Dr. Tintoiu is a professor of cardiology and faculty of medicine at the Army’s Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in Bucharest Romania. He is a corresponding member of the Academy of Medical Sciences which has a special contribution to the development of interventional cardiology. He is a frequently requested international lecturer, visiting professor and guest surgeon. John A. Elefteriades is the William W.L. Glenn Professor of Surgery at Yale University and theEmeritus Director of the Aortic Institute at Yale New Haven Hospital. He is a past president of theConnecticut Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the national Boardof Governors of the College. Dr. Elefteriades is also the past president of the International College of Angiology. He serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Cardiology, the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, and the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and he is the editor-in-chief of the journal AORTA. He has been a member of the Thoracic Surgery Director’s Association and has been named consistently in The Best Doctors in America. He is a frequently requested international lecturer, visiting professor, and guest surgeon. He has received the Walter Bleifeld Memorial Award for Distinguished Contribution in Clinical Research in Cardiology and the John B. Chang Research Achievement Award. In 2005, he was selected to lecture at the Leadership in Biomedicine Series at the Yale University School of Medicine. In 2006, he received the Socrates Award from the Thoracic Residents Association, the Thoracic Surgery Directors’ Association, and the Societyof Thoracic Surgeons, recognizing exceptional achievement in teaching and mentoring residents. In 2017, Dr. Elefteriades was awarded an honorary PhD from the University of Liege (Belgium) in recognition of his work in the diagnosis and treatment of aortic diseases. In 2020, Dr. Elefteriades was recognized by Expertscape as the top aortic specialist in the world. Associate Professor Dr. Adrian Ursulescu is an alumnus of the Medical University of Timişoara/Romania, and since 1991 he has specialized in cardiac surgery in Germany, where he has spent his entire professional life. He is since 2015 Associate Professor at the Medical University in Timisoara/Roamnia. Associate Professor Dr. Adrian Ursulescu has a prestigious clinical activity, with over 6,000 open-heart and minimally invasive surgeries, and more than 1,700 other cardiovascular and thoracic surgeries. Since 1998 he became member of the german society for thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. He is also guest surgeon, international lecturer and visiting professor. Professor Malcolm John Underwood’s scientific contributions led to him being awarded The Ronald Edwards Medal by the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland in 1993; and The Cardiac Research Club Prize for 1992 and 1993. In 1997, he was awarded several other prizes, most prestigious, the Francis Fontan Prize from the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons for an International Clinical Fellowship in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Luc Hospital Brussels along with a Research Fellowship from the University of Louvain (Brussels), and a travelling scholarship from the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. He has been a Consultant in Cardiothoracic Surgery for over 15 years and was appointed as Senior Lecturer/Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Bristol Heart Institute in 1999 and subsequently NHS Consultant in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary from 2002. In 2012 he was awarded the Distinguished Surgeon Award from the College of Surgeons of Singapore to reflect his contribution to advancement of surgery and in 2014 was awarded the International Gold Medal by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In addition, Professor Underwood is Chairman of Specialty Group in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hong Kong, Chairman of the Cardiothoracic Board, the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong and is Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His clinical interests are centered on aortic surgery, valvular surgery, valve repair, in addition to clinical audit and training. Col. Dr. Droc is the Medical Director at that the Army’s Clinic Center for Cardiovascular Disease in Bucharest, Romania. His research interests include cardiac valves cryopreservation, cryopreserved vascular tissues transplantation, cells cryopreservation, tissue engineering, endovascular treatment of abdominal aorta aneurysms, biomaterials for vascular grafts. He has produced over 50 scientific articles in these areas. He served as a member of the Organizing and Scientific Committees of Cardiovascular Surgery Congress from 2003-2011. He is a member of the Romanian Society of Cardiovascular Surgery (SRCCV) serving as Deputy General Secretary, Member in the Steering Council. He is also a member of the Romanian Society of Cardiology, Romanian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, European Society Cardiovascular Surgery(ESCVS) and Elected Associated Member of the Societe de Chirurgie Vasculaire de Langue Francaise (SCV).
