Bio
Serafino Fazio was born in Naples on February 5, 1950, reaching scientific maturity in June 1968. He received a master's degree in Medicine and Surgery from the Federico II University of Naples, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, in 1974, specializing in Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He first worked as a university researcher and, subsequently, as an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Federico II University of Naples, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, from 1975 to 2012. He was well-liked by his students and collaborators, and over the years, he created a research group that collaborated well, obtaining excellent results and releasing numerous scientific publications. He carried out clinical activities in the cardiology department with an attached coronary unit from 1975 to 1997, then in the internal medicine department of the Federico II University Hospital from 1997 to 2012, and always stood out for his clinical intuition, his excellent relationship with patients, and his managerial skills. Now retired, over his career, he has authored over 185 articles published in prestigious journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, Circulation, International Journal of Cardiology, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, etc. He has been particularly interested in the interaction between hormones and the heart, the treatment of heart failure, metabolic syndrome, nutraceutical substances, and, recently, the pathophysiology and treatment of COVID-19. For over 10 years, he has been studying insulin resistance and the hyperinsulinemia associated with it, considering it a cardiovascular risk factor, still rather neglected. His H-index, according to Google Scholar, is 48. He has 9 works with over 500 citations. He has participated in and organized numerous medical conferences, with the latest occurring in February 2026, in Naples (Italy), entitled "Prevention and Longevity in Health”. He is an Editorial Board Member of Biomedicines.

Talk
Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

Bio
Professor Dimitris Tousoulis, M.D., Ph.D, is a clinical and basic researcher at the University of Athens, Greece. He completed his Ph.D. thesis at Imperial College (London) and another at Athens University. He is a Professor of Cardiology at the University of Athens Medical School, Director of the 1st Cardiology Unit at the University of Athens Medical School, and Vice Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He has served on the Editorial Board of different journals, such as the European Heart Journal (International Editorial Board) and Cardiovascular Research. His research focuses on endothelial function, inflammation, thrombosis, risk factor stratification, epidemiology, non-obstructive coronary artery disease, and coronary microcirculation. Professor Tousoulis has participated as an investigator in numerous clinical research projects and registries, examining the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease and mechanisms of endothelial function, diabetes mellitus, and heart failure. He is a globally recognized investigator in the area of endothelial function and he has been the lead country investigator in several international studies. His work has been published in prestigious international journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, JAMA Cardiology, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation, Cardiovascular Research, and the European Heart Journal. He has published almost 1500 papers in PubMed with an h-index of 110 and a Google Citation Score of 50,000. Professor Dimitris Tousoulis is a Past Chairperson of the ESC Working Group on Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation.

Talk
Chemotherapy-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction: The Fight Goes On

Bio
Ada Popolo is an Associate Professor in Pharmacology (BIO/14; 2020 to date) at the University of Salerno, Department of Pharmacy. She graduated in Pharmacy from Salerno University in 1999 and obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Pathology of Drug Action from the University of Salerno in 2004 with a dissertation titled "Study of rat carotid artery vascular reactivity following mechanical endothelial damage". The main fields of her scientific interest concern the study of the mechanisms involved in chemotherapeutic drug-induced cardiotoxicity, the identification of new therapeutic targets, and the study of new drugs. Her scientific production is confirmed by numerous participations in national and international conferences, 61 publications in qualified journals with a recognized impact factor, and 3 contributions in volumes.

Talk
Mechanistic Insights into Cancer Therapy-Associated Cardiotoxicity

Bio
Sivareddy Kotla is a faculty member in the Department of Cardiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, where his research focuses on vascular mechanobiology, endothelial dysfunction, and therapy-induced cardiovascular injury. His work integrates preclinical mouse models, molecular signaling, signal transduction, and multi-omics approaches to studying cardiac function and atherosclerosis. Dr. Kotla completed his Ph.D. in Biotechnology at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and postdoctoral training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, studying redox regulation and vascular inflammation. His research aims to uncover mechanistic insights into cardiovascular complications of cancer treatments to inform future therapeutic strategies.

Talk
Evidence-Based Heart Failure Management

Bio
Dr. Talal Almas has authored more than 145+ PubMed-indexed publications with over 1200 citations, placing his scholarly impact within the top 5% globally by H-index in his peer range. His research focuses on cardiovascular outcomes in heart failure therapeutics, device innovation for HFpEF, cardiovascular prevention, and cardiogenic shock/critical care. His work has been presented at major national conferences, including numerous posters and presentations at ACC, AHA, TCT, JSCAI. His long-term goal is to lead clinical trials and advance therapies in heart failure, cardiogenic shock and cardiovascular critical care.