994. He was similarly active in the Persian Gulf area between 1975 and 2002 and maintained links with the highest levels in most of the independent states in that region.
He retired from the Mossad in 1995 as Deputy Head and served as Israel’s Ambassador to the European Union from 1996 until 1998 opening the way for Israel’s extensive partnerships with European counterparts in Academia and Industry which have been worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hastily summoned him from Bruxelles in September1997 following the abortive Mossad operation abortive attempt to kill Hamas figure Khaled Mashal in an Amman main street .Halevy personally resolved the Israel-Jordanian crisis that emerged from that event within 48 hours and was thus able to avert a suspension of the Peace treaty , that was only three years old ,and a possible resignation of the Israel Prime Minister .Shortly after Netanyahu appointed him Head of the Mossad and he went on to lead it for four and a half years under three Prime Ministers, (Netanyahu, Barak and Sharon) for four and a half years.
Leaving Government service after 46 years he headed the Center for Strategic Studies at the Hebrew University for eight years, finally retiring in 2011.
Halevy was a frequent traveler behind the lines in the Middle East and during his long, forty year career at the Mossad he was involved in and led clandestine operations which will long be shrouded in secrecy.
Halevy is a graduate of the Israel National War College and the SMG Senior Management program at Harvard University and has received many prestigious awards for his service in the areas of national defense and diplomacy.
In recent years Efraim Halevy has been a staunch spokesman for Israel, giving major addresses in the US from coast to coast and in Europe and as far afield as Japan and Australia.
He writes frequently for Israeli and International dailies and periodicals including The Economist, The Financial Times, The London Times, The New York Times to name a few.
He often appears on BBC, CNN and Aljazeera television programs and on BBC radio.
In 2006 he published a book named ” Man in the shadows ” written in English and it was published in several other languages including Hebrew and Arabic
Efraim has been married to Hadassa for more than sixty years, has two children and six grandchildren.

Silvia G. Priori, MD, PhD

Full Professor of Cardiology

University of Pavia- Italy

Director of Molecular Cardiology Unit

Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA & SB

Pavia – Italy

Director of Molecular Cardiology Unit

Centro Nacional de Investigaciones

Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) – Madrid – Spain

Silvia G Priori graduated in Medicine in 1985, became specialist in Cardiology in 1990 and got the PhD in Cardiac Pathophysiology in 1995. She is Full Professor of Cardiology at the University of Pavia, Director of General Medicine III Unit and of the Molecular Cardiology Laboratories at the ICS Maugeri and Director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Program, at the Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid.

Prof Priori was: Chairman Committee for ESC Practice Guidelines; President of the EHRA; Member of the ESC Board; Co-Chairman of the ESC Congress Programme Committee.

Prof Priori is now Vice-President of the ESC.

Her main research fields are Inherited Arrhythmias and Gene Therapy.

Dr. Weisz is an interventional cardiologist in NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center in New York city, and serves also as faculty of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. Dr. Weisz graduated from the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, Israel. He completed his cardiology fellowship training at the Carmel Medical Center-Technion School of Medicine in Haifa, Israel, and underwent advanced training in interventional cardiology at Lenox Hill Hospital and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation in New York. Dr. Weisz is an internationally recognized researcher focused on innovative technologies in cardiovascular medicine. He has pioneered the use of robotic-enhanced coronary interventions, navigation and positioning technologies. Dr. Weisz has been the principal investigator for pivotal clinical studies leading to FDA approval of cutting-edge technologies in interventional cardiology, including device positioning and navigation and robotics.  He has been leading multicenter studies in interventional imaging, and the combination of PCI with pharmacological anti-ischemic treatment. Dr. Weisz has published extensively in the most prestigious peer-review medical journals.

Prof. Eldad Tzahor received a BSc in biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1991), and a PhD in molecular biology (1999) at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Rehovot, Israel). After postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA), he joined the staff of the Weizmann Institute in 2003. Prof. Tzahor studies novel mechanisms for cardiac regeneration following injury in mammals, a major challenge in current biomedical research. The lab develops novel approaches in cardiac biology to stimulate heart regeneration and repair. Prof. Tzahor is considered a world leader in the field of cardiac regeneration. His research in the field of regenerative medicine could potentially lead to treatments for heart disease in adult patient. He is the recipient of a number of prestigious grants and awards, including two European Research Council (ERC) grants, Foundation LeDucq, Horizon 2020  Regenerative  Medicine and the Levinson Prize in Biology.

