SFI Professor of Interventional Cardiology at National University of Ireland Galway, Belgium
SFI Professor of Interventional Cardiology at National University of Ireland Galway, Belgium
William Wijns graduated in 1976 from the University of Louvain in Belgium where he trained as a cardiologist until 1981 (Professor J-M. Detry).
He then joined the Thorax Center in Rotterdam (Professor P. Hugenholtz and P.W. Serruys) where he was actively involved with the first applications of nuclear cardiology, thrombolysis, and coronary dilatation. After spending 1984 and 1985 as a Visiting Associate Professor of Radiological Sciences at UCLA (Professor H. Schelbert), Dr Wijns returned to the University of Louvain in Brussels where he directed the cardiac PET program and became Clinical Professor of Cardiology. In 1994, Dr Wijns joined the group in Aalst as Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Center.
He has authored over 300 publications in peer reviewed journals and holds several positions in national and international professional and scientific organisations. He has served on the Board of the European Society of Cardiology, the World Heart Federation and the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions until August 2010. Currently Dr Wijns is chair of Euro PCR.His research is focused on the regulation of coronary blood flow and cardiac metabolism in ischaemic heart disease.
Dr. Wijns has been a Science Foundation Ireland Professor in Interventional Cardiology at National University of Ireland Galway since September 2016. He served the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in various positions, including Vice-President, Chairman of EU Affairs, Scientific Program Chair and President of theEuropean Association of Percutaneous Cardiac Intervention (EAPCI) of the ESC.
Presently, he chairs PCR with focus on adult learning, knowledge transfer techniques and education science via Courses and other educational activities (publishing, web-based learning, seminars and workshops). Prof. Wijns is Associate Editor of the European Heart Journal, covering acute coronary syndromes, coronary artery disease and interventional cardiology.