Isabelle C. Van Gelder obtained her MD in Groningen, the Netherlands in 1986, her PhD in 1991, completed cardiology training in 1994, and electrophysiology training in 1996. Since 1995 she is working as cardiologist at the University Medical Center Groningen. Since 2006 she is Professor of Cardiology at the University of Groningen.
She is Board member of EHRA and chair of the EHRA membership pillar, Secretary/ Treasurer of the ESC Stroke Council., sand a visiting professor of the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
She was awarded with a Post Doc Netherlands Heart Foundation grant in 1994, an Interuniversity Cardiology Institute Netherlands post doc grant in 1995, and the Bert Talen Medal in 2016 by the Netherlands Heart Rhythm Association.
She gave the ESC 2019 René Laënnec lecture on clinical cardiology and received the ESC silver medal for work in clinical Cardiology.
She received > €15 million research grants for atrial fibrillation research, published >300 peer reviewed papers, and is a promotor of > 15 PhD students. She is PI of >20 trials including the RACE trials and steering committee member of >15 international trials including EAST, AXAFA, ASSERT, RASTA-AF and STEEER AF.
She is Task Force member of the ESC AF 2020 guidelines and Associate Editor of the Europace and Heart.
Current activities
Her research focuses on understanding the susceptibility to atrial fibrillation and it adverse outcomes including AF progression. It explores novel management strategies to prevent adverse outcomes with a focus on cardiovascular risk management and diagnosis and prevention of heart failure.