The Scientific Committee oversee the production and development of the scientific program for the ISUOG World Congress, inviting experts in the field to share their cutting edge research.
Committee Chair
ISUOG World Congress Chair 2018, Scientific Committee Chair (2020-2022)
Committee Vice-Chair
UOG Editorial Board, Bids Committee, Clinical Standards Committee, Scientific Committee
Later, he was the Medical Director of Monash Ultrasound for Women, Adj. Associate Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University and Head of Perinatal Services at the Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne before relocating back to Brazil in mid-2018 as the Head of the Ultrasound Service, Dapartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ribeirao Preoto, Medical School, University of Sao Paulo. Currently, he is the Acting Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit, Gold Coast University Hospital and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Prof. Costa’s clinical and research interests focus on the use of ultrasound in maternal-fetal medicine, especially pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and preterm labour. In addition, he has special interest in first trimester screening, including non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). He also supervises trainees and post-graduate students on ultrasound in gynaecology.”
Country: Brazil
Field: Obstetrics and Reproduction
Specialities: Fetal Anomaly Screening T1 & T2; Aneuploidy; Fetal Anomalies; Maternal and Fetal Doppler; Fetal Growth Restriction; Preeclampsia; Preterm Delivery; 1st trimester screening including NIPT and Pre-Eclampsia; Ultrasound in reproduction
Languages: English, Portuguese
Local Co-Chairs
2020 Virtual Congress Technical Congress Chair, Bids Committee, Executive Committee, Finance & Risk Committee, Nominations Committee, ISUOG Advisory Group
Professor Tom Bourne
ISUOG President 2020 - 2022, Virtual World Congress Technical Congress Chair 2020 and 2021, 2022 World Congress Co-Chair, Executive Committee, Bids Committee, Finance & Risk Committee, Nominations Committee
Professor Tom Bourne was ISUOG President between 2020 and 2022 and is curently Chair in Gynaecology at Imperial College London, Hon Consultant Gynaecologist at Queen Charlottes and Chelsea hospital and Visiting Professor at KU Leuven in Belgium. He is an authority on managing early pregnancy complications, emergency gynaecology and gynaecological ultrasonography. He trained in ultrasound at Kings College Hospital in London. He subsequently worked at the University of Göteborg, Sweden as Medical Research Council visiting scientist, Hamar in Norway, and Leuven in Belgium. He was appointed senior lecturer and consultant gynaecologist at St George's University Hospital London before moving to Imperial College. He has edited seven books and published over 400 papers. He sits on the management committee of the Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research. He is medical advisor and trustee of the patient group, the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust. He is immediate Past-President of the UK Association of Early Pregnancy Units. He is co-founder and CEO of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) group and sits on the steering committees of several large multicentre international trials. He is founder member of the RCOG task force on “supporting our doctors”. He is honorary fellow of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, honorary member of the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine and honorary member of the Brazilian and Hungarian Ultrasound Societies.
His principal research interest is diagnostics in early pregnancy and gynaecology including the IOTA, IETA, IDEA and MUSA studies, microbiome, metabolomics, novel biomarkers, and AI. His interests include the psychology of pregnancy loss and physician welfare including studies with the BMA and RCOG.
Country: UK
Language: English
Field: Gynaecology
Specialties: Early Pregnancy Care, Emergency Gynaecology, Ultrasound in Oncology, Gynaecological Ultrasonography, Physician Wellbeing
Selected Notable Publications:
Sporadic miscarriage: evidence to provide effective care. Coomarasamy A, Gallos ID, Papadopoulou A, Dhillon-Smith RK, Al-Memar M, Brewin J, Christiansen OB, Stephenson MD, Oladapo OT, Wijeyaratne CN, Small R, Bennett PR, Regan L, Goddijn M, Devall AJ, Bourne T, Brosens JJ, Quenby S.
Lancet. 2021 May 1;397(10285):1668-1674. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00683-8. Epub 2021 Apr 27.
Van Calster B, Valentin L, Froyman W, Landolfo C, Ceusters J, Testa AC, Wynants L, Sladkevicius P, Van Holsbeke C, Domali E, Fruscio R, Epstein E, Franchi D, Kudla MJ, Chiappa V, Alcazar JL, Leone FPG, Buonomo F, Coccia ME, Guerriero S, Deo N, Jokubkiene L, Savelli L, Fischerová D, Czekierdowski A, Kaijser J, Coosemans A, Scambia G, Vergote I, Bourne T, Timmerman D.
