Residents’ Committee
The Residents’ Committee is devoted to representing the views and interests of European cardiothoracic surgery residents and helping identify issues in training and facilitate education. The Committee also aims to find common ground in current European cardiothoracic training programmes in order to develop standards in surgical training. The Committee is a valuable resource for all European cardiothoracic surgeons in training and its members endeavour to carry out their tasks with commitment and transparency. The Committee encourages residents to join EACTS as trainee members and become active participants in EACTS academic activities.
The Residents’ Committee is pleased to announce new activities for 2023, including some exciting additions to the Scientific Programme at the EACTS Annual Meeting and a new award to recognise the academic work of residents, find out more here: EACTS Residents Corner Award.
Interested in what the EACTS Residents Committee do?
The Residents Committee put education and professional development at the forefront of our agenda. We believe that with EACTS we can strive to evolve the quality of education and training across the continent. Here is just some of what we do:
- Ensure the voice of Resident surgeons is heard and has impact in all aspects of EACTS governance and practice.
- Develop the resident-specific scientific programme and resident activities at the EACTS Annual Meeting.
- Represent the interests of Residents by making recommendations for training opportunities and fellowships.
- Write position papers to assist in the standardisation of cardiothoracic training across Europe.
- Represent the resident members on the EACTS Education Committee and assist in the development of educational modules and curricula.
- Work on resident specific editorials discussing training related issues.
- Collaborate with other professional resident bodies (i.e. ESC, TRSA) to explore the ways we can improve education and training of CT surgeons across the globe.
- Organise and judge competitions such as the Residents’ Corner Award and the MMCTS Residents’ Tutorial competition.
- Organise bi-monthly online case studies for residents to discuss tricky cases with a panel of highly renowned cardiac surgeons.
Committee Membership
The Residents’ Committee is currently reviewing applications for two new members to join this fantastic Committee. Applications are now closed. Thank you to all the residents who applied to the role. EACTS will be in touch with applicants in July 2023.
To join the Committee, EACTS trainee membership is a requirement. To become EACTS members and participate in the important work of educating others in the field of cardiothoracic surgery, please visit the MEMBERSHIP Page.
Education
The Residents Committee supports EACTS in delivering education, training and career development through the following channels:
- EACTS Academy
The EACTS Academy provides training courses of the highest quality which are attended by delegates from all over the world. As an educational institution, the goal is to promote a non-dogmatic learning environment that brings people, cultures and ideas together. Find courses, build your training plan, and book according to your educational needs. Whether an experienced surgeon or still in training, if you want to deepen your specialist knowledge, our courses make it easy to identify and book the training you need.
For further information on the courses available please visit the EACTS Academy Calendar.
- Resident Case Corner
Submit your interesting cases to the Residents Case Corner. This interactive programme allows residents to present interesting cases to an audience of fellow resident and expert surgeons. We discuss the patient journey, management options and review the scientific evidence supporting management decisions.
See tab: Case corner submissions to submit your case.
- Francis Fontan Fund Fellowships
The Francis Fontan Fund for Education aims to make independent and high-quality education accessible to EACTS members. The Francis Fontan Fund for Education is an EACTS organisation created to support educational opportunities, foster professional development and promote lifelong learning in cardiac and thoracic surgery for its members. The support for these educational activities will be granted in a transparent and fair manner and it will be subjected to strong governance procedures.
For further information, please visit the Francis Fontan Fund Page
Residents’ Case Corner
We invite you to submit your cases to the Residents Case Corner. Started in 2022 this virtual case series is aimed at residents to present cases relevant to cardiothoracic surgery. All symptoms, patient characteristics and test results are described in detail. Together with the attendees, the best treatment decision is discussed. The solution and clinical course of the case is revealed thereafter, and scientific evidence supporting the decision is discussed.
The aim of this session is to create a platform for discussion and exchange for residents and promote clinical skills in diagnosis and decision-making in complex cases based on scientific evidence. An expert panel are invited to share their experiences in an interactive and environment.
