Bio
Dr. Qin Fu is a Research Scientist in the Department of Biotechnology at Cornell University. Her expertise is applying multi-omics approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying various diseases including Cardiovascular Disease, dementia and cancer, with the goal of informing clinical trials and advancing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Bio
Mitra Esfandiarei, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Midwestern University and a Research Professor in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona. She is also an Affiliated Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, & Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia. Her research centers on cardiovascular pathophysiology, with a particular focus on vascular biology and the molecular mechanisms underlying aortic aneurysm development and progression. Dr. Esfandiarei’s work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, The Marfan Foundation, and other agencies. Her research program integrates experimental models, vascular imaging, and mechanistic studies to identify therapeutic targets and improve prevention strategies for genetic and acquired vascular diseases. An active mentor and academic leader, she has served as President of the Arizona Physiological Society and Program Coordinator for the Master of Biomedical Sciences Program at Midwestern University. She also contributes to the scientific community as an editorial board member for Nature Communications Biology, Scientific Reports, and Frontiers in Physiology, among others. Her work has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, invited lectures, and collaborations aimed at advancing understanding of vascular function, endothelial signaling, and sex-dependent mechanisms in cardiovascular disease.

Bio
Dr Elena Galli is a cardiologist and university professor specializing in cardiovascular imaging, heart failure and valvular diseases. Born in Italy, she earned her medical degree and cardiology specialization at the University of Pisa (Italy) before completing a PhD in biomedical research at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy). She later obtained her National Scientific Habilitation (HDR) at the University of Rennes (France). After early clinical and research roles in Italy, she joined the University Hospital of Rennes (France) 2013, where she worked as cardiologist and led the cardio‑oncology unit. In 2024, she was appointed Full professor of Cardiology at the University Hospital of Strasbourg (France), where she currently heads the unit for non‑invasive cardiological functional explorations and co‑leads the heart failure and cardiomyopathy unit. Her research focuses on advanced cardiac imaging, machine learning, robotics‑assisted echocardiography, and translational cardiomyopathy studies. She has secured major competitive funding—including the PHRC‑N ROTAS project—and authored over 100 peer‑reviewed publications. She is also actively involved in European and French cardiology societies, serving in leadership roles within the EACVI and SFC.

Bio
Dr Wassilew is a Cardiothoracic Histopathologist with extensive experience in busy specialised university hospital environments globally, facilitating delivery of diagnostic histopathology, cytopathology and autopsy services Previous appointments include an Associate Professor position at one of the largest faculties for health and medical sciences in Europe. Played key role setting-up study designs while contributing to grant applications for multiple projects. Called upon experience in working with forensic pathology in cases of sudden deaths. Accustomed to working with rat, hamster, sheep, porcine and ostrich models. Extensive experience in under- and postgraduate teaching, educational content creation and medical event organisation. Published author and Associate and guest editor for Cardiothoracic topics in peer-review journals.