The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust has been supporting the growth of the UK Aortopathy and Arteriopathy Rare Disease Collaborative Network, helping bring together specialist centres to improve care, research and collaboration for people living with hereditary thoracic aortic diseases (HTADs) and other rare vascular conditions.
Supported by NHS England, the network provides a national forum to share expertise, discuss complex cases and develop best practice, ultimately improving outcomes for patients and families.
This meeting is worth 5 CPD hours. Spaces are very limited, so book your place today.
Network Meeting Programme
| Morning Chair: Dr Amanda Varnava | ||
| 10.00 | Welcome and Introduction | Dr Leema Robert, Consultant Clinical Geneticist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust |
| 10.10 | Challenges for Paediatric Service Delivery | Dr Elena Cervi, Consultant Cardiologist, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London |
| 10.30 | How to Manage Hypermobility Referrals | Dr Fleur Van Dijk, Consultant in Clinical Genetics, London North West Healthcare Trust |
| 10.50 | Genetics Screening Negative Aortic Dissection | Michael Kyriakides, Aortic Dissection Survivor and Trustee, The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust |
| 11.10 | Refreshments and Networking | |
| 11.40 | Case Presentations (focus on diagnostic dilemmas) | |
| 12.40 | Lunch and Networking | |
| 13.40 | Case Presentations (focus on management dilemmas) | |
| Afternoon Chair: Dr Elena Cervi | ||
| 14.40 | Changes in Testing Criteria | Matthew Edwards, Deputy Head, Clinical Genetics and Genomic Laboratory, Royal Brompton Hospital |
| 15.00 | Challenges of Setting up an Adult Inherited Aortopathy Service | Dr Paul Clift, Consultant Cardiologist, University Hospitals Birmingham |
| 15.20 | Refreshments and Networking | |
| 15.40 | FBN1 VUS Project | Dr Clara Portwood, Clinical Genetics Fellow, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust |
| 15.50 | Decipher Cardiovascular Genetics Consortium | Dr Viraj Patel, Clinical Genetics Fellow, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust |
| 16.00 | Bringing Genetics to the Patient | Riccardo Abbasciano, Research Fellow, Imperial College London |
| 16.10 | Feedback and Close | Graham Cooper, Cardiac Surgeon, Trustee, The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust |



