COURSE ORGANIZERS
Sotirios Bisdas, MD, PhD, MSc, FESHNR, EQNR
is Lead Consultant Neuroradiologist in the Department of Neuroradiology at UCL Hospitals NHS Trust, Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Neurology at University College London (UCL), Professor of Radiology at Eberhard-Karls University of Tübingen, Germany. He has received a post-doctoral scholarship in Neuroradiology Research at Medical University of South Carolina, USA and obtained his PhD degree in the advanced analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR and CT studies. He holds an MSc degree in Advanced Oncology (University of Ulm, Germany).
He has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 30) and 7 book chapters in neuroimaging. Prof. Bisdas serves as a member of the editorial board of several leading journals in Radiology and Neuroradiology, an ad-hoc member of the Executive Committee of the European Society of Head and Neck Radiology, and a member of the Head and Neck committee of the European Society of Neuroradiology.
He holds the European Qualification in Neuroradiology endorsed by the European Society of Neuroradiology and is Fellow of the European Society of Head and Neck Radiology.
Vasileios K. Katsaros, MD, PhD, EQNR
is Senior Consultant Radiologist – Neuroradiologist, Director in the MRI Department of the General Anti-Cancer and Oncological Hospital of Athens “St. Savvas”, Head of Neuroradiology in Central Clinic of Athens, and Clinical Research Affiliate in the Department of Neurosurgery of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. He is also Clinical and Research Affiliate in the Departments of Neuroradiology, University Clinic of Τübingen (UKT), Germany and University College of London (UCL), UK. He completed his Neuroradiology fellowship in Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany in 1995.
He has more than 25 years’ experience in clinical imaging of brain diseases, with a special focus on advanced MRI of brain tumors (more than 1000 cases performed) and the integration of the multi-modal MRI and fMRI (task-based, as well as Resting-State)-DTI brain mapping (gross-total excisions), Perfusion DSC-T2*-MRI and Spectroscopy (guiding targeted biopsies) in neuronavigational systems for imaging-guided neurosurgery and participates (together with the 1st Department of Neurosurgery of the University of Athens, Prof. G. Stranjalis and Imagilys, Brussels, Belgium using BrainMagix (CE marked) post-processing software platform) in the International DTI Challenge Project for Neurosurgical Planning (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA). He is also co-founder of the Hellenic Neuro-Oncological Group (HENOG-2015-http://neurooncology.gr)
He holds the European Qualification in Neuroradiology (EQNR), as senior neuroradiologist, endorsed by the European Society of Neuroradiology since 2007 and is a full member of European Society of Radiology (ESR-1995), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA-2000), European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR-2006) and the American Society of Functional Neuroradiology (ASFNR-2013).
FACULTY
Laurent Hermoye, PhD
is the founder and CEO of the Imagylis, a company specializing in advanced brain imaging, biomarkers, and neurosurgical planning. Laurent Hermoye has graduated as an electrical engineer, doctor of medical sciences, and bachelor of business administration. He has more than 15 years of experience in brain imaging. He has conducted research studies, co-authored publications with pioneers in his field, and taught neuroimaging techniques all over the world. Imagilys neuroimaging software suite, BrainMagix, has helped thousands of patients. Over the last 12 years, Laurent has led the company from its first sales to concluding long-term agreements with world-class players in the medical industry.
Jacques-Donald Tournier, PhD
is Senior Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering in the Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering at King’s College London. His work is focused on the development and application of diffusion MRI methods, particularly those that relate to the characterization of white matter and its connectivity.
He has worked particularly on:
1. the design of acquisition schemes for high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI);
2. estimating fiber orientations in a crossing fiber context via spherical deconvolution;
3. probabilistic tractography methods and related applications such as Track Density Imaging (TDI), Anatomically Constrained Tractography (ACT), and spherical deconvolution informed filtering of tracks (SIFT);
4. Apparent Fiber Density (AFD) methods for group-wise fixel-based analysis of whole brain diffusion MRI data (fixel: fiber element – a fiber population within an imaging voxel);
5. advocating the use of higher-order models for clinical applications, particularly neurosurgery.
