Cardiology II

The Cardiology II University Clinic operates within the Department of Cardiology at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Timișoara, serving as a major center for advanced cardiovascular education, research, and clinical practice.

The university clinic is currently led by Professor Constantin-Tudor Luca and is supported by a multidisciplinary team of highly qualified academic staff, senior physicians, and board-certified cardiologists specializing in all major subspecialties of cardiology.

The clinic plays a pivotal role in medical education, offering comprehensive training to students enrolled in the Romanian, English, and French study programs, as well as resident physicians in cardiology and related specialties. Main activities include academic courses, mentorship for undergraduate and doctoral research and active participation in national and international scientific congresses and conferences, often resulting in notable distinctions. Among the most significant educational contributions are the publication of the Cardiology Course (2022), aligned with the national residency curriculum and designed to support postgraduate exam preparation, and the Collection of Clinical Cases in Cardiology (2025). In addition to undergraduate instruction, the clinic organizes annual postgraduate programs in transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology, being an accredited national training center in these disciplines.

The Cardiology II university clinic is committed to covering the full spectrum of theoretical and practical cardiology, with a strong emphasis on both invasive and non-invasive approaches. Benefiting from access to complex interventional procedures available within the Timișoara University Center, the clinic provides advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services across all major cardiovascular domains, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, conduction disorders, cardiac imaging, emergency cardiology, as well as congenital heart disease in both adults and pediatric patients. Clinical practice adheres strictly to contemporary European guidelines and evidence-based standards, enabling students and trainees to engage with state-of-the-art cardiovascular care and multidisciplinary teamwork in real clinical settings.

Teaching and clinical performance are further supported by dedicated units within the Institute, including the Echocardiography Laboratory (ECHOTIM, European-accredited since 2012 and renewed in 2022), the USTACC emergency and critical cardiac care department, the Interventional Cardiology and Cardiac Catheterization and the Electrophysiology and Pacemaker Implantation departments. Much of the clinic’s advanced equipment has been provided through research initiatives and institutional funding from the “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara. Close collaboration with the Cardiovascular Surgery Department and the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Clinic ensures comprehensive multidisciplinary management. The clinic has historically pioneered numerous cardiovascular techniques in Romania, including the first coronary reperfusion trials, novel electrophysiology and ablation procedures, and resynchronization therapy. As the sole center in Western Romania operating a dedicated STEMI on-call schedule, the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Timisoara provides continuous emergency access to primary PCI and other lifesaving interventions. Major contemporary structural and interventional procedures, such as TAVI, MitraClip therapy, aortic endografting, Carto-guided arrhythmia ablation, pediatric cardiac surgery and congenital defect interventions, are routinely performed, offering trainees direct exposure to modern European-standard cardiology.

The academic staff of the Cardiology II University Clinic includes highly respected national and international experts with recognized achievements in clinical, educational, and scientific domains. Faculty members include Prof. Dr. Constantin-Tudor Luca, Prof. Dr. Adina Ionac, Prof. Dr. Cristian Mornoș, Prof. Dr. Dragoș Cozma, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Simina Crișan, Lecturer Dr. Alina Negru, Lecturer Dr. Cristina Văcărescu, Lecturer Dr. Raluca Coifan, and university assistants Dr. Mihaela Valcovici, Dr. Denise Drăgulescu, Dr. Mihai Lazar, Dr. Alexandru Pescariu, Dr. Silvia Luca, Dr. Oana Voinescu, Dr. Sebastian Zus and Dr. Bogdan Enache. Several members are affiliated with the Institute’s Research Center.

Scientific achievements from the clinic are substantial, including numerous ISI-indexed publications, textbooks and monographs issued by reputable publishers, participation in multicenter clinical studies, and competitive research grant awards. Over the past two decades, the clinic has organized major national and international conferences and congresses in cardiology and internal medicine, in collaboration with renowned European experts and institutions.