Hani K. Najm MD MSc
The Chair of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, USA

Dr. Najm joined the Cleveland Clinic on January 1, 2016 as the chair of pediatric and congenital heart surgery. He spent the previous 17 years developing the premier Pediatric Heart Center at King Abdulaziz Medical Center in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Dr. Najm is considered an expert in his field of congenital heart surgery as he has personally performed more than 7000 surgical cases on newborns, children, and adults with the most complex heart disease. Dr. Najm came to the Cleveland Clinic with not only his clinical expertise in pediatric and congenital heart surgery, but also is the past president of the Saudi Heart Association, Editorial Board Member of a number of medical journals and Associate Professor of King Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Dr. Najm holds numerous memberships in national and international professional organizations. Dr. Najm is an international lecturer in the field of congenital heart surgery and a collaborator in multiple research projects including a multi-center databases as a valuable tool for evidence based practices in congenital heart disease. Dr Najm continues to serve as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Saudi Heart Association since 2008.

Marko Turina MD, MDhc
Professor of Surgery, emeritus and Dean emeritus, Medical Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Marko Turina is cardiovascular surgeon. He trained in Zurich and in United States (University of California in San Diego). His research interests cover surgery of congenital anomalies, valve and vascular surgery, and artificial heart and assist systems. He was the Chairman of the Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery at the University Hospital in Zurich, and Chairman of the Department of Surgery. He was the Editor-in-Chief of theEuropean Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, founder and Editor emeritus of the Multimedia Manual of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Editor-in-Chief of the CTSNet, associate editor of EHJ, and editorial board member of several major journals in the field of cardiology and cardiac surgery. He is one of the founding members of the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and acted as its President, 2001-2002.

Ahmed A Arifi MD, FRCS,FCSHK,FHKAM,FACC, MBA
Consultant in the Department of Cardiac Sciences & Director of Clinical Cardiac Research in King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Ahmed Arifi is a senior cardiovascular & transplant surgeon. He trained in Cambridge, UK (Papworth Hospital, Cambridge University). His research interests cover the inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass, minimally invasive valvular surgery, and off-pump coronary surgery. He also interested in the haemodynamic and echocardiographic outcomes of the mitral valve repair techniques and suture-less and transcatheter aortic valve implantation. He was the Professor of Surgery & Head of cardiac surgery section in the Department of Surgery at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is currently the Director of clinical surgical research and Director of Perfusion Services in the Department of Cardiac Sciences in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, KSA. He is on the editorial board member of several major journals in the field of cardiology and cardiac surgery. He is currently a member of the Saudi Council Scientific Committee for Cardiac Surgery.

Günter Breithardt MD, EFESC, FACC, FHRS, FEHRA, Professor emer.
Professor emeritus, Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital of Muenster, Muenster, Germany

Head of the Department of Cardiology and Angiology, and Director of Molecular Cardiology, Leibniz-Institute Arteriosclerosis Research until 2009. Co-founder of the Atrial Fibrillation Network (AFNET) and chairman of its Board 2003-15. President of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC, 1996-1998) and President of the German Cardiac Society (GCS, 1999-2001). Chairman of the Working Group on Arrhythmias of the ESC, and of the Special Collaborative Research Programme of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft SFB 556 “Heart Failure and Arrhythmias, from Molecular Basis to Clinical Management.” Member of international advisory committees and of research reviewing panels; actively involved in national and international clinical trials. Honorary member of the Polish, French and the Norwegian Cardiac Societies, Fellow of ESC, ACC, HRS, and EHRA. Visiting Professor of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and Art to the Netherlands Heart Institute. Recipient of the Edens-Award, University of Düsseldorf, the Arthur-Weber-Award of the GCS, the Carl-Ludwig Honorary Medal of the GCS, the Outstanding Achievement Award of the European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society, the Werner-Forßmann Prize for his life work, and the Gertrud-Spitz-Award of the German Heart Foundation and the GCS. As of 2017, chairman of the ESC Ethics Committee. In November 2019, appointment as Honorary Member of the Royal Catalan Academy of Medicine.