Prof. Tzahor is the father of Noam, Roy, and Yonatan. He swims and runs regularly, which he says are the best forms of exercise to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Prof. Alon Eisen, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel

Dr. Piazza is Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and faculty in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Piazza received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts and completed residency in internal medicine, Chief Medical Residency, general cardiology fellowship, and an advanced cardiovascular imaging fellowship at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He also completed a National Heart Lung and Blood Institute-sponsored advanced fellowship in vascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Dr. Piazza’s research interests include the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of venous thromboembolism, thrombophilia-associated infertility, computerized decision support to improve cardiovascular outcomes, as well as stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

Professor and Chair of Cardiology

Department of Cardiology

Heart and Vascular Center and CARIM

Maastricht UMC+ and Maastricht University

The Netherlands

Graduated in medicine at the University of Amsterdam in 1981. He completed his cardiology training at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands in 1987, where he continued working as clinical cardiologist and electrophysiologist. He obtained a PhD at the University of Groningen in 1993 on Changes of Intracardiac Conduction Induced by Anti-arrhythmic Drugs – Importance of Use and Reverse Use-dependence. He served on several guidelines committees for atrial fibrillation. Contributions to the field of electrophysiology include improved rate/rhythm control (RACE-trials, HATCH score), stroke prevention (CHA₂DS₂-VASc) and bleeding in AF (HAS-BLED). Current interests: idiopathic AF, atherothrombotic mechanisms in AF progression; hybrid AF ablation; early rhythm control in high risk AF. He currently is Chair and professor of Cardiology and board member of the Cardiovascular Research Institute CARIM, Maastricht University.

Professor Stephen Brecker is a Consultant Cardiologist at St George’s Hospital, London and Professor of Cardiology at St Georges, University of London.  He has been Chief of Cardiology for the past five years.  His major research interest are focussed on improving safety and outcomes from transcatheter valvular interventions.

Eberhard Grube, MD, FACC, FACA, FSCAI

University Hospital Bonn, Germany

Prof. Grube is Professor of Medicine, Head, Center of Innovative Interventions in Cardiology (CIIC) University Hospital Bonn, Germany and Consulting Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, at Stanford University School of Medicine.

He received his first degree in Medicine at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelm-University in Bonn. His cardiology training was completed at University of Wisconsin, Medical School and University of Bonn, Medical School.

He received his Board Certification in Internal Medicine, in Cardiology and in Angiology from the North Rhine Chamber of Medical Doctors and his post-doctoral lecturing qualification “Internal Medicine“ from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelm-University in Bonn.

He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Angiology and the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions.

His research interest includes drug eluting stents, distal protection devices, debulking devices, restenosis and in-stent restenosis.

Currently the director of New York Presbyterian Heart Failure, Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Programs and the director of those programs at Columbia University.

Nir J. Uriel is the past Chair of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Council of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT, Chair 2017-2019, Past Chair 2019-2021). His contribution to scientific literature includes more than 240 peer-reviewed publications.  His research focus is on heart failure physiology, heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support. Nir studied the metabolic changes in advanced heart failure and the effect of LVAD therapy on metabolic profile of these patients, the above topic was the focus of my NIH K23 grant (1K23HL103795-01A1). During his K grant period he also completed MSc in Biostatics at the Mailman School of Public Health. A significant amount of Nir’s research is devoted to mechanical circulatory support. He described the biological mechanisms of bleeding in heart failure patients supported by current generation LVADs, and was one of the first investigators to report the prevalence of acquired Type II von Willebrand’s disease in this patient population and the link to abnormal angiogenesis, he also developed and validated multiple algorithms for treatment of patients supported with mechanical assist devices: The ramp test for speed adjustment, hemodynamics management, aortic inefficiency assessment, ventricular tachyarrhythmia management and more. As a result of the above, Nir is currently the National Principal Investigator and the chairman for the medical working group for the MOMENTUM 3 study (The biggest study ever conducted in the field of MCS – 1028 LVAD patients, evaluating a new LVAD technology – HeartMate 3(HM 3), and an additional 1500 patients in the continued access program). The study was reported in the NEJM and led to the FDA approval of the device. Recently Nir was asked to serve as the part of the national principal investigators committee and steering committee for the next series of studies on HM 3 LVAD called the Study Group for the Elimination of Residual Risk with HM 3 (STARR HM 3). His research extends to heart transplantation and heart failure. Nir has received the Teaching Award at Columbia University and University of Chicago. He is committed to the training of the next generation of Clinical researcher in the field of cardiovascular medicine in general and heart failure in specific.

