Radiological Sciences Research Seminar Series

Carsten Rickers is a senior pediatric cardiologist and adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) specialist at the University Heart and Vascular Center in Hamburg, Germany. He is an expert in cardiovascular MRI, with particular focus on univentricular circulation, Tetralogy of Fallot, Ebstein’s anomaly, transposition of the great arteries (TGA), and cardiomyopathies in both pediatric and adult populations. His research centers on advanced imaging techniques — including 4D flow imaging, MR relaxometry and first-pass perfusion—to investigate blood flow dynamics, myocardial perfusion and myocardial tissue remodeling in patients with congenital heart disease.

Rickers studied medicine at the University of Münster, Germany, and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, US. He completed his residency at University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, where he trained in both pediatric and adult cardiology, gaining extensive experience in advanced imaging, catheter-based interventions and electrophysiology. He subsequently joined the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis as a research fellow in the group of Kurt Amplatz, later advancing to an assistant professorship in cardiovascular MRI research within the Department of Radiology. During this time, he further developed expertise in advanced imaging and MR-guided catheter interventions and contributed to early landmark studies in this field. In recent years, Rickers has established international collaborations with leading institutions, including Harvard Medical School (Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Professors M. Jerosch-Herold and R. Kwong) and the University of California, Irvine (Professor A. Kheradvar), focusing on the application of cutting-edge imaging techniques to complex congenital heart disease. In collaboration with Arash Kheradvar (UC Irvine), he continues to investigate blood flow dynamics, myocardial perfusion and myocardial tissue remodeling in congenital heart disease. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and has received numerous research grants and awards, including the Research Prize of the German Society for Pediatric Cardiology. Rickers is currently a visiting professor at the University of California, Irvine, supported by an International Visiting Professorship Award from the American Heart Association.