Princess Lilian Foundation Visiting Professorship 2015-2016 awarded to Prof. Dianna Milewicz

The Princess Lilian Foundation bestows this renowned visiting professorship every two years and as such aims to foster interactions between Belgian researchers and international established experts.

Biosketch

Professor Milewicz is a world expert in heritable diseases of the aorta. Her translational research program is focused on the genetic basis of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections, intracranial aneurysms and early onset ischemic strokes. Her research, along with others, has identified nine genes for familial thoracic aortic disease and these genes have provided insight into the underlying molecular pathogenesis of the disease. In addition, her group has recently identified a gene for inherited thoracic aortic disease associated with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). As novel genes for inherited thoracic aortic disease are identified, they have defined clinical features associated with each gene to instruct the clinical management of these patients. In addition, mouse models of genes identified in human vascular diseases, including ACTA2 and MYH11, have been engineered to investigate the connection between mutated genes and the molecular pathways leading to vascular diseases, including aortic dissections and ischemic strokes.
In addition to the translational research program, Prof. Milewicz directs the MD/PhD Program, which is a joint training program between the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center. She actively mentors trainees in her laboratory (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows) and junior faculty who are initiating their own independent research program.

Program in brief

Monday March 7, 2016, 6pm

Inaugural lecture by Prof. Milewicz: “The Genetic Basis of Vascular Diseases: Insights from the Patients”
Aula, Ghent University, Ghent
By invitation only

Tuesday March 8, 2016, 8:30am-1pm

International Mini Symposium on Recent Progress in Cardiovascular Research with keynote lecture by Prof. Milewicz
New Zebra, Ghent
Registration limited to 100 participants: https://congres.ugent.be/professorship2016/
Case reports and abstracts welcomed (poster only): abstract@cmgg.be

Wednesday March 9, 2016, 8:30am–4:30pm

Discussion between prof. Milewicz and PhD students and postdoctoral UGent researchers on recent progress in cardiovascular research.
Ghent University Hospital, Ghent.
Closed meeting

Thursday March 10, 2016

Belgian Interuniversity Research Meeting on Aortic Disease– organized in collaboration with Prof. Antoine Bondue
Musée de la Médecine, Campus Erasme, Brussels
Registration required: registration@cmgg.be

Friday March 11, 2016

Annual Symposium of the Belgian Working Group on Adult Congenital Heart Disease – Focus on Aortic Disease
Brugmann Hospital, Brussels
Closed meeting

Contact

registration@cmgg.be