In conversation with Professor Jan Deprest Artwork

Conversations in Fetal Medicine

Conversations in Fetal Medicine aims to replicate those coffee room conversations with mentors or trainers. It hopefully sits alongside all the fabulous educational materials out there, as sometimes what you want is not simply more facts, rather you need motivation and inspiration for when times are more challenging. It is aimed primarily at trainees in Fetal Medicine, but will hopefully be of interest to anyone working in the field. Some episodes may be more focussed on someone's career, others may be more centred around particular topics.

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Conversations in Fetal Medicine

In conversation with Professor Jan Deprest

August 31, 2023 • Season 2 • Episode 3

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Welcome to the third episode of season two of Conversations in Fetal Medicine, where we talk to Professor Jan Deprest.

Jan Deprest is a leading international fetal surgeon who works two days a week at UCLH as a consultant and at UCL as a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology. At UCL he works in the Institute for Women's Health and the Translational Imaging Group. For the rest of the week he works at his home institutions, at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and its University Hospitals Leuven (Belgium). Professor Deprest is currently the academic chair of the Department of Development and Regeneration and director of the Centre for Surgical Technologies.

Clinically he is the director of the fetal surgery programme in Leuven. He trained in fetal medicine in Leuven (Belgium), St George’s Hospital London (UK), Leiden (Holland) and attended the programme at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia (PA, USA). He established the Eurofoetus consortium, which is dedicated to the development of instruments and techniques for minimally invasive fetal and placental surgery. The Leuven Fetal Medicine Team focuses on antenatal modulation of lung development, e.g. for pulmonary hypoplasia due to congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) as well as for bronchopulmonary dysplasia. He has headed several clinical studies dedicated to the prenatal prediction of survival of fetuses with isolated CDH using genetic testing, ultrasound and fetal MRI imaging. He developed a percutaneous method for fetoscopic placement of a balloon into the fetal trachea (FETO). His translational research also investigates the application of amniotic fluid derived stem cells for treating fetuses or neonates with CDH or other lung disorders, fetal membrane wound healing and brain development in fetuses exposed to steroids or anesthesia.

Bio from UCLH: https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/our-services/find-consultant/professor-jan-deprest

Bio from KU Leuven: https://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/person/00031972

ORCID record (to see his many publications): https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4920-945X

We have not included any patient identifiable information, and this podcast is intended for professional education rather than patient information (although welcome anyone interested in the field to listen). Please get in touch with feedback or suggestions for future guests or topics: conversationsinfetalmed@gmail.com, or via Twitter (X) or Instagram via @fetalmedcast.

Music by Crowander ('Acoustic romance') used under creative commons licence. Podcast created, hosted and edited by Dr Jane Currie.