Masterclasses

Prof. Alexandros Sotiriadis is a consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology – Maternal and Fetal Medicine in the Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hippokrateio Hospital and a full Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. His special interests include prenatal diagnosis and genomics, maternal and fetal complications and Evidence-Based Medicine. Alex completed a PhD in Medicine on recurrent pregnancy loss and was trained in Fetal Medicine under Prof. Kypros Nicolaides.

Alex is the director of a Master Degree Program in Applied Prenatal Diagnosis at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He is currently the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and served as a member in the ISUOG Clinical Standards Committee and the EFSUMB Publication Committee. He is also President Elect of the Hellenic Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Country: Greece

Field: Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Imaging, Evidence-Based Medicine

Specialties: fetal growth restriction, Doppler, maternal complication in pregnancy, fetal anomalies and genomics, evidence-based medicine

Languages: English, Greek, German

Prof. Asma Khalil is a Professor of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine at St George’s University Hospital (University of London). She is a subspecialist in Maternal and Fetal Medicine, specialising in scanning women and babies with complications in pregnancy. She is the lead for the Multiple Pregnancy service at St George’s Hospital, the referral unit for the South West London region, but also cares for women with low risk pregnancies.

Prof. Khalil gained her MD at the University of London in 2009 following two years’ research into pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure in pregnancy). She also has a Masters degree in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and an MRC scholarship. She has published more than 45 peer reviewed research papers in medical journals, and many review articles and book chapters. She has been awarded many research prizes, at both national and international meetings.

Her research interests include hypertensive disease in pregnancy, multiple pregnancy, and other complications of pregnancy.

You can follow her on twitter @ProfAsmaKhalil

Notable publications: She has published more than 45 peer reviewed research papers in medical journals, and many review articles and book chapters. Read more.

Country: UK

Field: Obstetrics; Fetal Medicine

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening T1 & T2; fetal biometry and wellbeing; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; multiple pregnancy; preeclampsia; prenatal diagnosis; fetal therapy; interventional procedures during pregnancy.

Languages: English; Arabic

"I am committed to supporting ISUOG’s membership growth and providing educational opportunities in underrepresented regions of the world. I have contributed to the Society’s scientific program, speaking at their Intensive education courses and even running two Approved courses of my own, which have become popular in their own right. One of these courses takes place in Egypt, the other in the UK, where there is a shortage in opportunities for basic training in the field. Through these initiatives I have introduced more than 70 new members to the Society in the last year alone and strive to continue delivering ISUOG’s resources in areas where there is most in need."

Prof. Basky Thilaganathan is a specialist in the medical and surgical management of highrisk pregnancies (materno-fetal medicine) with a focus on twin pregnancy, fetal growth, fetal abnormality and pre-eclampsia. Prof. Thilaganathan's research methods include uterine Doppler and trophoblast invasion, screening for pre-eclampsia, echocardiography-based studies of maternal cardiac adaptation to pregnancy, and clinical studies of twin pregnancies.

He has authored two undergraduate and five postgraduate textbooks in obstetrics and fetal medicine and is the lead trainer for the Maternal-Fetal medicine sub-speciality training programme at St George’s Hospital, London. Prof. Thilaganathan was Editor-in-Chief of ISUOG’s Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology for nearly 8 years, within that time raising the Journal’s impact factor to 5.654. Furthermore, he has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications in indexed journals. He is a Council Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), member of the National screening Committee and also the Clinical Lead
for the first dedicated high-throughput NIPT lab in the UK NHS to undertake cfDNA aneuploidy screening in pregnancy.

Prof. Boaz Weisz is the head of Obstetrical and Gynecological Imaging Institute in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sheba Medical Center and professor at Tel-Aviv University. His special interests are Fetal Medicine, Fetal Surgery, Twins, IUGR fetal anomalies and fetal infections.

Boaz is also chairing the Israeli society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.  

Country: Israel

Field: Obstetrics; Imaging; Fetal Medicine

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

Languages: English; Hebrew, Romanian

Prof. Daniela Fischerova is specialized in O&G (1st and 2nd degree, 2000, 2004), clinical oncology (2005), and gynecological oncology (2011). She hold a PhD in experimental surgery (2008). She works as a professor at the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University (2012). Since 2016, she serves as a Board member of the International Society of Ultrasound in O&G (ISUOG) and since 2021 she also becomes a Board member of the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO). At a national level, she serves as the Vice President of the Czech Ultrasound Society in O&G and Board member of Czech Gynecologic Oncology society. She is academically very active in ultrasound imaging of gynecological cancer and passionate about promoting implementation of ultrasound in cancer staging, particularly by teaching and international research cooperation. She established Scientific and Educational Ultrasound Centre at Charles University. Twice a year she organises International Workshop on Ultrasound in Gynecologic Oncology (IWUGO) in Prague.

