Dr Sam Heuts (Dept of Cardiothoracic Surgery) and Dr Floor Heubel-Moenen (Dept of Internal Medicine) both received a grant from the MUMC+ Academic Fund 2026.

In his project VISIONARY, Sam investigates whether CT scanning can replace invasive cardiac catheterisation in the preoperative assessment of cardiac surgery patients. The aim is to reduce unnecessary invasive procedures and make care safer, faster, and more patient-friendly. The study is conducted within a multidisciplinary team, involving cardiothoracic surgery (Elham Bidar), cardiology (Martijn Smulders), and radiology (Casper Mihl), and makes use of advanced CT technology.

Floor received the grant for the BDUC-iN study. This project focuses not only on improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying bleeding symptoms without a clear diagnosis, but also on bridging important gaps in care, quality of life and women’s health for patients with Bleeding Disorder of Unknown Cause (BDUC).