Overview

Dr Simon Meagher is consultant sonologist at the Perinatal department, Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne. He also serves as Medical Director of Monash Ultrasound for Women where he oversees a team of 50 sonologists, sonographers, genetic counsellors, phlebotomists and administrative staff in delivering a tertiary level ultrasound service across south east Melbourne. Dr Meagher has dedicated 30  years of his term as Medical Director, teaching and lecturing in obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound both locally and overseas. He has delivered over 800 lectures, across 17 countries, and 43 cities worldwide. In 2015, he was awarded ‘Sonologist of The Year’ by the Australian society of Ultrasound in medicine (ASUM) in recognition  of his teaching skills and his commitment to  hands on training within the hospital setting at the Mercy Hospital for Women and for  his commitment and contributions to ASUM.

His interest in clinical research has focussed on early pregnancy screening and diagnosis he has published over 100  articles in peer review journals, including 15 articles  in the last 3 years focusing on first trimester  pregnancy screening and diagnosis. Dr Meagher has described five original sonographic fetal markers during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. He is now focusing his interest on aneuploidy and embryo development from  seven to 10 weeks as we approach the dawn of a new era of genetic screening via free fetal DNA analysis.  

Dr Meagher has taken on multiple leadership positions - early in his career as the Chair of the Standards of Practice Committee at ASUM, examiner and executive board member for the ASUM Diploma of diagnostic ultrasound and later as council member of ASUM. Thereafter he served as Chairman of the Victoria Obstetric Sonologists group and on several  ISUOG Sub-Committees  at the  International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetric and Gynaecological Ultrasound.

Country: Australia

Field: Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Specialties: Prenatal Diagnosis. First and Second Trimester Fetal anomaly screening. Aneuploidy screening and diagnosis. NIPT and prenatal Exome sequencing. Maternal and Fetal Doppler Ultrasound. Invasive Prenatal Procedures.  Ultrasound and Infertility. Tubal Patency Testing. 

Languages: English

Prof. dr. C.M. (Katia) Bilardo is Professor of Fetal Medicine at UMCG in the Netherlands and is an expert on ultrasound and invasive prenatal diagnosis. 

Caterina (Katia) M. Bilardo was born in Savigliano (Piedmont), Italy. After completing
cum laude in 1983 the Medical studies and the Specialization in Obstetrics and
Gynaecology at the University of Turin, she trained as Fellow in Prenatal Diagnosis and
Fetal Medicine (1985- 1989) at King’s College Hospital, London, where she worked
under the supervision of Prof. S. Campbell and Prof. K. N. Nicolaides.

Since 1989 she has relocated to the Netherlands where she has worked as Consultant
and Head of the Prenatal Diagnosis Department at the Academic Medical Center
Amsterdam (1992-2010). From 2010 to 2017 she has worked as Head of the Fetal
Medicine Department at the University Medical Center Groningen where, in 2011, she
has been appointed Professor in Fetal Medicine. Since October 2017 she has moved
with the same position to the Amsterdam UMC, location VU Medical Center in
Amsterdam, where she has also been appointed as Professor in Obstetrics, Gynecology
and Fetal Medicine. In the Netherlands she has been President of the Dutch Working
Party for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and is currently member of the
Committee Prenatal Screening of the National Health Council.

Since 2007 she is in the Editorial Board of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Since 2009 she is Board member of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics
and Gynecology (ISUOG). Between 2013-2017 she was Chair of the Education
Committee within ISUOG. And in 2018-2020 she has been President of the same
Society.

She has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and supervised numerous PhD students.
In 2021 she was bestowed the Stuart Campbell award for Education.

Research Areas
• Doppler study of the utero-placental and fetal circulation (chief researcher
Truffle study)
• Fetal dysmorphology ( 2D and 3D studies)
• First and second trimester ultrasound screening for aneuploidies
• First trimester ultrasound
• Psychological aspects of Screening
• Fetal cardiology

Field: Obstetrics

Country: The Netherlands

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening T1 & T2; fetal biometry and wellbeing; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; fetal heart; fetal brain; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; fetal interventional procedures; 3D & 4D ultrasound; genetics

Languages: English; Italian; French; Dutch

Prof. Laurent Salomon is a senior consultant in the Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine at Necker-Enfants-Malades Hospital and full professor at Paris Descartes University. His special interests are imaging technologies including MRI, Twins, Fetal surgery, Statistics, Teaching processes and Quality control. Laurent completed a PhD in Physics with distinction (Paris XI Sud, Science University – Orsay), applied to Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the placenta.  He also completed a MSc in Medical Statistic with distinction at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Laurent is an associate director of a Master Degree in Prenatal Diagnosis and Fetal Medicine at Paris Descartes University. He is on the Editorial Board of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and involved in many committees and task forces of ISUOG. Laurent also serves on a regular basis as an expert for the National Agency for Biomedicine, French Health Authority and National Security Agency in Health Products, as well as for international research projects. 

Country: France

Field: Obstetrics; Imaging; Fetal Medicine

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening T1 & T2; fetal biometry and wellbeing; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; fetal interventional procedures; multiple pregnancy

Languages: English; French

Prof. Dr Rabih Chaoui, was born and schooled in Beirut, Lebanon. His medical studies and specialisation in obstetrics and gynecology were undertaken at the Charité Medical School, Humboldt University, in Berlin, Germany. Between 2001 and 2004, he was professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Charité University Hospital, Berlin and since 2004 he has worked at the Center of Prenatal Diagnosis and Human Genetics in Berlin. An ISUOG member since 1994, he has been a Board member from 2003 to 2013, including two terms as Chair of the Education Committee, and received the Stuart Campbell Award for Education in 2018.