Country: Czech Republic

Field: Gynecology

Specialties: Gynecological oncology, gynecological ultrasound

Languages: English; Czech; German

Dr Fatima Crispi is a physician scientist, consultant and professor in Maternal Fetal Medicine at BCNatal, University of Barcelona, with a strong focus on fetal cardiology. She has spent stays abroad (i.e. Harris Birthright Research Center with Kypros Nicolaides and St. Georges Hospital London with George Sutherland) and developed a PhD, directed by Eduard Gratacós, that first demonstrated postnatal persistence of in utero cardiac remodelling after fetal growth restriction. She has pioneered research on Fetal Cardiac Programming, establishing fetal cardiac function standards, developing animal and in silico models of placental disease, applying -omics in preeclampsia, implementing artificial intelligence tools and exploring the link between fetal and adult cardiac disease. She established a unique clinic on fetal cardiac function incorporating new imaging tools for assessing the fetal heart. She is fully committed to education having directed 17 PhDs and leading a Postgraduate degree on Fetal Cardiology at the University of Barcelona.

She has been involved with ISUOG for almost 20 years, with numerous scientific communications and invited participations to ISUOG congresses and educational activities and contributions to the Fetal Heart Special Interest Group.

Country: Spain

Field: Obstetrics; Imaging; Fetal Medicine

Specialties: fetal cardiology; fetal biometry and wellbeing; preeclampsia; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; echocardiography; congenital heart disease; cardiac function

Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Helen Feltovich MD MS, lives in New York City where she practices medicine and leads an international research collaborative with physics and engineering colleagues Profs Tim Hall and Ivan Rosado-Mendez (Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison), Prof Kristin Myers (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University). She also provides clinical direction for the Iris Fund, a nonprofit founded by Brittney Crystal and dedicated to preterm birth research. Together, the team combines artificial intelligence, quantitative ultrasound and computational modeling to create digital twins of pregnancy for studying the mechanics of birth. Their goal is to bring insight into the question every pregnant patient wants to know: when will I deliver? Helen has been active within ISUOG for the past 2 decades, attending almost every World Congress, serving on the society’s Outreach and Scientific Committees, and helping to develop the Practice Guideline for the use of ultrasound in the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth. She has been active in similar initiatives through her roles on the governing boards and committees within the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, the American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine, and the Perinatal Quality Foundation. She is also a charter member of a scientific review section for the NIH, and an expert advisor to the NIH on home use of ultrasound and artificial intelligence applications to obstetric ultrasound.  

Publications:

Feltovitch H, Gall TJ. Quantative imaging of the cervix: setting the bar. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2013 Feb 41 (2): 121-8

Myers KM, Feltovitch H, Mazza e etal, The mechanical role of the cervix during pregnancy. J Biomech 2015; Mar 11 (epub ahead of print)

Country: USA

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal Anomaly Screening 1T and 2T; fetal anomalies screening; aneuploidy screening; fetal anomalies; fetal growth restriction; safety in ultrasound; fetal growth; detection of fetal and neonatal growth abnormalities in low and middle income countries. 

Languages: English

Dr Heron Werner Jr is a specialist in fetal medicine and ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology. Between 1992-1996, he underwent Internship in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Fetal Medicine at the Institut de Puericulture de Paris and Hôpital Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Paris, France obtaining the title of  Doctor "Assistant Étranger " at the "Université Paris Descartes". In 2000, Dr Werner completed his Master's degree in Obstetrics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). In 2012, he also completed his PhD in Radiology with the same University. He is a 'Visiting Professor Lectureship' in Radiology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), USA, member of the Brazilian Academy of Ultrasoud (Chair n.27) as well as member of the Latino America Academy of Ultrasound (Chair n.30). 

Country: Brazil

Field: Obstetrics, Gynecology, Fetal Medicine

Specialties: Fetal medicine, fetal magnetic resonance, ultrasound and rapid prototyping.            

