Rik De Decker MSc, MBChB, DCH, FCPaeds, CertMedGenet

Dr. Rik De Decker has subspecialized in both pediatric cardiology and clinical genetics and thus provides a unique bridge between the two disciplines. He was also instrumental in setting up the cardiogenetic clinics at Red Cross Children's Hospital. He is the director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory and has developed CATHCHAT, a novel platform for the online learning and teaching of interventional catheterization skills in children. As a clinician he was instrumental in broadening the pediatric cardiology outreach clinics to all of the regional hospitals in the Western Cape, thereby strengthening the ascertainment and follow-up of children with CHD. As a generalist cardiologist, he is involved in the management of children with heart disease, including the utilization of advanced echocardiographic, catheterization, and other tertiary investigations to assess and prepare children for interventions such as cardiac surgery and interventional catheterization.