Prof. Dr Chaoui has written three books on fetal ultrasound and more than 250 papers and monographies. Since 1986, his major interest has been in fetal ultrasound to include fetal heart, fetal 3D, first trimester ultrasound, ultrasound in genetic diseases and high-resolution ultrasound.

Dr Tessa Homfray studied medicine at St Thomas’ Hospital, University of London, qualifying in 1983. She then undertook various posts in paediatric and adult medicine before specialising in genetics, firstly at Great Ormond Street Hospital and then St George’s University Hospital, London. 

She has clinical experience in all areas of clinical genetics, but has special interest in the genetics of cardiac disease and fetal medicine. She also has an interest in the genetics of cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias in childhood, as well as how new technologies are introduced to identifying genetic diseases. 

Dr Homfray has a very busy clinical practice, not only working at the Trust, but also St George’s University Hospital and The Harris Birthright Unit, Kings College Hospital London. 

She runs weekly cardiac and prenatal clinics to keep a patient centred focus on care, and holds regular MDT clinics so that all team members can understand the patient pathway and also keep up to date with any advances in this field. 

2018 Gold Medal Award article

Jan Deprest MD PhD FRCOG is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the KU Leuven (B) and UCL (UK). He has a research interest in fetal surgery, in particular to antenatal interventions to modulate fetal development in case of congenital birth defects.

He directs the clinical fetal surgery program in Leuven, and sets up the program at University College London Hospital to treat fetuses with spina bifida and congenital diaphragmatic hernia, funded by the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.

Prof. Mauricio Herrera is an OB/GYN with a particular speciality in maternal fetal medicine, fetal cardiology and fetal neurology. Prof. Herrera began his work in MFM and prenatal diagnosis in 2000. In the same year, he created the Maternal Fetal Unit of Colsanitas Clinic in Bogota, Colombia. He is also responsible for begining the first recognised fellowship program in MFM at the University of Rosary School of Medicine in Colombia.

Currently, he is the Director of the Fellowship program in MFM, Fetal Cardiology and Fetal Neurology at the Sanitas University and University of the Rosary. As Director of the fellowship program, he is responsible for research and education in the unit and for all courses and online education offered by Sanitas University.

He is currently ISUOG's Ambassador to Colombia and Latin America at large.

You can follow him on Twitter at @mherreram

Country: Colombia

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening T1 & T2; fetal anomalies; fetal heart; fetal brain; fetal growth restriction; multiple pregnancy; preeclampsia; preterm delivery; fetal neurology; fetal CNS

Languages: English; Spanish

"Through my ISUOG membership I have delivered 14 ISUOG Approved courses in Latin America, since 2006, attracting around 300 delegates to each course and taking great care to share with the quality educational opportunities that the Society provides. I was also pleased to organise ISUOG’s 9th International Symposium in Colombia, attracting 550 delegates from the regions and introducing them to ISUOG. Since then I have also contributed to translating ISUOG’s guidelines, helping to extend the reach of the Society into my region."

Dr Waldo Sepulveda studied medicine at the University of Chile (1975-1981) and his fellowship specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Concepción (1982-1985). In 1991 and 1992 he completed a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut) and Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan). Read more.

Notable publications: His academic output includes nearly 200 scientific works published in international journals and book chapters. Read more.

Country: Chile

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening T1 & T2; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; fetal interventional procedures; multiple pregnancy; 3D & 4D ultrasound

Languages: English; Spanish

Dr Renato Ximenes is ISUOG member since 1993, Visitor Professor King's College with Prof. Kypros Nicolaides in 1995, Master Degree Fetal MRI limits and benefits in 1998, former President of Brazilian Fetal Medicine Society 2006-2008, ex- Member of ISUOG Educational Committe 1998-2008 . Prof. Renato Ximenes is Director of Fetal Medicine Foundation Latinamerica - FMFLA and a member of the Ultrasound Committe of the Brazilian College of Radiology along with the ISUOG Advisory Membership Group. He is also Coordinator of Fellowship Fetal Medicine Program of FMFLA. Prof. Renato Ximenes clinical and reseach interests are related to Maternal-Fetal Medicine, with special interest fetal heart, fetal neuroimaging, fetal growth restriction, pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery, first trimester screening and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT).

Notable publications

Oliveira Melo AS, Malinger G, Ximenes R, Szejnfeld PO, Alves Sampaio S, Bispo de Filippis AM. Zika virus intrauterine infection causes fetal brain abnormality and microcephaly: tip of the iceberg? Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2016; 47: 6–7.
Prayer D, Malinger G, Brugger PC, Cassady C, De Catte L, De Keersmaecker B, Fernandes GL, Glanc P, Goncalves LF, Gruber GM, Laifer-Narin S, Lee W, Millischer EA, Molho M, Neelavalli J, Platt L, Pugash D, Ramaekers P, Salomon LJ, Sanz M, Timor-Tritsch IE, Tutschek B, Twickler D, Weber M, Ximenes R, Raine-Fenning N. ISUOG practice guidelines: performance of fetal magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2017; 49: 671–680.
Pilu, G; Nicolaides KH; Ximenes R; Jeany P. (2001). Diploma in Fetal Medicine & ISUOG Educational Series:  The 18-23 weeks scan. [Software]. ISUOG Publications: London.
Nicolaides, KH; Sebire, NJ; Snijders, RJM; Ximenes, R; (2003) ISUOG Educational Diploma in Fetal Medicine & ISUOG Educational Series: The 11-14 weeks scan. [Software]. ISUOG Publications: London.
Nicolaides KH; Rizzo, G; Hecker, K; Ximenes R. (2003). Diploma in Fetal Medicine & ISUOG Educational Series:  Doppler in Obstetrics. [Software]. ISUOG Publications: London.

Country: Brazil