2nd Annual Cleveland Aortic Symposium: Aortic Dissection - Type A, B, Non-A-Non-B
**Continuing Medical Education**
Hands-On Training | Poster & Video Competition | International Expert Panel
Presented by University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute (Cleveland, OH)
Sponsored by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Friday, August 28 - Saturday, August 29, 2026
Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower
1360 W. Mall Drive
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Online Registration httsp://cwru.cloud-cme.com/Aortic26UH
AGENDA
Day 1 | Friday, August 28th, 2026
7:00 – 7:50 am | Registration and Continental Breakfast
7:50 – 7:55 am | Introductions: Joseph Sabik III, MD
7:55 – 8:00 am | Welcome: Yasir Abu-Omar, MD, PhD and Jae Cho, MD
8:00 – 8:20 am | Keynote Lecture:
Acute Dissection of the Aortic Organ - Type A, Type B, and Non-A- Non-B
Davide Pacini, MD, PhD
SESSION I: AORTIC DISSECTION – IMAGING and PATHOLOGY
Moderators: Duke Cameron, MD, Sanjay Rajagopalan, MD, Gregory Rushing, MD, Sherene Shalhub, MD
8:20 – 8:30 am
High resolution CTA in Evaluation of Acute Aortic Dissection
Imran Rashid, MD, PhD
8:30 – 8:40 am
Aortic Dissection in Genetic Aortopathy: Toward Biologically Informed Surgical Decision-Making
Sherene Shalhub, MD
8:40 – 9:00 am | Keynote Lecture:
Connective Tissue Syndromes in Aortic Organ
Duke Cameron, MD
9:00 – 9:10 am | Discussion & Questions/Answers
Session II: Complex/Combined Aortic Root Reconstruction
Moderators: Yasir Abu-Omar, MD, PhD, Shinichi Fukuhara, MD, Mohamed Halim, MD, PhD
9:10 - 9:20 am
Is “Commando” Procedure a Good Option for a Small, Infected, or Porcelain Aortic Root?
Mohamed Halim, MD, PhD
9:20 – 9:30 am
Ross Procedure – What We Have Learned in the First 100 Cases
Yakov Elgudin, MD, PhD
9:30 – 9:40 am
Ozaki Procedure – Where Does it Fit in Aortic Valve Surgery?
Thomas Senage, MD, PhD
9:40 – 9:50 am
Combined Aortic Root and Mitral Valve Reconstruction
Yasir Abu-Omar, MD, PhD
9:50 – 10:00 am | Discussion & Questions/Answers
10:00 – 10:20 am | Coffee & Networking Break
Session III: Acute Aortic Dissection with Malperfusion Syndrome
Moderators: Pedro Catarino, MD, Yakov Elgudin, MD, PhD, Fernando Fleischman, MD, Davide Pacini, MD, PhD, Himanshu Patel, MD
10:20 – 10:40 am | Keynote Lecture:
Malperfusion Syndrome in Acute Aortic Dissection - Why Do Patients Die?
Fernando Fleischman, MD
10:40 – 10:50 am
Cerebral Malperfusion
Shinichi Fukuhara, MD
10:50 – 11:00 am
Ischemic Gut: The Most Lethal Form of Malperfusion
W. Darrin Clouse, MD
11:00 – 11:10 am
Spinal Cord Protection in Aortic Dissection Repair
Guillermo Escobar, MD
11:10 – 11:20 am
Endovascular Reperfusion: Fenestrations and Branch Stents
Frank Arko, MD
11:20 – 11:30 am
Treatment Algorithms in Patient with Malperfusion
Davide Pacini, MD, PhD
11:30 – 11:50 am
Debate: Malperfusion Management: Central Aortic Repair First
Yakov Elgudin, MD, PhD
11:50 am – 12:00 pm | Discussion & Questions/Answers
12:00 – 1:00 pm | Lunch, Exhibits & Networking
Session IV: Open, Endovascular, and Hybrid Approach to All Aortic “Zones”
Moderators: Jae Cho, MD, W. Darrin Clouse, MD, Mahrdad Ghoureishi MD, Sabine Wipper, MD
1:00 – 1:20 pm | Keynote Lecture:
Endo-Bentall – Ready for Prime Time?
Mehrdad Ghoureishi, MD
1:20 – 1:30 pm
Thoracic Branched Endoprosthesis (TBE)
Kaitlyn Dunphy, MD
1:30 – 1:40 pm
Physician Modified Endo-Grafting (PMEG)
Benjamin Lee, MD
1:40 – 2:00 pm | Keynote Lecture:
Thoracoflo Hybrid FET – What We Have Learned
Sabine Wipper, MD
2:00 – 2:10 pm
ThoraFlex Hybrid FET Graft
Pedro Catarino, MD
2:10 – 2:20 pm
TEVAR in the Middle of the Night
Jane Chung, MD
2:20 – 2:40 pm | Keynote Lecture:
Management of Aortic Arch in Type A Aortic Dissection
Chris Malaisrie, MD
2:40 – 3:00 pm | Coffee & Networking Break
Session V: “How I Do It” and "My Worst Case" In Aortic Surgery
Moderators: Chris Malaisrie, MD, Davide Pacini, MD, PhD, Marc Pelletier, MD, Joseph Sabik III
3:00 – 3:07 pm | Guillermo Vaccarino, MD
3:07 – 3:14 pm | Jonathan Kwong, MD
3:14 – 3:21 pm | Davide Pacini, MD, PhD
3:21 – 3:28 pm | Chris Malaisrie, MD
3:28 – 3:35 pm | Fernando Fleischman, MD
3:35 – 3:42 pm | Sherene Shalhub, MD
3:42 – 3:49 pm | Pedro Catarino, MD
3:49 – 3:56 pm | Shinichi Fukuhara, MD
3:56 - 4:15 pm | Coffee & Networking Break
4:15 – 4:22 pm I Guillermo Escobar, MD
4:22 – 4:30 pm | Ann Kim, MD
4:30 – 4:37 pm | Frank Arko, MD
4:37 – 4:45 pm | Sabine Wipper, MD
4:45 - 4:52 pm | W. Darrin Clouse, MD
4:52 – 5:00 pm | Kelsey Gray, MD
5:00 – 5:15 pm | Discussion & Questions/Answers
5:15 pm | Closing Remarks | Joseph Sabik III, MD
Friday Evening Social Program (Non-CME Activity)
6:00 – 6:50 pm | Cocktail Party and Networking | St. Claire Ballroom
7:00 – 8:00 pm | Dinner and Feature Performance| St. Claire Ballroom
Day 2 | Saturday, August 29, 2026
7:00 – 7:50 am | Registration and Continental Breakfast
7:50 – 7:55 am | Introduction and Welcome: Yasir Abu-Omar, MD, PhD and Jae Cho, MD
SESSION VI: Lifetime Management Of Aortic Valve Disease
Moderators: Yasir Abu-Omar, MD, PhD, Guilherme Attizzani, Shinichi Fukuhara, MD, Marc Pelletier, MD
8:00 – 8:20 am | Keynote Lecture:
Lifetime Management of Aortic Valve Disease
Guilherme Attizzani, MD
8:20 – 8:30 am
TAVR First or SAVR First?
Gregory Rushing, MD
8:30 – 8:40 am
Leaflet Modification for TAVR
Anene Ukaigwe, MD
8:40 – 8:50 am
Surgical Strategies for Facilitating Future TAVR-in-SAVR
Shinichi Fukuhara, MD
8:50 – 9:05 am | Discussion & Questions/Answers
SESSION VII: Poster & Video Competition
Moderators: Jane Chung, MD, Sarah Eapen, MD, Jonathan Kwong, MD, Gregory Rushing, MD
9:05 – 9:15 am | Best Aortic Surgery Video - Presentation and Award
9:15 – 9:25 am | Best Poster in Aortic Surgery - Presentation and Award
9:25 – 9:45 am | Coffee & Networking Break
SESSION VIII: Hands-On Training
9:45 am – 12:00 pm | Aortic Intervention – Open And Endovascular Stations
Aortic Root Enlargement | Marc Pelletier, MD
Konno Aorto-Ventriculoplasty | Yakov Elgudin, MD, PhD
Ross Procedure | Shinichi Fukuhara, MD
“Commando” Procedure | Mohamed Halim, MD, PhD
ThoraFlex Frozen Elephant Trunk | Pedro Catarino, MD
Thoracoflo Reverse Frozen Elephant Trunk | Sabine Wipper, MD
Thoracic Branch Endo-Prosthesis (TBE) | Jae Cho, MD and Kaithlyn Dunphy, MD
12:00 pm | Closing Remarks - Joseph Sabik III, MD
Directors and Speakers
ACTIVITY DIRECTORS
Yasir Abu-Omar, MD, PhD
Chief, Cardiac Surgery
Russ and Connie Lincoln Chair in Cardiothoracic Innovation
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Jae Cho, MD
Chief, Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Therapy
Brenda and Marshall Brown Master Clinician in Vascular Innovation
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
COURSE DIRECTOR
Yakov Elgudin, MD, PhD
Surgical Director, Lung Transplantation
Marcella "Dolly" Haugh Chair in Valvular Surgery
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
GUEST SPEAKERS
Frank Arko, MD
Director, Endovascular Surgery
Co-Director, Aortic Institute, Carolinas Medical Center
Professor, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Wake Forest University
Atrium Health
Duke Cameron, MD
Director, Dana and Albert ”Cubby” Broccoli Center for Aortic Diseases
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
John Hopkins University
Pedro Catarino, MD
Director, Aortic Surgery
Professor, Cardiac Surgery
Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
W. Darrin Clouse, MD
Chief, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Professor, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
University of Virginia
Fernando Fleischman, MD
Director, Aortic Surgery
Director, USC Comprehensive Aortic Center
Professor, Clinical Surgery, Keck School of Medicine
University of Southern California
Shinichi Fukuhara, MD
Cardio-Aortic Surgeon
Clinical Associate Professor
University of Michigan
Mehrdad Ghoureishi, MD
Co-Director of Aortic Surgery
Medical Director of Cardiac Surgery Research and Innovation
Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute
Baptist Health Medical Group
Kelsey Gray, MD
Director, Cardiothoracic Transplantation
Yale New Haven Hospital System
Ann Kim, MD
Vascular Surgeon
University of Maryland
K. Benjamin Lee, MD
Division of Vascular Diseases and Surgery
The Ohio State University
Chris Malaisrie, MD
Program Director, Thoracic Surgery Residency and Fellowship
Director, Comprehensive Aorta Center
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Co-Director, Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program and Marfan Syndrome
Professor, Surgery Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Davide Pacini, MD, PhD
Director of Cardiac Surgery, S. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic
Bologna, Italy
Professor
Himanshu J. Patel MD
Section Head, Adult Cardiac Surgery
Director, Frankel Cardiovascular Center
Executive Director, Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan
Marc P. Pelletier, MD, MSc, FRCSC
Chief, Cardiac Surgery
Physician-in-Chief, Cardiac Surgery
Heart and Vascular Center of Yale New Haven Hospital System
Professor, Cardiac Surgery
Yale School of Medicine, Yale University
Sherene Shalhub, MD, MPH
Vice Chair for Regional Strategy and Surgical Operations
Division Head of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
John Porter M.D. Endowed Professor in Vascular Surgery
Oregon Health & Science University
Guillermo Vaccarino, MD
Chief, Cardiovascular Surgery
Austral University Hospital, Argentina
Sabine Wipper, MD
Director, Vascular Surgery
Senior Physician, University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg
University Hospital Innsbruck, Austria
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS SPEAKERS AND MODERATORS
*Denotes planning committee member
Guilherme Attizzani, MD
Co-Director, Valve & Structural Heart Disease Center
Alexander and Marianna McAfee Chair in Innovative Cardiac Interventions
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Jane Chung, MD
Vascular Surgeon
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Assistant Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Vascular Surgeon
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Assistant Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Sarah Eapen, MD
Division of Cardiac Surgery
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Associate Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Guillermo Escobar, MD
Vascular Surgeon
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Associate Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Vinicius Esteves, MD, PhD
Regional Director, Valve & Structural Heart Disease Center
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Mohamed Abdel Halim, MD *
Division of Cardiac Surgery
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Assistant Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Jonathan Kwong, MD
Director, Vascular Surgery Training Program
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Assistant Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Sanjay Rajagopalan, MD
Chief, Cardiovascular Medicine
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Herman K. Hellerstein, MD, Professor of Cardiovascular Research
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Imran Rashid, MD, PhD, FRACP
Director, Cardiovascular MRI
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Assistant Professor, Medicine & Radiology
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Gregory Rushing, MD
Director, Cardiac Surgery, UH Parma Medical Center
Co- Director, Valve & Structural Heart Disease Center
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Associate Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Joseph F. Sabik III, MD*
Vice President, Surgical Operations
Surgeon-in-Chief
Sally and Bob Gries Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery
University Hospitals
Thomas Senage, MD, PhD
Division of Cardiac Surgery
University Hospitals
Anene Ukaigwe, MD
Interventional Cardiologist
University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
Clinical Associate Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Accreditation
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Credits
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ 11.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (11.00 hours).