Click here for more information if you want to submit your cases for our 2023 programme.
Residents corner (EJCTS/ICVTS) – Promoting residents work
Submit your scientific work to the Residents Corner (EJCTS/ICVTS)
The Residents Committee believe in the importance of scholarship in the development of the next generation of cardiothoracic surgeons. With this in mind we are delighted that with the support of the Editors-in-Chief of both the European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery (EJCTS) and Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ICVTS) journals we have launched the “Residents’ Corner”.
This new ‘manuscript type’ is aimed to promote the excellent research performed by residents and will contain papers relevant to residents. Submitted manuscripts will be peer-reviewed with accepted articles published in the same manner as existing articles to these journals.
We encourage residents to submit their scientific/academic work and any articles related to education and training in cardiothoracic surgery to the Residents Corner.
Please click the following links to submit your work. Article type: Residents Corner
Awards for Residents
We support academic activity for cardiothoracic and vascular surgical residents. The EACTS Annual Meeting provides excellent opportunities for residents to learn and be recognised and rewarded for their successful scientific achievements.
- The Residents’ Corner Award (new)
The EACTS Residents’ Committee is pleased to announce the launch of a new award for EACTS Residents: The Residents’ Corner Award
This award has been established to recognize the academic work of resident members of EACTS, with the aim of incentivizing residents to participate in academic research and scholarship and encourage article submissions to the EJCTS and ICVTS Residents’ Corner.
Applications are now closed for 2023. Winners will be announced at the EACTS Annual Meeting in October 2023. For more information please download the brochure: RESIDENTS’ CORNER AWARD
- The Work in Progress Session
This session is devoted to early-career clinicians and scientists as a platform to present their projects and preliminary results.
Don’t miss the chance to receive feedback from renowned experts in the field, network with other scientists and to run for the AATS Foundation Academic Excellence Award for the most promising and innovative project.
For more information visit: WORK IN PROGRESS AND AATS FOUNDATION ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD AT EACTS
- Young Investigator Awards
To stimulate research, the EACTS has instituted prizes for the best manuscripts on topics of clinical or experimental research in the fields of Thoracic Surgery, Cardiac Surgery and Congenital Heart Disease presented by young investigators at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.
To learn more and apply for this prestigious award visit: EACTS YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD.
Scientific contributions
The EACTS residents committee are committed to improving the education and training for cardiothoracic surgery residents across Europe. In this pursuit we have published the following papers focused on aspects relation to training and education.
KEY PUBLICATIONS:
1 | Basic principles of cardiothoracic surgery training: a position paper by the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery Residents Committee.
Zientara A, Hussein N, Bond C, Jacob KA, Naruka V, Doerr F, Nägele F, Pölzl L, Eid M, Jarral O, Cerqueira R, Haunschild J, Sádaba JR, Gollmann-Tepeköylü C. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Sep 9;35(4):ivac213. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivac213. PMID: 36018268; PMCID: PMC9479886.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/35/4/ivac213/6677230?login=false
2 | Challenges and satisfaction in Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Programmes: insights from a Europe-wide survey.
Cerqueira RJ, Heuts S, Gollmann-Tepeköylü C, Syrjälä SO, Keijzers M, Zientara A, Jarral OA, Jacob KA, Haunschild J, Ariyaratnam P, Durko AP, Muller P, Myers PO, Sadaba JR, Lehtinen ML.
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2021 Jan 22;32(2):167-173. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivaa248. PMID: 33236099.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/32/2/167/6000413?login=false
3 | A European training system in cardiothoracic surgery: is it time?
Loubani M, Sadaba JR, Myers PO, Cartwright N, Siepe M, Emmert MY, O’Regan DJ, Krieg P, Sergeant PT. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2013 Feb;43(2):352-7. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezs208. Epub 2012 Apr 19. PMID: 22518040.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/ejcts/article/43/2/352/465303?login=false
OTHER PUBLICATIONS:
1 | Becoming a congenital heart surgeon: the long and challenging road.
