Round the Catheter Lab Table

Prof. Eric Van Belle is Professor of Interventional Cardiology at the University of Lille and Head of Catheterization laboratories, Cardiology Department at the University Hospital of Lille.
He is a fellow of the French Society of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology and
the American College of Cardiology. A member of the European Association of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (EAPCI) and a member of the director bureau of the French Working Group of Interventional Cardiology (GACI), he is the Director of the French Interventional Cardiology Training Program, and reviewer of multiple Medical Journals and Abstracts. His research interests include basics and clinical aspects of the outcome of high risk population such as diabetics and post-MI patients following percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI),
the use of biomarkers for risk prediction and therapeutic strati cation at the time of PCI, the role of angiogenesis and collateral circulation for endogenous cardiovascular repair and the use of gene therapy and stem cell therapy for regenerating cardiovascular function including myocardial and valve function. More recently it included also the optimization of transcatheter aortic valve intervention (TAVI), in particular the use of ore-procedural imaging and the understanding of the role post-procedural aortic regurgitation.

Prof Javier Escaned is Head of Section (Interventional Cardiology Section) at Hospital Clinico San Carlos / Complutense University (Madrid, Spain). He trained in the United Kingdom as Specialist in Cardiology and obtained his PhD in The Netherlands. Author of >700 indexed scientific articles on interventional cardiology, imaging and physiology (h-index 100) and over 30 years of experience as PCI operator, he regularly lectures and performs live cases at major scientific and educational meetings. He is a recipient of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Silver Medal and the Andreas Grüntzig Award for his contributions to the fiedl fo Interventional Cardiology. Main areas of expertise include complex PCI, intracoronary diagnostics and functional coronary angiography. His track record in coronary physiology comprises being investigator on pioneer FFR trials like DEFER (1998), collaborator with Justin Davies in the validation and clinical implementation of iFR, and developer of new tools for the assessment of coronary microcirculation. Editorial roles include Deputy Editor EHJ, Advisory Editor Eurointervention, editor of the textbooks “Coronary Stenosis: Imaging, Structure and Physiology” and “Physiological Assessment of Coronary Stenoses and the Microcirculation". Recent board positions include EAPCI board / Education Committee Chair, ESC WG Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation, EuroCTO Board. Recent trials as Principal Investigator include ADVISE II, DEFINE FLAIR, SYNTAX II, PIONEER IV, Cerebral-Coronary-Connection (C3), DCR4Contrast, INOCA LongCovid and AID ANGIO. Additional interests are philosophy and music.

Dr Justin Davies is a board member of Monaco Cardio at the Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco, and an interventional cardiologist with over 15 years of experience as a leading educator in the field. His clinical and academic career was established at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, where he built an international reputation for innovation in cardiovascular medicine. Over the course of his career, he has successfully mentored 15 PhD students, published more than 500 peer-reviewed papers — including landmark studies in the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet — and holds 20 patents in cardiovascular medicine and technology. He was the co-principal investigator of the DEFINE-FLAIR study, which helped establish iFR (Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio), a diagnostic technique he invented, as a globally adopted standard in coronary physiology. His work reflects a unique blend of scientific innovation, academic leadership, and clinical excellence. In addition to his research and academic commitments, Justin is CEO of Cerebria AI, where he leads the development of next-generation AI-powered cardiovascular imaging and physiology tools. Under his leadership, Cerebria AI is advancing cutting-edge solutions that integrate artificial intelligence with frontline cardiology to enhance clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. Combining deep clinical expertise with entrepreneurial vision, he continues to guide international ventures through funding, regulatory pathways, and commercialization, while remaining committed to transforming cardiovascular care on a global scale.

Dr Nieves Gonzalo is Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at the Interventional Cardiology Department at Clinico San Carlos University Hospital in Madrid. She obtained her Specialist Certification in Cardiology after training at Clinico San Carlos University Hospital in Madrid. Subsequently, she underwent a research fellowship at Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Rotterdam (The Netherlands) under the supervision of Professor Patrick Serruys, focused mainly in intracoronary imaging and bioabsorbable stents. In 2010 she obtained her PhD with the thesis “Optical coherence tomography for the assessment of coronary atherosclerosis and vessel response after stent implantation”. Her track record includes over 170 articles indexed in PubMed, as well as book chapters in Interventional Cardiology textbooks. Recent research projects as principal investigator includes a study about the assessment of neoatherosclerosis and its clinical impact in patients with restenosis (RIBS IV and V OCT substudy) and research regarding vessel injury and healing evaluation with different stent platforms evaluated with OCT (VISTA study). Dr Gonzalo is a dedicated educationalist with involvement in many areas of complex PCI, serving currently as Deputy Editor for Eurointervention and Committee Member of EuroPCR.

A consultant/attending. Features in 94 videos on Wondr Medical. SAYAN SEN generally speaks on Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR), Live Cases, Instantaneous wave-Free Ratio (iFR), Renal Denervation (RDN), and Catheter laboratory skills.

Dr Waldemar Bojara is Head of the Department of Clinical and Interventional Cardiology at the Gemeinschaftsklinikum Mittelrhein, Kemperhof. He has led the developement of the department of interventional cardiology at the Gemeinschaftsklinikum Mittelrhein, Kemperhof. Dr. Bojara completed his medical education at Bergmannsheil Bochum, University Hospital in Germany. He continued his training in internal medicine and than interventional cardiology at the same institution, was responsible for the cathlabs and established the coronary physiology program as well as the TAVI program. He has a strong interest in coronary physiology since more than 25 years, in particular coronary pressure measurements, flow measurements, intracoronary ultrasound and interventional cardiology including the use of left ventricular assist devices (Impella pump and synchronized extracorporal mechanical circulatory support) for protected PCI- and cardiogenic shock patients.