Judith Hochman, M.D., is Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences, Co-Director of the NYU-HHC Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Harold Snyder Family Professor and Associate Director of the Leon Charney Division of Cardiology, and Director of the Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at NYU Langone Health.
Dr. Hochman holds a Master’s Degree in Cellular and Developmental Biology from Harvard University and an MD from Harvard Medical School. She is an internationally recognized clinical trialist and expert in ischemic heart disease, having served as Study Chair for NHLBI-funded international clinical trials testing the role of revascularization for patients with ischemic heart disease, which led to two new recommendations regarding the role of revascularization (stents and coronary bypass surgery) in the US and International Practice Guidelines. She has served for over a decade on the NHLBI Board of External Experts, and on the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/ American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines as well as guideline writing committees, the AHA Strategic Advisory Coordinating Committee and the FDA Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee. She is Study Chair of the NHLBI-funded international ISCHEMIA comparative effectiveness trial testing two initial management strategies for patients with ischemia. The trial demonstrated no net difference in the primary outcome or all-cause mortality, but improved quality of life in those with baseline angina. The primary results of the trial have been presented at the AHA 2019 Scientific Sessions, published in the NEJM and widely covered with a billion media impressions. She was the inaugural director of the AHA-funded Sarah Ross Soter Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Research at NYU School of Medicine, where she and colleagues study myocardial infarction in women, with a focus on understanding why women more often than men have MI without typical blockages in their coronary arteries.
She has authored ~400 publications, reviews and chapters in major internal medicine and cardiovascular journals and textbooks. In addition, she was senior guest editor for Circulation and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology, the European Heart Journal and the American Heart Journal. Dr. Hochman has served as a mentor for numerous trainees who have gone on to have successful independent careers. She is the recipient of the 2008 AHA Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award, the 2014 Clinical Research Prize of the AHA, the 2016 Distinguished Scientist Award (Clinical Domain) of the ACC, the AHA 2018 James B. Herrick Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cardiology, and the invited presenter of the European Society of Cardiology 2020 Rene Laennec Lecture.

Prof.dr. Jeroen J. Bax, FESC (Leiden, Netherlands)
ESC Immediate Past-President (2018 – 2020), Jeroen Bax is Director of non-invasive imaging and Director of the echo-lab at the Leiden University Medical Center. His main interests include clinical cardiology, heart failure, cardiac resynchronization therapy and the application of all different imaging modalities to these clinical fields. Professor Bax has authored numerous papers and holds several positions in national and international scientific organizations, as well as serving on the editorial boards of many different journals.

William McKenna is Canadian (BA – Yale, MD – McGill). He is CEO & Medical Director, Heart Hospital, HMC. Previously he established the Inherited Cardiac Disease clinic at St George’s Hospital and then at the Heart Hospital – University College London. He is also Associate Dean for Research (Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar), Emeritus Professor of Cardiology (UCL) & Adjunct Professor in CV Medicine (Yale). His main interests have been in clinical and basic research of the cardiomyopathies. His recent work has contributed to the identification of disease-causing genes in HCM, DCM and ARVC, to the establishment of new diagnostic criteria within the context of familial disease, and to the establishment of algorithms to identify patients at high risk of sudden death. He has published >500 research papers in peer review journals.