Jacob KA, Hussein N, van Wijk A, Heinisch PP, Salih C, Galetti L, Hörer J. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Oct 10;35(5):ivac250. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivac250. PMID: 36260088; PMCID: PMC9580514.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/35/5/ivac250/6763496?login=false
2 | Breakfast at Tiffany’s: encouraging all the best and brightest diamonds into cardiothoracic surgery.
Lehtinen M, Eid M. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Oct 10;35(5):ivac249. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivac249. PMID: 36288496; PMCID: PMC9603532.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/35/5/ivac249/6775060?login=false
3 | The use of objective assessments in the evaluation of technical skills in cardiothoracic surgery: a systematic review.
Hussein N, Van den Eynde J, Callahan C, Guariento A, Gollmann-Tepeköylü C, Elbatarny M, Loubani M. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Aug 3;35(3):ivac194. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivac194. PMID: 35900153; PMCID: PMC9403301.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/35/3/ivac194/6651070?login=false
4 | Digital communication platforms in cardiothoracic surgery during COVID-19 pandemic: keeping us connected or isolated?
Naruka V, Zientara A, Hussein N, Punjabi PP. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Jul 9;35(2):ivac078. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivac078. PMID: 35403678; PMCID: PMC9047224.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/35/2/ivac078/6566268?login=false
5 | Is it time to incorporate hands-on simulation into the cardiothoracic surgery curriculum?
Hussein N, Zientara A, Gollmann-Tepeköylü C, Loubani M. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Mar 31;34(4):564-565. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivab290. Erratum in: Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Feb 21;34(3):514. PMID: 34718593; PMCID: PMC8574333.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/34/4/564/6410829
6 | The EACTS residents committee.
Gollmann-Tepeköylü C, Siepe M, Lehtinen M. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2021 Jan 22;32(2):165-166. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivaa283.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/32/2/165/6016401?login=false
7 | Simulation is a key element in the optimization of training in thoracic surgery.
Doerr F, Eid M, Naruka V, Hussein N. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2023 Apr 3;63(4):ezad146. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezad146. PMID: 37067500.
Free access article: https://academic.oup.com/ejcts/article/63/4/ezad146/7126420?login=true
Assemble Your Team for the CT Surgery Resident Showdown!
Get ready for the CT Surgery Resident Showdown, a Jeopardy-style competition of cognitive skills. Two-person teams of residents will face off against one another in a test of knowledge in five cardiothoracic surgery categories—cardiac, congenital, thoracic, history of the specialty, and decision making. The North American champion will face off against the winning European team in a final showdown at the 2024 STS Annual Meeting.
Competition
The competition will start with semi-final rounds at the EACTS Annual Meeting in October (for European finalists) and the STS Annual Meeting in November (for North American finalists). The winning European and North American teams will then compete for the championship title during the STS Annual Meeting in January 2024.
Prizes
-
-
- All semi-final competition participants will receive STS branded merchandise.
- Winners of the semi-finals held at STS and EACTS will receive paid air travel and registration to STS 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
- Winners of the Final Showdown will be the 2024 CT Surgery Resident Champions and receive bragging rights, a trophy, and complimentary access to one of the educational archived activities in the STS Learning Center.
-
Important Dates
- 1-30 June: Registration opens – please note registration is now closed.
- 17-31 July: Online qualifying exams
- 4-7 October: EU Qualifying Tournament at the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting
- 27-29 January: Final Showdown at the STS Annual Meeting, San Antonio
Please note…
Teams should be enrolled in a cardiac, thoracic, or cardiothoracic trainee programme, who will not complete formal training until February 2024 at the earliest (a formal of letter of status signed by the program director will be required upon registration for the qualifying exam).
Residents interested in participating will need to complete one registration form per team (which includes two eligible residents from the same programme) between 1-30 June. Team members will need to complete an individual online qualifying exam between 17-31 July.