BMJ. 2020 Jul 30;370:m2614. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2614.
Farren J, Jalmbrant M, Falconieri N, Mitchell-Jones N, Bobdiwala S, Al-Memar M, Tapp S, Van Calster B, Wynants L, Timmerman D, Bourne T.
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Apr; 222(4):367.e1-367.e22. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2019.10.102.
Froyman W, Landolfo C, De Cock B, Wynants L, Sladkevicius P, Testa AC, Van Holsbeke C, Domali E, Fruscio R, Epstein E, Dos Santos Bernardo MJ, Franchi D, Kudla MJ, Chiappa V, Alcazar JL, Leone FPG, Buonomo F, Hochberg L, Coccia ME, Guerriero S, Deo N, Jokubkiene L, Kaijser J, Coosemans A, Vergote I, Verbakel JY, Bourne T, Van Calster B, Valentin L, Timmerman D.
Lancet Oncol. 2019 Mar; 20(3): 448-458. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30837-4.
Defining safe criteria to diagnose miscarriage: prospective observational multicentre study. Preisler J, Kopeika J, Ismail L, Vathanan V, Farren J, Abdallah Y, Battacharjee P, Van Holsbeke C, Bottomley C, Gould D, Johnson S, Stalder C, Van Calster B, Hamilton J, Timmerman D, Bourne T.
BMJ. 2015 Sep 23; 351:h4579. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4579.
Evaluating the risk of ovarian cancer before surgery using the ADNEX model to differentiate between benign, borderline, early and advanced stage invasive, and secondary metastatic tumours: prospective multicentre diagnostic studies. Van Calster B, Van Hoorde K, Valentin L, Testa AC, Fischerova D, Van Holsbeke C, Savelli L, Franchi D, Epstein E, Kaijser J, Van Belle V, Czekierdowski A, Guerriero S, Fruscio R, Lanzani C, Scala F, Bourne T, Timmerman D; International Ovarian Tumour Analysis Group.
BMJ. 2014 Oct 15;349:g5920. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g5920.
Diagnostic criteria for nonviable pregnancy early in the first trimester. Doubilet PM, Benson CB, Bourne T, Blaivas M; Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Multispecialty Panel on Early First Trimester Diagnosis of Miscarriage and Exclusion of a Viable Intrauterine Pregnancy, Barnhart KT, Benacerraf BR, Brown DL, Filly RA, Fox JC, Goldstein SR, Kendall JL, Lyons EA, Porter MB, Pretorius DH, Timor-Tritsch IE.
N Engl J Med. 2013 Oct 10; 369(15): 1443-51. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1302417.
Limitations of current definitions of miscarriage using mean gestational sac diameter and crown-rump length measurements: a multicenter observational study. Abdallah Y, Daemen A, Kirk E, Pexsters A, Naji O, Stalder C, Gould D, Ahmed S, Guha S, Syed S, Bottomley C, Timmerman D, Bourne T.
Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2011 Nov; 38(5): 497-502. doi: 10.1002/uog.10109.
He is President of the UK Association of Early Pregnancy Units (AEPU), Trustee of the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust and on the steering committee of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) trial.
Perinatal Doppler and Vascular Focus Group (Chair), ISUOG Advisory Group, UOG Editorial Board
Christoph Lees is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine subspecialist, Consultant Obstetrician and Head of Fetal Medicine at Imperial College London where he is Clinical Reader. He is visiting Professor, KU Leuven, Belgium, was RCOG inaugural National Ultrasound Officer 2010-2013 and Vice Chairman, RCOG Subspecialty Committee 2011-2013. His research focuses on pre-eclampsia, cardiovascular adaptation, Doppler, intra-uterine growth restriction and non-invasive fetal surgery.
Country: UK
Field: Obstetrics
Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening T2; fetal biometry and wellbeing; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; preeclampsia; safety of ultrasound
Language: English
Scientific Committee members
Honorary Member (Outreach Committee)
Dr Helen Feltovitch's clinical appointment is with Intermontain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). She also conducts research on developing ultrasound technologies and preterm birth in developing and developed areas.
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
Full Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University Hospital of Parma where he is the Chairman of the Unit.
ISUOG Advisory Group, Scientific Committee, Nominations Committee, China Task Force, UOG Editorial Board
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)
Associate Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Baylor College of Medicine
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
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. 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.
Country: Belgium
Field: Gynecology
Specialties: Gynecological ultrasound
Languages: English; French; Dutch