Rastislav Kunda

Prof. Rastislav Kunda, MD, FASGE, FJGES is a surgeon in hepatopancreatobiliary and gastrointestinal surgery and interventional digestive endoscopy. Throughout his career, he has focused on invention and innovation, particularly in biliopancreatic endoscopy, including the development of new devices and procedures in interventional endoscopy. In the span of his career, he performed over 28.000 therapeutic ERCPs. Since 2008, he has focused on the implementation of interventional EUS as a complementary approach to ERCP, as well as the development of entirely novel procedures in interventional EUS and HPB endoscopy and their firm incorporation into therapeutic algorithms of HPB disorders. Thus placing Universitetshospital Aarhus, Denmark, and Universiteit Ziekenhuis Brussel, Belgium as global leaders in the early implementation of these recent developments into clinical practice as well as in providing advanced training in these novel techniques worldwide. The main focus is on the multidisciplinary approach to hepatopancreatobiliary diseases, including minimally invasive interventions by means of flexible endoscopy, laparoscopy, and robotic surgery.He is Head of Endoscopy and Advanced Interventional Endoscopy at Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZB), Brussels. Belgium. He is a senior HPB surgeon of the multidisciplinary Hepatopancreatobiliary Center at UZB. He is a professor of surgery and endoscopy at UZB and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium. Prof. Kunda holds numerous visiting professorships on all continents, he has been honored with 27 international awards of distinction and is a member of 27 professional organizations and societies. His work includes also 7 books or chapter contributions for textbooks, over 140 published articles and abstracts, and over 300 international presentations and invited lectures.