Languages: Portuguese, English, French

Prof. Hye-Sung Won is currently the chairperson of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center. She is a director of Fetal Treatment Center in Asan Medical Center.  Her special interests are Prenatal Diagnosis of fetal structural anomalies, Fetal Cardiology, Twins, Fetal Surgery and Fetal Interventional Procedures. She established the first Fetal Treatment Center in South Korea, which has been leading the diagnosis and treatment of fetal structural anomaly.

Professor Won is the President of the Korean Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (KSUOG) and the Chair of Fetal Assessment and Management Committee at Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Professor Won, as the leader in maternal fetal medicine on Korean society, promotes research and education in ultrasound and is actively involved in supporting and connecting many other institutions together.

Hye-Sung Won is also a leading clinician of the largest Fetal Treatment Center in Korea and there making clinical and academic progresses of fetal diagnosis and therapy possible to develop further both nationally and internationally. She is exceptional in making diagnoses for cardiac abnormality including rare diseases, which is a very important part of perinatal counselling and management. She is the first clinician to do balloon aortic valvuloplasty for a fetus with severe aortic valve stenosis at 29 weeks of gestation in Korea. Moreover, she is specialized in prenatal diagnosis for various fetal disease and fetal therapy including shunt operation, fetal transfusion, radiofrequency ablation and fetoscopic laser surgery. She made over 500 cases of shunt operation for fetal pleural effusion, ascites, and lower urinary tract obstruction since 1999. She had done more than 200 cases of fetoscopic laser surgery for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, and the results showed high survival rate.

Country: Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Field: Obstetrics, Maternal-Fetal-Medicine

Specialties: Prenatal diagnosis; Fetal anomalies; Fetal cardiology; Fetal therapy; Fetal interventional procedures

Languages:  Korean, English

Professor Liona Poon is an Academic Subspecialist in Maternal Fetal Medicine, devoted in improving maternal and fetal health. She has had a prolific research output throughout her clinical and research posts, including over 130 peer-reviewed publications in high impact international journals. In the last 10 years she has focused her research on establishing a programme for effective early prediction and prevention of preeclampsia, a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. With her success in developing a first-trimester prediction model for preeclampsia using maternal risk factors, ultrasound, blood pressure and biochemical markers, and on Aspirin prophylaxis against preeclampsia, her goal in the next 10 years is to improve obstetric care worldwide, through clinical research and education. 

Notable Publications:
Aspire trial: incidence of preterm preeclampsia in patients fulfulling ACOG and NICE criteria according to risk by the FMF algorithm. Poon LC, Rolnik DL, Tan MY, Delgado JL, Tsokaki T, Akolekar R, Singh M, Andrade W, Efeturk T, Jani JC, Plasencia W, Papaioannou G, Blazquez AR, Carbone IF, Wright D, Nikolaides KH.
Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2018 Jan 30. doi: 10.1002/uog.19019 [Epub ahead of print]

Aspirin versus Placebo in Pregnancies at High Risk of Preterm Preeclampsia. Rolnik DL, Wright D, Poon LC, O'Gorman N, Syngelaki A, de Paco Matallana C, Akolekar R, Cicero S, Janga D, Singh M, Molina FS, Persico N, Jani JC, Plasencia W, Papaioannou G, Tennebaum Gavish K, Meiri H, Gizurarson S, Maclagan K, Nicolaides K.H.
New England Journal Medicine 2017, 2017 Jun 28. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1704559. [Epub ahead of print]

Country: China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening 1st trimester and 2nd trimester; fetal biometry and wellbeing; fetal anomalies screening; aneuploidy screening; fetal anomalies; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; multiple pregnancy; preeclampsia; preterm delivery; fetal growth; detection of fetal and neonatal growth abnormalities; ultrasound on the labour ward

Languages: English; Chinese (Mandarin); Chinese (Cantonese)

Dr Sanz Cortes current academic position is in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas), as an Associate Professor.  She is a fetal surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital providing care for patients who receive any fetal intervention from the time of pre-surgical evaluation, surgery and until delivery. Part of her clinical care is also dedicated to the management of the fetal neurosonology clinic at the same center.  She is also very invested in multiple research projects related to fetal conditions that require utero therapy from a multidisciplinary approach and with particular emphasis on advanced imaging techniques.  She is passionate about research mentorship, education, development of biomedical devices and innovation.  One of the main focus of her research has been dedicated to understanding the effects of fetal spina bifida repair and its minimally invasive approach, leading initiatives such as the International Consortium for Fetoscopic Myelomeningocele Repair.  

