International Faculty
We look forward to welcoming an esteemed international faculty comprising leading professionals from across the globe. Stay tuned for updates as we finalize and announce the distinguished experts who will be sharing their insights at SA Heart® Congress 2026.
We are excited to announce the participation of:
Prof. Alan Bulava
Prof. Alan Bulava
Prof. Alan Bulava was born in 1974. He graduated from the Medical Faculty of Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, in 1998, and from the Law Faculty at the same university in 1999. In 2017, he was appointed Professor of Internal Medicine by the President of the Czech Republic.
From 2007 to 2025, Prof. Bulava served as Chief Physician of the Department of Arrhythmology and Cardiac !Pacing at the Cardiology Department, Geske Budejovice Hospital. Since September 2025, he has been Chief of the I. Department of Internal Medicine - Cardiology at University Hospital Olomouc.
Prof. Bulava is dedicated to the continuous education of medical students and nurses at Palacky University in Olomouc and at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South Bohemia in Geske Budejovice. Since 2020, he has also served as Deputy Director for Science, Research, and Education at Geske Budejovice Hospital.
His main professional interests include electrophysiology and catheter ablations of complex arrhythmias, heart failure, and cardiac implantable devices, with a special focus on cardiac resynchronization therapy and conduction system pacing.
He has delivered over 400 lectures at Czech and international cardiology congresses, workshops, and professional forums, and has authored or co-authored more than 140 articles in peer-reviewed cardiology journals.
Prof. Faisal Syed
Prof. Faisal Syed
Dr. Faisal Syed is an Associate Professor of Medicine and cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he serves as Director of Cardiovascular Artificial Intelligence Research. His work focuses on sudden cardiac death risk stratification, arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse, atrial fibrillation, stroke prevention, implantable device therapy, and the clinical application of artificial intelligence in cardiology. He has a particular interest in ECG-based prediction and multimodal cardiovascular modeling aimed at improving real-world cardiovascular care. Dr. Syed has authored numerous peer reviewed publications and book chapters, has presented internationally, and serves in editorial and professional leadership roles in cardiovascular medicine
Dr. Hector I. Michelena
Dr. Hector I. Michelena
Dr. Hector I. Michelena obtained his medical degree with honors, from the Central University of Venezuela in 1996. He trained in Internal Medicine at the Yale-affiliate Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven Connecticut where he served as chief resident. He completed Clinical Cardiology at MCP-Hahnemann and Cardiovascular Imaging at Temple University Hospital, both in Philadelphia. He subsequently completed 1 year of advanced adult Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota, where he has been faculty since 2006. Dr. Michelena is a clinician, researcher, and educator. He has received multiple awards for best clinical provider and multiple top-teacher recognitions at Mayo Clinic. He has received several intramural awards for research. He holds the academic rank of Professor of Medicine since 2017. He was chair for the ACC-Latin American conference from 2017 to 2019 and served in the ACC lifelong learning committee for 3 years. He has been the research chair for the divisions of cardiac ultrasound and structural heart disease from 2021 until 2025 and was director of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography for 12 years. He serves currently on the board of directors of the Heart Valve Society.
Dr. Michelena is a valvular heart disease specialist, and echocardiography specialist, and his areas of research include aortic valve regurgitation and stenosis, congenital bicuspid aortic valve, aortopathies, mitral valve disease, tricuspid valve disease, and intraoperative echocardiography. He has contributed widely to the valvular heart disease literature with over 320 peer-reviewed publications including several national and international guidelines, and has authored over 15 book chapters. He is a world-recognized expert in bicuspid aortic valve disease, bicuspid aortic valve aortopathy, aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation, and intraoperative echocardiography.
Prof. Leslie Cooper
Dr. Leslie Cooper
Dr. Cooper is the Elizabeth C. Lane, PhD and M. Nadine Zimmerman, PhD Professor of Internal Medicine and former chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Florida. His career has focused on the evaluation and diagnosis of rare cardiomyopathies, especially autoimmune variants of myocarditis. He led the 1995-97 international giant cell myocarditis registry, the giant cell myocarditis treatment trial, and international teams on the role of endomyocardial biopsy in cardiovascular disease (AHA/ACC/ESC) and the global burden of myocarditis (WHO/Gates Foundation). He co-founded the Myocarditis Foundation, a 501c3 corporation dedicated to supporting affected families, providing education, and conducting research on myocarditis. Dr. Cooper has over 300 publications in myocarditis and related inflammatory cardiovascular disorders, an H-index of 95 and 160,897 citations.
Prof. Rowlens Melduni
Prof. Rowlens Melduni
Prof. Rowlens Melduni is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and an NIH-funded investigator with extensive experience in clinical cardiology and advanced cardiovascular imaging, with a particular focus on echocardiography. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Adult Comprehensive Echocardiography. He serves as Director of the Cardioversion Unit at Mayo Clinic Rochester and is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Cardiovascular Board.
Prof. Melduni received his medical degree from the University of Florida, followed by internal medicine residency training at Boston University Medical Center. He completed cardiovascular disease fellowship training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and advanced subspecialty fellowship training in echocardiography at Mayo Clinic Rochester. He also obtained a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health. This integrated clinical and research training has resulted in established expertise in study design, advanced statistical analysis, and interpretation of complex cardiovascular outcomes. His work has focused on atrial fibrillation, cardiac imaging, perioperative cardiovascular risk, and the application of echocardiography to mechanistic and prognostic cardiovascular disease research.
Over the course of my career, Prof. Melduni has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals that have contributed to improved understanding of atrial fibrillation mechanisms, epidemiology, and clinical outcomes. He has been recognized for his scholarly contributions, including designation as a Rising Star Investigator by the American Society of Echocardiography. His research portfolio includes observational and prospective studies examining atrial remodeling, diastolic dysfunction, and structural heart disease, with particular emphasis on clinically translatable imaging biomarkers. He is also the founder and President/CEO of Clinicians of the World and actively contribute to national cardiovascular leadership and guideline development activities. Collectively, these experiences reflect sustained academic productivity and leadership in cardiovascular medicine and echocardiography.
Dr. Vuyisile Nkomo
Dr. Vuyisile Nkomo
Dr. Vuyisile T. Nkomo is a Professor of Medicine and Consultant in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. He is the Director of the Valvular Heart Disease Clinic and Clinical Practice Vice Chair of the Division of Structural Heart Disease. His areas of interest include Valvular Heart Disease Epidemiology, Structural Heart Disease evaluation and management, and Echocardiography. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE). Dr. Nkomo received his Doctor in Medicine (MD) degree from Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, and completed Internal Medicine and Cardiology Fellowship training at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. He also received a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, as part of his Cardiology Fellowship.