Graduated from Cairo University Medical School in 1998. Appointed as a Resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cairo University Hospitals 2000-2003 where he concomitantly completed an MSc. He was appointed as Assistant Lecturer, then Lecturer, in Cardiothoracic Surgery from 2004-2007 where he completed his Medical Doctorate (MD) degree. He moved to the UK in 2007 and successfully completed the Fellowship examination of the RCS (Eng). He was awarded the prestigious Ethicon Fellowship from the SCTS and pursued advanced training in aortic valve and root repair at Hôpital Universitaires St. Luc in Brussels under the mentorship of Prof El- Khoury. He held a Heart Research UK fellowship at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) in 2016, and was appointed as a Consultant Cardiac and Aortic Surgeon at LHCH in 2017.

Graduated with a BSc in Applied Zoology from LJMU in 2001, Sarah went on to complete a BSc Clinical Science (Perfusion) at NESCOT and qualified as a Clinical Perfusion Scientist in 2004.  Since then Sarah has also completed a MSc Translational Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Bristol (2019) and is a member of the Society of Clinical Perfusion Scientists Executive Committee (Sub committee Education and Training).  Over the years Sarah has developed an interest in perfusion practices for aortic surgery and became connected with LABB during her Masters.  She commenced a part-time PhD in October 2020 investigating the role of inflammation in acute Type A aortic dissection under the supervision of Dr Jill Madine while continuing to maintain her clinical perfusion practice.

Francesco was appointed consultant vascular/endovascular surgeon in 2003. He works at the Liverpool University Hospitals and at the Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital. He studied in Italy, Belgium and the United Kingdom and qualified in Medicine in 1992. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of surgeons of England in 1997 and subsequently trained in general/vascular surgery in Merseyside and Manchester. He was awarded his Doctor of Medicine postgraduate degree in Manchester with the thesis “Development and Evaluation of a Blood Transfusion Trigger by Near Infrared Spectroscopy”. He is a founding member of the Liverpool Cardiovascular Service, in which cardiac and vascular surgeons combine their skills to deliver treatment to patients with complex aortic disease.

Martin studied Medicine with an intercalated degree in Biomedical Sciences at The University of Manchester (2003-2009). Then worked as a junior doctor in London and New Zealand before starting basic surgical training in Manchester in 2013, where he obtained his MRCS. Began higher surgical training in Vascular Surgery in Liverpool in 2015. Currently undertaking a PhD at Liverpool University investigating the biomechanics and biochemistry of the abdominal aorta under the supervision of Dr Riaz Akhtar and Dr Jill Madine.

Graduated from Naresuan University, Thailand in Physics and then achieved a MSc in Biomedical Engineering from University of Liverpool in 2016. She commenced a PhD in Feb 2017 investigating the nanomechanical heterogeneity in the aortic dissection flap under the supervision of Dr Riaz Akhtar, Dr Jill Madine and Mr Mark Field.

Dr Ya Hua Chim obtained her MEng(Hons) degree in Biomedical Materials Science from University of Manchester in 2010. She went on studying at University of Glasgow, where she completed her MRes studies in Cells and Proteomic Technologies before obtaining PhD in Biomedical Engineering. She worked on a BHF-funded project on aortic biomechanics in the LABB Group 2017-2019.

Dr Hannah Davies obtained her BSc (Hons) degree in Biochemistry from University of Liverpool in 2009. She carried on studying at University of Liverpool, where she was awarded a PhD investigating expression and characterisation of cardiovascular amyloid proteins in 2013. Hannah continued working on cardiovascular amyloid proteins and biochemical changes within aortic pathologies funded by BHF within the LABB group until 2020.