Biophysics of Cryoballoon Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation

Dr Jason Andrade is a Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Vancouver General Hospital in Canada, with joint appointment at St Paul’s Hospital and the Montreal Heart Institute. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and an Adjunct Professor at the Université de Montréal. Dr. Andrade is the Director of the Electrophysiology Program at VGH, as well as Head of the Atrial Fibrillation Clinic at VGH. He also serves as co-chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines committee, and serves as the medical lead for the atrial fibrillation care in the province of British Columbia. He previously served as chair of the education committee for the Canadian Heart Rhythm society.

Dr. Andrade is the principal investigator of two ongoing multicenter clinical trials on cryoablation (the CIRCA-DOSE study and the EARLY-AF program). He has authored or co-authored over 120 scientific publications, predominantly in the domain of atrial fibrillation. He is also the author of a handbook of cardiac electrophysiology, a handbook of electrocardiogram interpretation, and several chapters related to atrial fibrillation ablation and cardiac cryoablation.

Dr. Andrade is a graduate of McMaster University (BSc; Summa Cum Laude) and the University of Ottawa (MD, Magna Cum Laude). He completed his Internal Medicine residency and Cardiology fellowship training at the University of British Columbia and a clinical and research fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Montreal Heart Institute.

Prof Tilz is the deputy director of the Medical Center II of the University Hospital in Lübeck and professor of the invasive electrophysiology at the University Lübeck. He is committed to training in the field of “Invasive electrophysiology and cardiac rhythm implants”. Prof. Tilz has been trained at the Addenbrooks Hospital in Cambridge (UK), Bedford Hospital (UK), Klinikum Bayreuth with Prof. M. Höher and at the Asklepios Klinik St. Georg in Hamburg with Prof. KH Kuck.

Prof. Tilz is an established researcher and author, and has published and co-authored over 215 scientific publications, predominantly in the domain of atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia ablation. Prof. Tilz is a Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society, European Heart Rhythm Association, the European Society of Cardiology and is member of the Arrhythmia Working Group at the German Cardiac Society.

Prof Schilling has been a consultant cardiologist at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London NHS trust since 2001. He was appointed as chair in cardiology and electrophysiology in 2009. His current practice involves all aspects of electrophysiology and management of cardiac arrhythmia including catheter ablation, implantation of pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy for heart failure patients.

Prof Schilling was part of the team that lead the merger of the Heart and Barts hospitals which is one of the largest heart centers in Europe. He is the Strategy Director for Barts Hospital, the Medical Director for the Arrhythmia Alliance and President-Elect for the British Heart Rhythm Society.