He is currently interested in identifying the best imaging parameters for neonatal diffusion MRI, specifically for use in the Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP). He is also investigating methods for the analysis of multi-shell HARDI data.Much of his research output is available for use in the open-source software package MRtrix, with the latest development efforts going into the next major release, MRtrix3.
Kathleen M. Schmainda, PhD
is the Robert C. Olson Professor of Radiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, USA. Her research has focused on the development of perfusion and diffusion MRI methods (pMRI, DWI) to assess brain tumor angiogenesis and invasion. She has published several seminal papers on the topic of dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) pMRI, especially rCBV (relative cerebral blood volume), motivating best practices for pMRI acquisition and post-processing methods. Parallel efforts in DWI led to the development of alpha-diffusion and later functional diffusion mapping methods to detect brain tumor invasion.
Dr Schmainda has been a longstanding member of the ACRIN (American College of Radiology Imaging Network) brain tumor working group participating in the study design and pMRI data analysis for several ACRIN clinical trials (ACRIN 6677, 6684, 6686). She currently serves as the national co-chair of the ACRIN/ECOG EAF151 DSC-MRI trial and is actively involved with FDA/National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) efforts to standardize DSC-MRI perfusion protocols. Several of the technologies developed by Dr Schmainda’s group have been translated into FDA-cleared products through the founding of Imaging Biometrics LLC recently acquired by Flying Brands Ltd.
Marzena Arridge, PhD
is Clinical Scientist, MR Physicist at the Department of Neuroradiology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Honorary Lecturer at University College London, London, UK.
Dr Arridge has more than 20 years’ experience in clinical and biomedical applications of MRI and Spectroscopy with focus on quantitative measurement of metabolites using 1H and 31P MRS in wide a range of applications: in clinical and basic research. She has been also involved in lecturing on MRS methodology to students on Imaging and Neuroscience Modules in Translational Medicine (Imperial College London). In a course of her career, she has contributed to more than 50 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals and similar number of presentations on scientific meetings and congresses.
Laura Mancini, PhD
is Clinical Scientist in the Department of Neuroradiology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCL Hospitals NHS Trust, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Institute of Neurology, University College London. She has introduced, and currently leads, the fMRI (in 2004) and tractography (in 2006) clinical services. Her main clinical and research interest is in combining fMRI and tractography for the preoperative assessment of patients with brain lesions.
Eftychia Z. Kapsalaki, MD, PhD
is Associate Professor of Radiology in the University of Thessaly, Radiology Department, University Hospital of Larissa. Her major research and clinical interest is on the diagnosis and management of brain tumors using advanced imaging techniques (MR Spectroscopy, Diffusion, DTI, perfusion), stroke, and epilepsy imaging. She has published 98 papers in peer reviewed journals, have given more than 90 oral presentations, and have been an invited speaker at more than 30 national and international meetings.
She has graduated from Athens University Medical school in 1991, have completed her residency at Aretaieion Hospital in Athens, Greece in 1996. During her training she performed her thesis on the Contribution of Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) in the Evaluation of Transient Ischemic Attacks which was completed in 1994.
She has sub-specialized in neuroradiology, holds the European diploma of neuroradiology and is member of Athens Medical Society (1990), Hellenic Radiological Society (1991), European Radiological Society (2005), European Society of Neuroradiology (2005), American Society of Neuroradiology (2006), RSNA (2005) and Hellenic College of Radiology (2005).
Haris I. Sair, MD
is Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is currently the interim director of Neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins and Treasurer of the American Society of Functional Neuroradiology. His expertise is in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain, with primary research interests in application of resting state fMRI in the setting of pre-surgical brain mapping. He has published extensively on the role of resting state fMRI as a clinical tool in various domains such as for characterizing brain networks, for inferring changes in brain function in disease, and as a potential biomarker to aid in prognosis.