For the online qualifying exam, individuals will be given one attempt at answering 60 questions in 20 minutes. Individual scores will be combined for each team, and the top six teams will be invited to the live competition being held at the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting in October 2023 (Vienna, Austria).
Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in participating or have any queries regarding the CT Surgery Resident Showdown.
Congratulations to the 2022 EACTS finalists Sam Heuts and Jules Olsthoorn from Maastricht University!
EACTS Resident committee Alumni
| Last name | First name | Term |
| Zientara | Alicja | 2019-2022 |
| Gollmann-Tepeköylü | Can | 2019-2022 |
| Lehtinen | Miia | 2017 – 2020 |
| Bohm | Allan | 2019 |
| Ariyaratnam | Priyad | 2018 – 2020 |
| Sohaib | Afzal | 2019 |
| Cerqueira | Rui | 2018 – 2020 |
| Durko | Andras | 2016 – 2019 |
| Syrjala | Simo | 2018 – 2020 |
| Keijzers | Marlies | 2017 – 2020 |
| Heuts | Sam | 2017 – 2018 |
| Haunschild | Josephina | 2020 |
| Jarral | Omar | 2020 |
| Kari | Fabian | 2016 – 2018 |
| Ilonen | Ilkka | 2014 – 2017 |
| Emrich | Fabian | 2014 – 2017 |
| Quintana | Eduard | 2014 – 2017 |
| Careddu | Lucio | 2014 – 2017 |
| Sardari Nia | Peyman | 2013 – 2016 |
| Ermel | Raili | 2013 – 2016 |
| Szabo | Karoly | 2016 |
| David | Charles-Henri | 2016 |
| Scarci | Marco | 2013 – 2014 |
| Noack | Thilo | 2014 |
| Siepe | Matthias | 2013 – 2014 |
| Seeburger | Joerg | 2013 – 2014 |
| Cartwright | Neil | 2013 |
| Emmert | Max | 2013 |
| Myers | Patrick | 2013 |
| Loubani | Mahmoud | |
| Sadaba | Rafael |
Communication
We promote communication channels between Surgeons in Training and renowned specialists of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery fields.
EACTS Members Newsletter
Stay up to date for residents’ activities and networking opportunities via the quarterly EACTS Members’ Newsletters. Join EACTS and become a resident member today!
Like EACTS on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to join our residents-talk (#eactsresidents)
Contact EACTS Residents
If you would like to contact the Residents Committee you can write an email to [email protected]
Dr Nabil Hussein (United Kingdom)
Interest: Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery, Medical education
Year joined the resident committee: 2020
Dr Hussein is a cardiothoracic surgery resident from the UK with a strong interest in congenital cardiac surgery and medical education. He has recently completed a research fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto. His thesis is on creating 3D printed heart models to help train congenital heart surgery residents and fellows in complex pediatric heart procedures. He has a keen interest in surgical simulation and its incorporation into dedicated training programmes.
Dr Kirolos Jacob (Netherlands)
Interest: Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery, Epidemiology and Medical Education
Dr Jacob is a cardiothoracic surgery resident in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He has a strong interest in congenital cardiac surgery and patient-centered research, mainly on risk stratification and surgical outcomes. He joined the EACTS Residents Committee to enhance EU-broad education and training in cardiothoracic surgery and develop international exchange traineeships to strengthen and standardise residency programmes across Europe.
Dr Vinci Naruka (United Kingdom)
Interest: Aortic surgery, Minimally Invasive Cardiac surgery, Medical Education and Training.
Year joined resident council: 2020
Dr Naruka is a cardiothoracic surgery resident from the UK and based in London with experiences from leading national research projects to organising national teaching sessions. He believes in a collaboration ethos between residents and cardiothoracic centres and improving connectivity to further research and education opportunities. ‘’I believe that when you have learnt something it is your duty to pass it on to others by becoming a mentor.”
