Dr Frits Prinzen (F.W.)
Main research topic: regional cardiac mechanics and long-term structural and functional adaptations to various conditions, with emphasis on asynchronous electrical activation and cardiac resynchronization. Primarily animal experimental work, but with important links to Biomedical Engineering (computer models of cardiac electrophysiology and mechanics) and Cardiology (patients with pacemakers, bundle branch block, heart failure).
With this background Prof. Prinzen is a world expert on pacing therapies, both for bradycardia and for heart failure (cardiac resynchronization therapy, CRT).
Education: Gymnasium B (Commenius College, Hilversum, 1966 - 1972)
Medical Biology (University of Utrecht, 1972 - 1978)
Professional career: 1978 - 1982: PhD student. Thesis on the relation between cardiac mechanics, metabolism and blood flow during ischemia. Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University .
1982 - 1987: Post Doc. Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University
1987 - 1997: Assistant Professor of Physiology. Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University
1995-1996: sabbatical leave at Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, USA (dept. Biomedical Engineering)
1997 - 2009: Associate Professor of Physiology. Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University
2004: Sabbatical leave at University of Göttingen, Germany
2009 - : Professor of Physiology, especially in “Electro-mechanics of the heart”, Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University.
Dr Frits Prinzen (F.W.)
Professor of Electro-Mechanics of the Heart, Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM)