Leadership

Prof. Bernardo Cortese, president of the scientific committee of Fondazione RIC is an expert Interventional Cardiologist with an invaluable experience of over 20 years and a special dedication to the complex patients/lesions setting. He is an international opinion leader on drug-coated balloons, bioresorbable scaffolds, antithrombotic drugs, complex angioplasty and CTO, and intravascular imaging.

Prof Cortese has published several hundred papers in high-impact Journals and authored a number of books in the interventional cardiology field. He is active in research and education, providing mentorship to fellows from all over the globe. He has conducted numerous important clinical trials that have revolutionized the field of Interventional Cardiology.

Sara Malakouti, MD, Researcher
Fellow and Activities Manager

Sara Malakouti is a MD graduate of the University of Milano, Italy (UniMi). She trained and gathered medical and research experiences from many high-ranking hospitals in Milan. She is a candidate for cardiology residency and has authored many scientific papers in this field. She is a demonstrated achiever with strong problem-solving, decision-making, and management skills. She has proven leadership through efficient scheduling and planning of activities, consistently meeting project deadlines, and effectively multitasking in complex projects. She excels at working collaboratively as a team member with a strong dedication to delivering high- quality results.

Wojciech Wanha, MD, PhD
Research and Clinical Trials Manager

Wojciech Wanha, MD, PhD, is an interventional cardiologist and researcher at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland. He specialized in interventional cardiology. The main area of his research interests is invasive cardiology, in particular drug-coated balloons and new-generation drug-eluting stents. He excels at monitoring clinical trial progress, supporting team members, and implementing new methodologies to improve the research process. He possesses the skills to effectively deliver impactful and high-quality research that has the potential to drive real change in practice.

Marco Frazzetto, MD
Grants Discovery and Application

Marco Frazzetto, MD, is an interventional cardiologist and a clinical researcher, fellow in Coronary and Structural Interventional Cardiology at the Cardiac Center in Lugano, Switzerland, under the guidance of Professor Marco Valgimigli. He is a passionate researcher in the field of Interventional Cardiology and has authored over 40 scientific articles published in international journals.

From July 2024 to July 2025, he was a researcher in Coronary and Structural Interventional Cardiology at University Hospitals, Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, under the guidance of Professors Guilherme Attizzani and Bernardo Cortese. He is currently a clinician and researcher.

Eman Murad, MD
Educational Activities Coordinator

Interventional Cardiologist at Mohammed bin Khalifa Cardiac Center (MKCC), Bahrain, with over 15 years of clinical experience in Cardiovascular and Internal medicine. Currently undertaking advanced Interventional Cardiology fellowship training at Asan Medical Center, Republic of Korea. Serves as research fellow and Academic Program Director at DCB Academy with responsibilities spanning clinical research and organization of international educational programs. Background includes Arab Board certification in Internal Medicine and MRCP (UK) with involvement in academic teaching. Professional interests include coronary revascularization, intravascular imaging-guided PCI, drug-coated balloon technologies, complex coronary interventions, and structural heart disease (TAVR, ASD closure), with a focus on applying clinical evidence to real-world practice.