The role of fibrosis in assessing the RV in patients undergoing
LVAD therapy – Michalis Bonios
Myocardial Recovery: What Have We Learned and Future Directions – Stavros Drakos
Advances in Heart transplantation – Ioannis Dimarakis
Gene Therapy and Stem Cells in Heart Failure – TBA
Dr Polychronis Antonitsis graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine in 1998. He completed his postgraduate studies (MSc in Medical Research Technology – 2002) and Doctorate Degree (PhD – 2007) at the same School. He performed his Specialty Training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Cardiothoracic Department, AHEPA University Hospital and at John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford. He is a Board-Certified Cardiothoracic Surgeon since 2011. He was appointed Lecturer in Cardiac Surgery at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine in 2012 and since 2020 he holds the position of Associate Professor. His main research interest focuses on stem cell research and minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation, where he holds the position of the Secretary of the Minimal Invasive Extracorporeal Technologies International Society. He is the co-editor of 6 books and 18 book chapters. He is the author of 90 peer-reviewed articles published in journals indexed in PubMed/Medline with over 2,000 citations (h-index:22).
John Dimarakis is Surgical Director of Cardiac Transplantation at the University of Washington, having joined the faculty in 2023. Prior to this appointment, he served as Consultant Cardiac and Cardiothoracic Transplant Surgeon at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, United Kingdom, where he also held leadership roles as Deputy Director of Cardiac Surgery and Surgical Director of Cardiothoracic Transplantation.
Dr. Dimarakis completed his surgical training at several leading institutions, including Wythenshawe Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, and the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. His clinical expertise encompasses the full spectrum of adult cardiac surgery, cardiothoracic transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and surgical innovation. His particular areas of interest include aortic surgery, redo cardiac surgery, donation after circulatory death (DCD) heart transplantation, and durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation.
His research program integrates both basic science and large-scale surgical outcomes research. Building on his doctoral work at Imperial College London, where he investigated stem cell–based regenerative therapies for ischemic heart disease, Dr. Dimarakis continues to focus on regenerative medicine in cardiac disease. His active research projects include the management of highly sensitized transplant recipients and the development of advanced organ preservation strategies to optimize graft function and expand donor utilization. He is also deeply committed to surgical education and training.
Dr. Dimarakis has edited multiple textbooks on stem cell therapy, authored numerous book chapters, and published more than 75 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He has delivered extensive national and international presentations and serves as an editorial board member, associate editor, and peer reviewer for several leading journals in his field.
Theodoros D. Karamitsos is Professor of Cardiology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, currently based at Hippokration Hospital (01/2014-04/2026 AHEPA Hospital). Previously, he served at the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine University of Oxford, UK (2006–2013), where he held the positions of Consultant Cardiologist and University Research Lecturer.
Dr. Karamitsos graduated from the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and completed his cardiology training at AHEPA Hospital in 2005. In 2006, he joined the Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), where he obtained Level III accreditation in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) from both the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI).
Over the past 15 years, his clinical and research work has focused on the development and clinical application of CMR, particularly in the fields of myocardial viability, stress perfusion and oxygenation imaging, tissue characterization, and cardiomyopathy imaging. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific publications and 20 book chapters, primarily in the area of cardiovascular imaging. His broader clinical interests include non-invasive cardiology and heart failure management. He currently leads the Heart Failure Outpatient Clinic at AHEPA University Hospital.
Dr. Karamitsos has a longstanding commitment to undergraduate & postgraduate education and professional training. He was a founding member of the European CMR Exam Board (2011–2018) and served as President of the Working Group on Cardiovascular Imaging Techniques of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology (2016–2018).
April Stempien-Otero, MD is Professor of Medicine, Adjunct Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and the Medical Director for Cardiac Transplantation at the University of Washington. She holds the Craig Tall Family Chair for Heart Failure Research. Her research focusses on the cellular and biomechanical cross-talk that leads to cardiac fibrosis. Using mouse models and tissue from diseased human hearts her lab has linked ventricular wall stress with activation of pro-fibrotic pathways that can be reversed with mechanical unloading. Current studies focus on the role of membrane receptors in transducing matrix signals and the interaction of the innate immune system with these stress signals.