“The very best experts in cardiovascular medicine from all over the world are visiting us, representing all areas of our discipline. Our goal is to ensure that the latest scientific advances in diagnostics, imaging technology, as well as drug, interventional, and surgical therapies reach the highest possible number of specialists and are incorporated into clinical practice as soon as possible,” emphasized Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University, Director of the Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center, and Scientific Program Committee Chair for the symposium.
Highlighting the importance of this year’s symposium theme, he pointed out that cardiovascular diseases were among the most common endemic diseases and the leading causes of death not only in Hungary, but also in the European Union and worldwide.
The Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center is the leading institution in the region, and Semmelweis University is listed as 35th worldwide in the category Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems in the U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings 2025-2026. The rector said that it was an important task for the institution to be at the forefront of promoting international knowledge and experience exchange and networking, in addition to introducing the latest innovations, and that the symposium traditionally provided an excellent platform for this. “All of this serves to further improve the quality of patient care,” he added.
During the three-day event, the entire spectrum of cardiovascular diseases and almost every aspect of these will be covered. A separate session will be devoted to space medicine, a relatively new specialty at Semmelweis University, in which the institution has already achieved exemplary results by international standards, the rector underlined, referring to the fact that the university provides medical and healthcare support for the HUNOR Hungarian Astronaut Programme.
The event will address a number of topics at the forefront of international trends. Among other things, it will cover genetic and biomarker-based diagnostics, personalized therapies, minimally invasive procedures (including new catheter technologies and structural interventions), as well as innovations in heart transplantation, oncocardiology, and cardioimmunology. Special attention will be paid to digital health solutions and the clinical applications of artificial intelligence, modern treatment options for heart failure and arrhythmias, as well as translational medicine, prevention, and the latest results in sports cardiology in collaboration with the Medical Committee of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, as Dr. Hajnalka Vágó, Professor of the Department of Sports Medicine at Semmelweis University’s Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center, and Scientific Program Committee Co-Chair for the conference, told our website. Due to the choice of topics focusing on clinical applications, we expect interest not only from medical students but also primarily from cardiologists from and outside Hungary, radiologists, sports physicians, as well as vascular and cardiac surgeons, she pointed out.
Given the extremely diverse field of cardiovascular medicine and the expected level of interest, this year’s conference will be held at two venues. Following the Opening Ceremony and the welcome address by Rector Dr. Béla Merkely, participants will have the opportunity to review the latest developments in their specific areas of interest at the Basic Medical Science Center in 12 sessions as well as 52 presentations and panel discussions over three days.
The speakers will include international luminaries such as Dr. Cecilia Linde, Dr. Domenico Corrado, Dr. Michael Glickson, Dr. Martin Czerny, Dr. Gustavo Oderich, Dr. Jeanette Schulcz-Menger, Dr. Julie de Backer, Dr. Neil Basu, Dr. Stefan D. Anker, Dr. Gerhardt Hindricks, Dr. Scott Solomon, and Dr. Robert Hatala.
Parallel to the events taking place at EOK, 35 presentations and panel discussions will be held in eight sessions at the Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center. These will primarily introduce participants to the latest developments and scientific findings in vascular surgery, electrophysiology, and imaging technologies used in vascular surgery and cardiology. The clinical program will also include a roundtable discussion with the participation of experts from the Central European region. In addition, practical workshops will provide those interested with an insight into cardiac CT, 3D cardiac ultrasound, and the workings of the sports cardiology laboratory. Furthermore, the new MRI equipment will be inaugurated at the center’s building at 70 Városmajor, which is being constructed and will have been finished for the event.
The conference will be held in English, and participation is free of charge after registration. The detailed program can be found on the symposium website, where you can also access the registration form. Once again this year, scientific posters may be submitted for the event, with a deadline of October 20, 2025. Specialists practicing in Hungary will again receive 50 credit points for participating.
Melinda Katalin Kiss, Pálma Dobozi
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University (archive photos); Bálint Barta – Semmelweis University
