Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands
Prof. Dr. Natasja MS de Groot, FEHRA, works as a cardiologist-electrophysiologist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Her work focusses on catheter ablation of complex tachyarrhythmias, particularly in patients with congenital heart disease. She is appointed as full-time professor in the EMC and University of Technology Delft. She is also a Medical Delta Professor (EMC-TUD-LUMC) and is the chair of the interdisciplinary Medical Delta Cardiac Arrhythmia Lab. She is director of the unit translational electrophysiology. She founded together with 1) cardiac surgeon Dr. Yannick Taverne the Lowlands Center for bioelectrical medicine and the Erasmus Center of Cardiac Morphology and Electrophysiology, 2) biologist Prof. Dr. Bianca Brundel, the Atrial Fibrillation Innovation Platform. Her research program was in 2018 rewarded with the prestigious VIDI-grant. She was trained in clinical electrophysiology at the Leiden University Medical Center under supervision of Prof. Dr. Schalij and in experimental electrophysiology at the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht under supervision of Prof. Dr. Allessie. The title of her thesis was ‘Mapping and Ablation of Atrial TachyArrhythmias; from Signal to Substrate. She has been involved in writing various international guidelines of the ESC/EHRA/HRS. EMC performs about 1000 ablation procedures and 300 CIED implantations/year; cathlabs are equipped with a variety of novel mapping and ablation technologies offering her an excellent environment to translate her research findings into daily clinical practice. A few examples of her current positions: 1. cardiologist-electrophysiologist, Erasmus Medical Center 2. full professor clinical electrophysiology Erasmus MC 3. full professor translational electrophysiology, Technical University Delft, faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer science, 2020 4. full professor Medical Delta 5. director research unit translational electrophysiology, Erasmus Medical Center 6. co-director/founder Lowlands Center for bioelectrical medicine 7. director Medical Delta Cardiac Arrhythmia Lab (EMC-TUD-LUMC) 8. co-principal investigator Erasmus Center Cardiac Morphology and Electrophysiology 9. member Research Council Erasmus MC 10. member Scientific Council Medical Delta 11. block coordinator ‘Advanced Signal Processing, ’Technical Medicine, TUD-LUMC-EMC 12. director and co-founder Atrial Fibrillation Innovation Platform (AFIP) 13. member European Research Council (starter/consolidator grants) 14. editorial board JACC EP 15. VIDI laureate 2017
Appointed as full professor Translational Electrophysiology at the Technical University Delft, faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer science, 2020.
Appointed as Medical Delta Professor in 2020. Chair of the Medical Delta Cardiac Arrhythmia Lab.
Senior clinical electrophysiologist with ample experience in device implantations and catheter ablations. Experienced in testing novel mapping systems and catheters.
As cardiologist and clinical electrophysiologist, she is capable of performing catheter ablation procedures and device implantations and is experienced with a variety of mapping/ablation technologies including remote magnetic navigation/robotic navigation, and a diversity of electro-anatomical mapping techniques. Main foci of her clinical work include: 1) catheter ablation of complex tachyarrhythmias in patients with congenital heart disease, 2) catheter ablation in pediatric patients. She has been involved in all international guidelines on these topics since 2010. In 2011, she initiated the Sudden Cardiac Death outpatient clinic in collaboration the with department of genetics and pediatric cardiology, which resulted in a protocolized evaluation of patients with (suspicion) of channelopathies. In In 2016, she became task force member of the new HRS/EHRA Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines. In that same year, she was invited as visiting professor at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. During this visit, she focused on ablative therapy of (pediatric) patients with congenital heart disease and gave lectures on mechanism of atrial fibrillation. In 2021, she initiated the familial AF outpatient clinic together with prof. Dr. Bianca Brundel and dr. P. van Tintelen (funded by DHF).
Her research program is composed of a variety of (inter)national research projects aimed at unravelling pathophysiology of cardiac arrhythmias by utilizing a unique way of signal recording and processing technologies to develop innovate diagnostic tools and novel therapies. In 2020, she founded together with Dr. Taverne, the Lowlands Center for Bioelectrical medicine, a fusion of the Translational Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Lab, led by dr. Y.J.H.J. Taverne, and the Translational Electrophysiology Lab, led by prof. dr. N.M.S. de Groot. In this lab, they have created the ability to analyze all aspects of bioelectrical signaling by using state-of-the-art interfaces by combining in-vivo experiments at the surgical wards with in-vitro experiments using a biomimetic platform. At present, there are over 40 (inter)national PhDs involved in her research projects. Her research unit offers research internships for bachelor/master students of medicine, engineering and clinical technology. She is funded by e.g the Dutch Heart Foundation, Technology Foundation, Netherlands Foundation for Health Research and development (ZonMW), NWO. She closely collaborates with Dr. Yannick Taverne (EMC), prof. dr. Bianca Brundel (AUMC), dr. Ir. Richard Hendriks, prof dr. ir. Allejan vd Veen (TU Delft), prof. dr. ir. Wouter Serdijn, (TU Delft). Main research topics are mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmias, high resolution cardiac mapping studies, mechanisms of post-operative AF, dysrhythmias in patients with congenital heart disease and pathophysiology of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Her innovative scientific contributions include e.g. discovery of novel mechanisms underlying persistence of AF, introduction of endovascular mapping approaches guiding ablative therapy of atrial achyarrhythmias in patients with congenital heart disease, development of a novel, intra- operative epicardial mapping approaches.
Prof. Dr. de Groot founded together with Prof. Dr. B. Brundel the Atrial Fibrillation Innovation Platform, a foundation aimed at co-creating innovative research in the area of AF together with doctors, patients and researchers. In 2021, they were selected by the KNAW to receive a grant to further improve their communication with patients.