Other current affiliations that she holds are:  Member of the Steering Committee of Texas Children's Hospital Fetal Center, Steering Committee of the North American Fetal Therapy Network, Scientific Committee of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG), part of the Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Prenatal Diagnosis journal editorial boards.

Country: USA

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal anomalies; fetal brain; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; fetal therapy and intervention

Languages: English; Spanish

Raffaele is a consultant in fetal medicine at University College London. He is part of the ISUOG CSC and took part in guidelines writing and review for the society. He works in the Preterm Birth Clinic at UCLH where he is performing studies on CS scar and risk of preterm birth and studies on different cerclages techniques. He published in more than 40 journals mostly on fetal growth and neurosonography and he is committed to education and training. He leads the Master Programme in Obstetric Ultrasound and Fetal Medicine at UCL. 

Prof. Reem S. Abu-Rustum obtained her medical degree and completed her residency training at the University of Florida (USA). She is a fellow of the American College of OB/GYN (ACOG), the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) and the American College of Surgeons. She is certified by the Fetal Medicine Foundation in first and second trimester ultrasound.

She was ISUOG's Ambassador to Outreach in Lebanon and the Middle East, Chair of ISUOG's Basic Training Task Force, a member ISUOG's Outreach Committee and a member of ISUOG's 3D Special Interest Group. She serves as Co-Chair of the AIUM Annual Convention Committee, is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, is a member of the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine's Education and Global Health Committees, and is a member of the Fetal Heart Society's Education Committee. She is Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly newsletter of the Centre for Advanced Fetal Care. She served as a member of the Editorial Review Board for the AIUM OBGYN Ultrasound Lecture Series and currently serves on the SMFM-AIUM Task force on Curriculum Development and Competency Assessment Tools for MFM Fellowship Training.

She has authored the text "A Practical Guide to 3D Ultrasound" (CRC Press 2014). Her primary areas of interest are the first trimester fetus and the fetal heart. She is also actively involved in the integration of ultrasound in medical education and is the co-founder and President of SANA Medical NGO, which is dedicated to obstetrical care within an outreach setting.

She is a Professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Florida.

Notable publications:

Abu-Rustum RS, Ziade MF. The 3 sweep approach for fetal anatomic assessment in the outreach setting. Journal of Fetal Medicine 2017; 4(1): 25-30.

Abu-Rustum RS, Ziade MF, Abu-Rustum SE, Danawi H. The Role of Ultrasound in the Lebanese Outreach Setting. International Journal of Childbirth Education. 2015; 30(2): 43-48.

Abu-Rustum RS. A Practical Guide to 3D Ultrasound. First Edition. CRC Press. 9 Dec 2014.

Abu-Rustum RS, Ziade MF, Abu-Rustum SE. Reference values for the right and left fetal choroid plexus at 11-13 weeks: an early sign of ‘developmental’ laterality? J. Ultrasound Med 2013; 32: 1623-1629.

Country: Lebanon

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening 1st trimester and 2nd trimester; aneuploidy screening; fetal heart; 3D & 4D ultrasound; basic training; the first trimester fetus; ultrasound in medical education.  

Languages: English; Arabic

"My ISUOG membership over the past decade has empowered me to establish SANA Medical NGO in North Lebanon, modelled on ISUOG Outreach. This has been a most gratifying experience: spreading ISUOG's teachings and providing training to midwives and nurses in our neediest underserved areas. Our trainees are now enabled to provide comprehensive antenatal care, positively impacting the lives of under-resourced Lebanese mothers as well as Syrian refugees."

Prof. Ritsuko Kimata Pooh was born in Osaka, Japan in 1960. She graduated from Law Department of Keio University, Tokyo, and thereafter graduated from the Medical School of Tokushima University with social, legal and ethical viewpoints. After her graduation from medical school in 1990, she has dedicated most of her time to clinical research and investigation in fetal medicine and perinatology. She has especially introduced the most sophisticated fetal neuroimaging from 1996 by using transvaginal sonography, three dimensional ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. She established CRIFM clinical research institute of fetal medicine in Osaka in 2007. Her recent study of medullary vein development and neuronal migration disorder of fetal brain are worthy of note, and she received the Alfred Alfred Kratochwil Award at the ISUOG Congress in 2011, Lifetime achievement award in WCPM (World Congress in Perinatal Medicine) in 2015, and Sir William Liley medal in International Congress on Fetus as a Patient in 2016. Her remarkable research on fetal brain has been internationally approved by perinatologists as well as neurologists and neurosurgeons. She published more than 70 original scientific papers 150 review articles and the books; An Atlas of Fetal Central Nervous System, Diagnosis and Management in 2003, Fetal Neurology in 2009, Atlas of Advanced Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2015.

