PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
Dr. Ehsan Natour studied medicine at the Christian- Albrecht University zu Kiel in Germany and graduated in 1994.From 1994 to 1999 he did his training as a Cardiovascular Surgeon at Der University Clinic in Cologne, Germany. After this, he worked under Prof. Dr. Dapunt in Oldenburg from 1999 to 2007. There he practiced the full range of cardiac surgery and vascular surgery, with additional focus on aortic (valve) surgery. In 2003, he was promoted to Doctor (Magna Cum Laude).
He worked at the University Medical Center Groningen from 2007 to April 2016, where he focused particularly on complex aortic pathology (including endocarditis, aortic arch surgery, endovascular approaches), heart-lung transplants and left ventricle assist devices, in addition to conventional thoracic surgery. Furthermore, he was also an educator and head of the aortic (valve) surgery program at UMCG. As of April 2016, he is working at the Heart & Vascular Center of the MUMC+. Ehsan is Palestinian by birth and speaks Arabic, English, German and Dutch.
"When life comes to a standstill. Ehsan Natour his foundation Stopped is an initiative founded by Dr. Ehsan Natour, cardio and vascular surgeon, with additional focus on aortic surgery. Fields that in most cases involve radical, often life-saving medical treatment that causes great impact. Not only for the patient, but also for their relatives and involved practitioners. The life of the patient and his/her family members and friends is, as it were, "brought to a standstill.
From daily experience Ehsan has found that it is an added value to better understand the emotions and mental state of patients during such a major life event. With this mission, he founded Stilgezet Foundation on November 22, 2019. The "stilling" of a life causes a wide range of emotions. But how do you track these emotions? How do you name them? How can those around you deal with them? Questions that many people worldwide face on a daily basis.
Being afraid of the unknown is a common human trait. When something happens, people want to go back to normal, to how things were before. One does not like to be taken out of their comfort zone. There is no simple standard solution for dealing with the confusion and fears surrounding the "shutting down" of a life. Everyone reacts and processes this differently.
To accomplish this, the Stilgezet Foundation offers tools to people who have (had) to deal with a drastic live event. By publishing a book, a podcast and by using various art forms such as a theater piece and a music composition, the questions these people are walking around with are answered. Art forms based on patient experiences that will continue to take shape over the coming months and years and, unlike science, are able to describe the indescribable and name the unmentionable. All of these art forms can make the emotional and mental experiences such as death, love, fear, anger and grief palpable to people at a life-changing stage. Their purpose? To offer comfort and insight where reason fails.
Through scientific research, in collaboration with Health Foundation Limburg, to clarify the emotional and social context in this important phase of life. When we can predict how a specific person reacts in a certain situation, medical professionals can preventively apply the right individual emotional counseling. As a result, people return to their starting position faster.
The combination of the art forms and scientific research provides empathy and recognition, thereby increasing the quality of life.
EDUCATION
Dr. Ehsan Natour studied medicine at the Christian- Albrecht University zu Kiel in Germany and graduated in 1994.From 1994 to 1999 he did his training as a Cardiovascular Surgeon at Der University Clinic in Cologne, Germany. After this, he worked under Prof. Dr. Dapunt in Oldenburg from 1999 to 2007. There he practiced the full range of cardiac surgery and vascular surgery, with additional focus on aortic (valve) surgery. In 2003, he was promoted to Doctor (Magna Cum Laude).