Dr. Vanassche earned a medical degree from the University of Leuven in Belgium. He trained in internal medicine and cardiology at the University Hospital in Leuven. His doctoral research at the Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology focused on the interactions between infection, inflammation and coagulation. As a doctoral and postdoctoral researcher, dr. Vanassche was involved in clinical trials in the field of thrombosis and vascular medicine, including studies with novel anticoagulants such as inhibitors of factor Xa, factor VIII and factor XI. He worked as a clinical research fellow at the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, in Hamilton, Canada as a clinical trialist for studies with antithrombotic therapies, on cardiovascular prevention, and in cardiovascular risk assessment.
After obtaining his cardiology license, Dr. Vanassche joined the department of Cardiovascular Sciences at University Hospitals Leuven, where he is involved in the intensive cardiac care unit, thrombosis and vascular medicine, and hypertension and cardiovascular prevention. He is responsible for the thrombosis clinic, vascular function and imaging, and is involved in the reference center for care for patients with acquired and congential bleeding disorders.
Besides his clinical work, dr. Vanassche continues his research in the link between inflammation and coagulation, including a clinical trial in antithrombotic therapy in patients with COVID-19. He has been an investigator in several national and international clinical trials in thrombosis care. In collaboration with the research group of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, his research interests also include cardiovascular risk factors and hypertension. He is a passionate advocate for lifestyle and cardiovascular prevention