 Her early detection of fetal abnormalities in ‘Sonoembryology’ can be described as art of science in the uterus. Furthermore, she has been establishing a new field of Sonogenetics, combining detailed sonogram with cytogenetics and molecular genetics from 2009 and performing quite a number of invasive genetic procedures including more than 1,500s CVS and 300 amniocenteses per year. In the era of prenatal diagnoses with advanced molecular genetics and maternal serum with cfDNA, she has emphasized the importance of observing fetuses by ultrasound. She established the clinical genetic laboratory (Ritz Medical Clinical Lab.) in Osaka with the aim of ultimate sonogenetics in 2011. She has truly been one of the international executives in research as well as education in a field of perinatology.

Notable publications: 

Ritsuko K. Pooh, Kohei Shiota, Asim Kurjak. Imaging of the human embryo with magnetic resonance imaging microscopy and high-resolution transvaginal 3-dimensional sonography: human embryology in the 21st century. AJOG. 2011;204(1):77-9

POOH RK. Sonoembryology by 3D HDlive silhouette ultrasound - what is added by the "see-through fashion"? Journal of Perinatal Medicine. Mar 2016; 44(2): 139-48.

Country: Japan

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening 1st trimester and 2nd trimester, aneuploidy screening, fetal anomalies screening, fetal anomalies, 3D/4D ultrasound, early pregnancy, genetics, fetal brain (fetal neurology)

Languages: Japanese, English

Dr Srdjan Saso is a Gynaecological (Cancer) Surgeon at Imperial College NHS Trust and an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London. Dr Saso is a great believer in translational clinical and academic work and projects that have the potential for ‘cross-fertilisation’ between medical and non-medical specialties. His main academic and clinical interest lies in gynaecological surgery (cancer and non-cancer) and the diagnostic application of ultrasound, with a particular focus on fertility-sparing surgery and oncofertility in general. Hence, the management of gynaecological issues in women who have not started or completed their families.

His other main research themes focus on the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (and technology in general) in gynaecology. He is currently a PI on a machine learning and ovarian cancer diagnosis project. In addition, he is co-Principal Investigator on a point-of-care ovarian cancer diagnostic tool project and a co-Investigator on a project developing biomaterials strategies for preventing endometrial fibrosis and promoting endometrial regeneration.

Country: United Kingdom

Field: Gynaecological Surgery and Oncology, Ultrasound Diagnostics

Specialties: Gynaecological Surgery, Gynaecological Cancers, Oncofertility, Fertility-sparing Surgery, IOTA, Ultrasound Diagnostics

Languages: English, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, French

Prof. Stefano Guerriero is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cagliari, Italy from 2016 to present. He graduated in Medicine at the University of Pisa, Italy, in 1988, and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1992 at the same university. He was Associate Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cagliari University from 2006 to 2016 and Assistant Professor from 1999 to 2006. He has been an editor of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2011.

He is the author of more than 145 scientific publications.

Country: Italy

Field: Gynecology

Specialties: 3D & 4D ultrasound; gynecological ultrasound; gynecological oncology; endometriosis

Languages: English; French; Spanish; Italian

Prof. Thierry Van den Bosch defended his PhD in 2007 on the diagnosis of endometrial disease. His clinical research focuses on the diagnosis of endometrial and myometrial pathology, endometriosis and fertility exploration. He has published over 150 papers and has been over 100 times invited speaker at international conferences in English, Dutch and French.

He completed his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the KU Leuven (Belgium) and at the University of Pretoria (South Africa). In 1992 he was appointed consultant at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Unit of Gynecologic Oncology, of the University of Stellenbosch and Tygerberg Hospital (South-Africa). In 1994 he moved back to Belgium. He worked as gynecologist at the Regional Hospital RZ Tienen, consultant UZ Leuven and KU Leuven and became the Head of department in RZ Tienen.

He currently works at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital UZ Leuven, at the Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, and is Senior Clinical Investigator of the Scientific Research Fund (FWO) Flanders, Belgium. 

Notable Publications

Country: Belgium

Field: Gynecology

Specialties: Gynecological ultrasound

Languages: English; French; Dutch