Dr. Fabian Dörr (Germany)
Interests: Minimally invasive thoracic oncologic surgery
Year joined the resident committee: 2021
Dr. Dörr is a thoracic surgery resident at the Essen University Hospital. He completed a fellowship at the ‘Reinhard Lab’ studying new therapeutic options for SCLC and won the 2018 research award of the German Thoracic Society. Currently he is investigating new prognostic factors for NSCLC and developing a system to predict pulmonary malignancy. Being a member of the EACTS thoracic domain and the Residents Committee, Dr. Dörr focuses on achieving synergistic effects for young thoracic surgeons, especially in education.
Dr Maroua Eid (France)
Interests: adult cardiac surgery, fundamental research in cardiovascular pathophysiology, medical training, education
As well as being a cardiac surgery resident in France, I am an active member of the French association of young cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons. I was honored to join the EACTS residents committee with the belief that collaboration between European centers could open strong opportunities to provide better medical training and to ease multicentric research projects.
I have a keen interest in adult cardiac surgery as well as fundamental research in cardiovascular pathophysiology. In my daily practice, I value the collaboration between physicians, all aiming to deliver the best care for our patients.
Dr. Leo Pölzl (Austria)
Interest: Heart failure, Translational science
I believe that good communication and collaboration throughout Europe is not only important for academic productivity, but also essential for the further education development. It is a privilege to work with motivated and inspired colleagues within the EACTS residents committee to promote and facilitate these goals. I am currently completing my PhD in molecular cell biology with a focus on heart failure therapy in a translational setting. My surgical interests are in the field of heart failure, coronary revascularization and mechanical support systems
Dr. Felix Nägele (Austria)
Interest: Adult cardiac surgery, Translational science, Education, Skills Labs
Alongside my surgical training, I am pursuing a basic research Ph.D. in Molecular Biology focusing on ischemic cardiomyopathy and subsequent heart failure. This gives me the unique opportunity to perceive cardiovascular disease in a translational manner from bench to bedside. According to my perception, cardiac surgeons have the solitary opportunity to oversee all complex interrelationships in cardiovascular medicine. For me, the EACTS residents committee serves as a forum for a new generation and aspiring generation of future stakeholders who will shape the field of cardiothoracic surgery.
Dr. Soi Avgeridou (Germany)
Interests: Adult Cardiac Surgery, Congential Heart Surgery, Medical Education and Training
Through a continuous improvement of the cardiothoracic training, we will be able to keep the future surgeons’ skills level at bay with the increasing complexity of the patients. It is of utmost importance to keep advancing the treatment options. By being an active member of the German Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery I have gained experience in managing such projects. Nevertheless, I believe that true progress can only be achieved by an exchange of knowledge and expertise across Europe. It is for this reason I am thrilled to be able support and advance this common ground with the residents committee.
Dr. Polina Danchenko (Ukraine)
Interest: Heart failure, transplantation, mitral valve surgery, minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery
I am a cardiac surgery resident based in Kyiv, Ukraine undergoing training at the department of myocardial pathology, transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. Joining the EACTS Residents Committee this year as a member of non-EU country is extremely important for me since this is a perfect chance to expand high standards for education and training beyond European society. I truly believe that sharing our knowledge and experience around the world will allow to create a community where everyone will ‘speak the same language’ of professionalism and high-quality skills. My personal surgical interests involve heart failure, transplantation, minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery, which is a bit controversial up to date, however precipitously stealing the future.
Several members of the EACTS residents committee were invited to attend and present at the Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Society (TSCVS) in Antalya, Turkey (18-20th November 2022).
Alongside the Turkish residents we presented on the future of cardiac surgery training, the role of simulation in residency training, cardiovascular surgery training from a European perspective and shared our position paper on the basic principles of cardiothoracic surgery training. It was an excellent conference sharing the similarities and differences in training and reviewing how the residents committee can better represent residents in the region.
