Speakers

Ricardo Budde is a Full professor of Cardiovascular Radiology at Erasmus MC Rotterdam and heads the PCCT group. His research interests include advanced non-invasive imaging in ischemic heart disease and endocarditis and has a focus on PCCT in particular. He has (co-) authored over 290 peer reviewed publications. He is a member of the Executive Boards of the European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology, the Cardiovascular Institute at Erasmus MC, and the Cardiovascular Section of the Dutch Society of Radiology. He has given >150 invited lectures at international meetings and is course-director of the annual Hands-on Cardiac CT course at Erasmus MC.

Edwin Oei is Professor of Musculoskeletal Imaging at Erasmus MC Rotterdam. He is the section chief of musculoskeletal radiology and the principal investigator of the Advanced Musculoskeletal Imaging Research Erasmus MC (ADMIRE) lab. His research focuses on imaging of common musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, sports injuries and trauma, with advanced techniques such as PCCT.

Marcel Dijkshoorn is a specialized CT radiographer with >20 years experience. He has a vast knowledge about the technical and practical aspects of CT acquisition in general and cardiac CT in particular. In Erasmus MC, Marcel is a key person in CT acquisition protocol development. Over the years, he has trained many CT technicians both nationally and internationally.

Marcel van Straten studied Applied Physics at Delft University of Technology. His PhD project at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam focused on the application of image registration techniques in spiral CT. After that he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Medical Physics of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. He worked on the optimization and dosimetric aspects of CT. In 2008 he joined the Department of Radiology of Erasmus MC. As a medical physicist and assistant professor, he focuses on the standardization and optimization of image quality in x-ray computed tomography based on the laws of physics and driven by technological innovations.

Sara graduated cum laude from the Medical School of the University of Genova in 2010 and completed her residency in Radiology at the University of Genova in 2016. Due to her strong interest in Cardiovascular Radiology she spent the last year of her residency as clinical and research fellow at the Radiology Department of the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam. After the end of her residency she returned to the Erasmus Medical Center for a one-year Fellowship in Cardiovascular Imaging of the European School of Radiology (ESOR) and to complete her PhD.

Sara worked as radiologist at the University Hospital of Lyon in France (Hospices Civils de Lyon) with specialization in Cardiovascular as well as Thoracic Imaging where she was involved in several research projects including the development of cardiovascular applications of Spectral Imaging, on Dual Energy CT and Photon Counting CT. In 2025 she joined the Centre Hospitalo Universitaire in Rouen France.

Alina van de Burgt started as a technical physician at Alrijne Hospital in Leiden in 2019. From 2021 to 2023, she completed a clinical fellowship in cardiac imaging at Alrijne Hospital and Leiden University Medical Center, focusing on cardiac scan reporting and workflow optimization, while undertaking a PhD in quantitative nuclear imaging. In February 2024, she joined the Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Department at Erasmus MC. Currently, she focuses on the clinical implementation of novel imaging techniques, including photon-counting CT, as well as research, education, and protocol optimization.

Pier Luigi Ciet is a pediatric radiologist and associate professor at Erasmus MC. He serves as Co-Chair of the Cardiothoracic Taskforce of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology. His research focusses on chest imaging in children using advances imaging techniques including photon counting CT. He is as an editor for Pediatric Radiology and PLOS ONE.

Dr. Renske Gahrmann is a neuro- and head and neck radiologist at Erasmus MC Rotterdam, with additional certification in PET imaging. Her research focuses on advanced imaging technologies, particularly photon-counting CT (PCCT) and PET-MRI for pre-operative neurosurgical planning and head and neck cancer. She is involved in developing and optimizing quantitative imaging protocols and image analysis methods to improve diagnostic accuracy, treatment evaluation, and precision medicine. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, she aims to translate imaging innovations into clinical practice and patient benefit.

Eva de Graaf is a neurointerventional radiologist at Erasmus MC Rotterdam. Her work focuses on neurovascular disease, endovascular therapies, and advanced imaging techniques. She has a special interest in cerebrospinal fluid leak disorders and spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

Dr. Ione Limantoro is a pediatric radiologist at the University Hospital of Leuven in Belgium. She completed her training in Maastricht (the Netherlands), followed by a fellowship in pediatric radiology at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Today, alongside her clinical practice in Leuven, she is involved in CT protocol optimization, including photon counting CT. She is also passionate about pediatric abdominal/bowel ultrasound and radioprotection.

Aad van der Lugt leads the Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine at Erasmus MC. His research interests focus on diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disease and acute stroke in particular. He was co-founder and director of the Erasmus MC Stroke Centrum and principal investigator of the Mr. Clean study. Before he was appointed head of the department in 2022, he led the PCCT team at Erasmus MC.

Dr. Karim D. Mahmoud is an EAPCI and board-certified interventional cardiologist at the Erasmus MC Thorax Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He obtained his MD at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Netherlands, followed by a PhD on diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes at the UMCG and the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota, USA). He was appointed as a consultant interventional cardiologist at Erasmus MC after completing his residencies there. His current research focuses on the intersection between coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and interventional cardiology.

