Cardiology & Heart Diseases

Eckhard U. Alt, MD, PhD, is Professor of Medicine at Technische Universität in Munich, Professor at Tulane University in New Orleans LA, is the Todd and Linda Broin Distinguished Professor and Chair at Sanford University SD and was Professor at the University of Texas - MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston TX. Dr Alt received his medical degree as Valedictorian from Heidelberg Medical School. After two years in cardiac surgery at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, he completed his education at Rechts der Isar Medical Center of the Technische Universität Munich in Internal Medicine/Cardiology and became one of the youngest professors there. He is a frequent reviewer and serves on the Editorial Boards of respected journals. From 2001 to 2007, he was President of the International Cardiac and Electrophysiology Society. Prof. Alt has organized major national and international congresses, authored more than 500 publications in peer reviewed journals, books and book chapters. His scientific publications have been cited by other scientists more than 14 000 times, his h factor is over 65. He is a highly sought after global lecturer. His innovative spirit is demonstrated by more than 700 world-wide patents he has been granted, primarily in the fields of Stem Cells, Electrophysiology, and Interventional Cardiology. He has introduced an impressive number of new therapies to clinical practice, including novel methods and devices such as Rate-adaptive Pacing, Defibrillators, Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation and Stem Cell Treatment. His contributions have substantially influenced the modern practice of medicine. Prof. Alt was elected among the leading 1,000 physicians in Germany, the magazine ‘Focus’ rated him among the “Best 12 Cardiologists in Germany”. He received the Hahn Research Award from the European Society of Thoracic Surgery and from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam the prestigous Andreas Gruentzig Ethica Award as Best Experimental Researcher. In 2009 he was named Entrepreneur of the Year in Munich and Health Care Hero and Innovator of the Year in Houston, TX. He is Chairman of the Board of the Isar Klinikum in Munich and of InGeneron Inc. in Houston TX. In addition to being a reknown physician, scientist, profilic researcher and inventor, Prof. Alt is deeply committed to charity in Germany, USA and Africa.

Cardiology, Stem Cells, Electrophysiology, and Interventional Cardiology

Sunny Po is a cardiac electrophysiologist and has his expertise in the effects of the autonomic nervous system on cardiac arrhythmias. He has discovered that simultaneous activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system plays a great role in triggering atrial fibrillation. He also pioneered the therapy of using low-level vagal stimulation, at the strength not slowing the sinus rate or atrio-ventricular conduction, to treat atrial fibrillation.

Determinants of catheter ablation failure, Arrhythmogenesis of pulmonary veins, Arrhythmia/heart rhythm disorders, Neural basis of cardiac arrhythmia

William J. Rowe M.D. is a board certified specialist in Internal Medicine. He received his M.D. at the University of Cincinnati and was in private practice in Toledo, Ohio for 34 years. He is a former Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Ohio, School of Medicine at Toledo. Of only 4 space syndromes, he has published 2: "The Apollo 15 Space Syndrome" and "Neil Armstrong Syndrome." He published Neil Armstrong's probable lunar acute heart failure. He has been listed in the Marquis Whos Who of the World from 2002-2009,2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.

Cell Biology, Human Biology, Phycology, Heart failure

Qiuping Zhang has her expertise in nesprin family research in cardiovascular biology field, specifically on understanding the complex roles of nesprin-1 and -2, family members of multi-isomeric scaffolding proteins, in regulating normal and pathological processes in the heart and muscle. She has extensive studies on the role of nesprins in myoblast differentiation and function as well as mutations in nesprin-1 or -2 in association with Emery Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Her current research is focusing on defining the roles of nesprins in cardiac cell function by determining the functional significance of novel nesprin-1 and -2 mutations on the linker of nucleoskeleton-and-cytoskeleton complex that connects the nuclear envelope to the actin cytoskeleton, and also identifying novel roles for nesprins in the sarcomere. This may reveal novel pathways that contribute to the development of cardiac cell dysfunction and cardiomyopathy.

Cardiovascular biology, cardiomyopathy, nesprin

Michael Mahmoodi's research interests are the role of DNA damage and repair mechanisms in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis as well as the potential for utilizing circulating micro-RNAs in elucidating the pathophysiology of isolated coronary calcification. He is currently the principle investigator of a study examining the expression of genes involved in the DNA damage and repair-signaling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with coronary artery disease and determining whether the expression of such genes can be correlated with plaque anatomy. He also the principle investigator of a study investigating the potential for a “micro-RNA-signature” in patients with isolated coronary artery calcification as measured by CT coronary angiography. microRNAs are isolated from PBMCs for microarray analysis to predict potential micro-RNA targets and to examine the molecular/signalling pathways that characterise the pathophysiology of isolated coronary artery calcification in humans.

Coronary Artery Disease, Interventional Cardiology

Nightingale Syabbalo is a Pulmonologist and Clinical Respiratory Physiologist by training, and obtained his postgraduate training at St. George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London, UK. He was trained by one of the international distinguished Respirologist of our times. Nightingale has worked as an academician, Consultant Physician, and a Clinical Researcher in several counties, including Canada, Kuwait, Oman, South Africa, and Zambia. He has published extensively in high impact medical journals, and is an Editorial Board member of thirty journals in Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine; and a reviewer of four journals in Thoracic Medicine, Respiratory Research, and Internal Medicine. Prof. Syabbalo’s current area of research focuses on the role of interleukins in the pathophysiology and treatment of severe asthma. He has also interest in the mechanisms of interleukins-1β and Janus kinases in the pathogenesis and treatment of pericardial syndromes.

Pulmonology, Physiology