Dr. Anja Osswald studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg until 2016. During her doctorate, she conducted research at the Houston Methodist Research Institute and learned the "Computational Fluid Dynamics" technology used in the field of aortic surgery. In 2022, she was accepted into the UMEA's 3-year Clinician Scientist program. In 2023, she received the "Young Surgeon Award" from the European Society for Cardiovascular and Endovascular Surgery (ESCVS). Her clinical training began in cardiac surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital. After 3 years, she moved to Essen University Medicine, where she completed her specialist training in cardiac surgery in April 2023. Since October 2023, she has been studying to obtain a "Master of Health Business Administration". Dr. Osswald works at the Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Essen University Hospital.
Dr. Konstantinos Tsagakis graduated in 1998 as a medical doctor at the University of Vienna, Austria. After his basic medical practice, he moved in 2001 to Germany as a resident in cardiac surgery at Heart Center North Rhein Westphalia in Bad Oeynhausen and since 2004 at West German Heart and Vascular Center of the University Hospital of Essen. In 2009 he performed the board exams for cardiac surgery and he continued as a staff surgeon in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Essen. His specialization focused on open and endovascular thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair and reconstructive aortic valve surgery. He habilitated as a private lecturer at the Medical University of Duisburg-Essen in 2018. Currently, he is the Section Head of Aortic Surgery in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University Hospital of Essen.
Prof. Dr. Matthias Thielmann is a Professor of Cardiac Surgery, and the Head of Coronary Surgery at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, West-German Heart and Vascular Center Essen, University Duisburg-Essen. He is Secretary General and Executive Committee Member of the European Society for Cardiovascular and Endovascular Surgery (ESCVS), and Secretary of the European Society for Cardiology (ESC) Working Group Nucleus for Cardiovascular Surgery. He is a member of the National Guideline Committee for chronic CAD and a member of the EACTS Guideline Committee. He is also a member of the Essen Ethics Commission of the Faculty of Medicine, University Duisburg-Essen. His clinical interests include acute coronary syndromes, cardiac biomarker research, ischemia/reperfusion injury research, cardio-protection, coronary artery bypass grafting, minimally invasive valve surgery, aortic valve surgery, mitral and tricuspid valve repair, transcatheter and endovascular techniques, outcome research, and beating heart surgery.
Dr. Alan B. Lumsden's academic career began in 1989 at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where he completed his postdoctoral training and served as a Collaborative Scientist in the Division of Pathobiology and Immunology at the renowned Yerkes Primate Center. He remained at Emory for several years, rising to the rank of Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery. In 2002, Dr. Lumsden joined the faculty at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas as Professor and Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. He assumed his current position at Houston Methodist in 2008. Dr. Lumsden has developed an international reputation as a leader in the field of endovascular surgery. He has clinical and research expertise in stent graft treatment of thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms, stenting and endarterectomy in carotid arterial disease, renovascular hypertension, aortoiliac occlusive disease, mesenteric vascular and minimally invasive therapy in venous disease. Dr. Lumsden also conducts FDA-mandated training for surgeons nationwide in a carotid stenting simulator housed at the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center. His research interests include developing novel minimally invasive methods of therapy and preventing restenosis.
Dr. Christof Karmonik is a Research Professor of Radiology, at the Translational Imaging Centre, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA. He graduated in Physics from the University of the Saarland, where obtained his PhD in Physical Chemistry. After completing his postdoctoral training in 2000, Dr. Karmonik joined the faculty at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, as an Instructor in the Department of Medicine. He became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology there in 2002. In addition to his academic appointments, Dr. Karmonik was also a senior software engineer for the Schlumberger Companies. He joined Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute in 2005. Dr. Karmonik’s research focuses on enhancing information in medical images by optimized acquisition techniques and advanced post-processing algorithms.