A recognized leader in the development and evaluation of new CT technology and dose reduction methods, Cynthia H. McCollough, PhD, is the Brooks-Hollern Professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she holds the rank of professor in both medical physics and biomedical engineering. Dr. McCollough is a fellow of the American College of Radiology, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She has over 500 peer-reviewed papers and multiple NIH grants related to CT imaging. She has served as the president of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and is a vice-president of the International Society of Computed Tomography. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees in medical physics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison after graduating in physics from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. The first whole-body, high-flux photon counting CT (PCCT) was installed in her lab in 2014 and she has played a key role in the development of PCCT since then.

Dr. Koen Nieman is a Professor of Medicine and of Radiology at Stanford University and serves as the Section Chief of Cardiac Imaging within the division of Cardiovascular Medicine. After completing his MD, PhD and cardiology training in the Netherlands, he joined the faculty at Erasmus MC and served as scientific director of advanced cardiac imaging, cardiac CT core laboratory director, and medical co-director of the intensive cardiac care unit. Dr. Nieman led several international imaging studies and randomized controlled trials on the role of cardiac CT in patients with stable angina and acute chest pain. After joining Stanford in 2016, he continued his research on the development, validation and clinical implementation of advanced imaging techniques, with current interests in myocardial perfusion imaging, CT-FFR and computer-augmented image interpretations.

Francesco Ria, DABR, is a board-certified medical physicist and Senior Associate Consultant in the Department of Radiology at Mayo Clinic. His research focuses on the quantitative assessment of CT performance, integrating radiation dose, image quality, diagnostic value, and patient-specific risk-to-benefit analyses, with particular interest in advanced technologies such as photon-counting CT. He serves on multiple AAPM task groups related to CT dosimetry and quality assurance and is actively involved in developing comprehensive approaches for the evaluation and optimization of medical imaging procedures.

As a medical physicist in the Department of Radiology at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Arnold Schilham’s expertise lies in all aspects of CT technology. He has been involved in the clinical adoption of CT innovations for the last 15 years. His current research is dedicated to exploring the clinical utility of spectral CT. Prior to his work in medical physics, he gained experience as a post-doctoral researcher, focusing on clinical image analysis with an emphasis on the early detection of lung cancer.

Prof. Sechopoulos is the chair of the AXTI lab of the Department of Medical Imaging of the Radboud University Medical Center, part-time Professor at the M3i Group at the University of Twente, and Scientific Advisor of the Dutch Expert Center for Screening (LRCB). His main area of research is the development of advanced x-ray-based imaging techniques, especially for breast cancer detection, diagnosis, and therapy response monitoring, and on body CT, especially for the development and optimization of functional imaging.

Lion Stammen is a specialized CT radiographer, and completed a master’s degree in Epidemiology. In 2023, she began her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Bibi Martens, Dr. Cecile R.L.P.N. Jeukens and Prof. Dr. Joachim E. Wildberger. She combines her PhD research with ongoing clinical practice, allowing her to integrate practical experience with academic insights. Her research concentrates on contrast media optimization in CT, mostly focusing on photon-counting CT.

Reto Sutter is Professor and Chief of Radiology at Balgrist University Hospital and Chair of Musculoskeletal Radiology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. His clinical and research interests include joint and spine imaging, sports and postoperative imaging, advanced imaging techniques such as photon-counting CT, and minimally invasive image-guided pain therapy. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, edited several textbooks, founded the PhD program Imaging Sciences in Medicine, and serves as Medical Lead of the Swiss Center for Musculoskeletal Imaging at Balgrist Campus. Prof. Sutter is Associate Editor of Radiology and serves on the editorial boards of several leading musculoskeletal imaging journals. He is an active member of the International Skeletal Society (ISS) and course director of the International Diagnostic Course Davos (IDKD).

Erik Tesselaar is an associate professor at the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Sweden, and works clinically as a medical physicist with over two decades of experience in diagnostic imaging, dose image quality optimization and quality assurance.

Erik’s research on advanced computed tomography involves several areas, including muskuloskeletal imaging, cardiac imaging, as well as the development and implementation of innovative quality control protocols to enhance imaging accuracy and clinical reliability.

Nikkole Weber, R.T.(R)(M)(CT)(ARRT), CSCCT, is a Lead CT Technologist in the Clinical Innovation Center at Mayo Clinic, where she collaborates with physicians and medical physicists to advance clinical innovation, protocol development, and imaging quality improvement. With nearly 30 years of experience in computed tomography, she supports research initiatives, evaluates emerging technologies, and helps implement best practices that optimize workflow and patient outcomes. Ms. Weber is dedicated to technologist education and empowering imaging professionals to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care. She serves on the Board of Directors and several committees of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT).

Jonathan is a Senior Lecturer at King’s College London and an Honorary Consultant Cardiothoracic Radiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital. He is the President-Elect of the British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging, and has authored >180 peer reviewed publications, including guidelines on the use of CT in TAVI planning, and the use of CT-FFR. He sits on the executive committee of the BSCI, guideline committee of the SCCT, the scientific committee of the ESCR, and Diagnostic Advisory Committee of NICE.

Ricardo Budde
Edwin Oei
Marcel Dijkshoorn
Marcel van Straten
Thom van der Laan
Maaike van der Woude