Dept. Physiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands

Title of Talk

Course introduction & Vascular Ageing

Speaker Bio

Prof. Dick Thijssen is a globally leading interdisciplinary researcher in cardiovascular physiology with focus on impact of exercise and physical (in)activity on underlying physiology and cardiovascular health. He holds Professor positions at Radboud University Medical Centre, Netherlands and Liverpool John Moores University, UK. He has supervised over 30 PhD students. His research uniquely combines deep underlying physiological mechanisms, technology, exercise methods and strategies and clinical translation for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Through this approach, he has made fundamental contributions in cardiovascular physiology and performed landmark studies on vascular ultrasound. As a result, he has won high acclaim amongst peers and larger research community in physiology, medicine and technology. His research group focuses on the field of cardiovascular physiology and physical (in)activity. The work strongly focuses on understanding the impact of exercise training and physical activity on reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Specifically, Dick examines the impact of physical activity on the quality and structure of arteries, and the role of hemodynamic forces (such as shear stress and pressure) on these adaptations.