Richard van Valen has been working in an academic teaching hospital as an advanced nurse practitioner for over 20 years. During that period he succesfully finished a PhD focusing on quality improvement and patient safety in Cardiac surgery. Since 2012 he has worked with allied health professionals (AHP) in Cardiac surgery to become an official committee within EACTS. This was achieved in 2023. His goal as chair is to further the visibility of AHP, integrate them within multidisciplinary guidelines and provide them with a platform to show their work.
