Prof Nicolas Maria Van Mieghem is an Interventional cardiologist at Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL decided to pursue a career that would help others. “I enjoy the feeling of being able to help someone or do something important for them". His father was a general cardiologist and one of his biggest influences early in his career.

Prof Van Mieghem initially intended to train as a cardiac surgeon but decided to specialise in interventional cardiology instead, following advice from a mentor. This decision was cemented when he read the first-in-human case report of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in Circulation by Alain Cribier in 2002. Prof Van Mieghem believes that great cardiologist genuinely cares for their patients. He names Gary Roubin, Dr Manu Malbrain and Professor Patrick Serruys among his mentors. 

His current research focuses on cerebral embolic protection during TAVI and the search for improved…

Dr Joost Daemen, MD, PhD is a senior interventional cardiologist at the Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL. Dr Daemen obtained his degree in medicine at the Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam in 2005 and did 2 years of internal medicine training and 4 years of general cardiology training at the Thoraxcenter, Rotterdam. 

Dr Daemen is actively involved in several drug-eluting stent trials and is Principal Investigator of four trials focusing on the safety and efficacy of renal sympathetic denervation in hypertension, heart failure, vasospastic angina and heart failure. Dr Daemen is a member of the editorial board of EuroIntervention and the Netherlands Heart Journal, member of Young ICIN, and has completed courses in biomedical statistics and device training.