Member 2020-2023

Chair 2020-2023

Ruggero De Paulis received his Medical Degree at the University of L’Aquila, Italy in 1982. He trained at the University of Torino, Italy, at the University of Paris, France, and at the University of Utah, USA, before starting his academic and surgical activity at the University of Rome, Tor Vergata in 1991 where he became Professor in 2002. Since 2006 he is the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Department at the European Hospital and currently Professor at the UniCamillus University of Rome. He has been EACTS President in 2018 2019. His areas of interest are aortic and mitral repair surgery, aortic root and arch pathologies. He is the inventor of the Valsalva graft and has designed a physiological band for mitral valve repair.

Domain Chair 2022-2025

Chair 2022

Deputy Chair 2020-2023

Filip Casselman has been trained in General and Cardiac Surgery at the University of Leuven, Belgium. He continued his training with a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and at the St Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands. Since 2001 he is working in the department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the OLV Clinic in Aalst, Belgium. His interests include minimally invasive surgery (robotic and videoscopic), valvular reconstructive surgery, percutaneous valve replacement and arrhythmia surgery. Filip is actively involved in cardiac clinical research and has participated in multiple multicenter trials (including Syntax trial, Partner and Prevail trial, etc). He is (co)author of more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has given more than 250 presentations at international meetings.

Member 2022-2025

Denis Berdajs obtained his medical degree in 2001 at Semmelweis University, in Budapest. Denis was trained in general surgery at University Hospital in Zurich and obtained his Board certificate in general surgery in 2008. In 2012, he finished his residency in cardiac surgery at University Hospital in Lausanne, and in 2012 obtained the European Board of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Exam Certificate. He completed his clinical fellowship in 2015 at University of Toronto under the mentorship of Prof. Tirone David, with a focus on valve preservative procedures as well surgery for heart insufficiency. From 2016, Denis worked as a staff surgeon at the Department of Cardiac Surgery at University Hospital of Basel, and since 2017, is acting as Associate Editor for EJCTS, covering the domains of mechanical circulatory support and cardiopulmonary bypass. From 2021 Denis has been a level II Examiner at the EBCTS. His areas of interest are valve repair, multiple arterial revascularization, minimal invasive valve surgery and complex aortic surgery.

Member 2020-2023

While undertaking her medical studies in Rome, Dr Ilaria Chirichilli had two foreign experiences, the former in Lugano-Switzerland with Prof. F. Siclari at the Cardiocentro Ticino, the latter in the Research Laboratory for the Study of Grafts and Cardiac Prostheses of the Broussais Hospital of Paris with Prof. Alain Carpentier and Prof. J.C.Chachques. She graduated and completed her residency at the "University of Rome La Sapienza". In 2014 she joined a team directed by Prof. Ruggero De Paulis, focusing on aortic valve-sparing procedures, aortic arch surgery and aortic valve repair. Since October 2019 she has been working in the Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantation of S. Camillo Hospital of Rome, directed by Prof. Francesco Musumeci, particularly focused on minimally invasive programmes for valve surgery and transcatheter procedures.

Member 2020-2023

Laurent de Kerchove graduated in 1999 as a medical doctor at the UCL University. After finishing his residency in cardiac surgery in 2006, Laurent completed his training focused on multiple arterial grafting, valve repair and Ross procedure at the Clinic Universitaire Saint-Luc in Brussels under supervision of Prof. Gebrine el Khoury. He work as staff surgeon in this institution since 2008. He made his PhD in 2014 on “The role of annuloplasty in aortic valve repair”. Currently, he is Associate Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc and President of the Belgian association of Cardiothoracic surgeon. His areas of interest are valve repair, multiple arterial revascularization, Ross procedure and complex aortic arch surgery.

Member 2020-2023

Member 2020-2023

Tomas Holubec graduated in 2004 as a medical doctor at the Charles University in Prague, Medical Faculty in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic and in 2014 he received his PhD. degree at the same University. After finishing his residency in cardiac surgery in 2012, Tomas became a Board certified cardiac surgeon. After collecting experience at renowned Institutions such as University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland or Kerckhoff Klinik Bad Nauheim in Germany, he is, a Deputy Director (since 2018) of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University Hospital Frankfurt and Associated Professor (since 2019) at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Germany. His areas of clinical and research interests are in minimally invasive cardiac surgery, valve-sparing operations, complex aortic surgery, and coronary revascularization, especially off-pump.

Member 2022-2025

Vadim-Petru Irimie graduated from The University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș Romania. He underwent training as cardiac surgeon in the Cardiovascular Clinic Bad Neustadt, Germany. He obtained the board qualification as cardiac surgeon and specialization in Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine. During his residency, he trained and performed aortic valve sparing procedures under the guidance of Prof. Paul P. Urbanski. He is author and co-author of about 20 scientific articles about repairing of the aortic valve published in PubMed-listed journals. His areas of interests are aortic valve repair techniques and aortic surgery.

Member 2022-2025

Member 2020-2021

Member 2020-2023

Hans-Joachim Schäfers graduated in 1982 as a medical doctor at the University of Essen. In 1989, he completed his training as a general surgeon. After finishing his residency in cardiac surgery, he completed his training with a focus on lung transplantation, aortic valve repair, the Ross procedure, and pulmonary endarterectomy. Since 1995, he is the Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Saarland University Medical Center and Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the Saarland University. His areas of interest are pulmonary endarterectomy and heart valve surgery, complex aortic arch surgery, and aortic reconstructive surgery.

Member 2020-2023

David Vancraeynest obtained his medical degree in 1998 at the Université Catholique de Louvain. In 2005, he graduated as a cardiologist. After research work in non-invasive cardiac imaging and more specifically in cardiac contrast echography, he defended his doctoral thesis in 2007. He joined the cardiology team of the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc of the Université catholique de Louvain (UcLouvain). His areas of interest are valvular diseases, cardiac imaging, imaging of atherosclerosis, and exercise therapy for cardiac diseases. David is actively involved in clinical research and collaborates in multicenter valvular registries (MIDA, BEL-F-ASt). He is (co)author of more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Member 2022-2025

Prof. Jan Vojacek graduated from Medical Faculty of Charles University in 1993. Gradually he finished the training in vascular surgery and cardiac surgery. Currently, he is the head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. He is also the president of the Czech Society for Cardiovascular Surgery. Major interest is aortic root surgery including aortic valve repair, the Ross procedure and minimally – invasive cardiac surgery including robotic surgery.