American Heart Association and Cardiovascular Research Foundation join forces to produce joint education programs

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Aug 15 2022

Two leaders in cardiovascular disease science, research and education, the American Heart Association (Association) and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), are joining forces to strengthen and expand educational opportunities focused on advancing the latest research in cardiovascular disease and interventional therapies. The new alliance to produce joint education programs begins immediately with the organizations' annual scientific meetings this fall. The Association will present educational programming from its annual Scientific Sessions at TCT, and CRF will deliver educational programming from its annual scientific symposium Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) at the Association's Scientific Sessions, beginning with TCT 2022, September 16-19 in Boston, and the Association's Scientific Sessions 2022, November 5-7 in Chicago, respectively.

This important collaboration with our esteemed CRF colleagues will enrich the educational offerings available at TCT and our Scientific Sessions, further strengthening our quest to improve the quality of cardiovascular care and patient outcomes. Harnessing the strengths of our two pioneering organizations with extensive experience in translating the latest scientific breakthroughs into practical therapies is crucial. Together, we aim to boost the pace of knowledge, research and expertise within the cardiovascular disease and cardiac interventional therapy communities to help transform cardiovascular care for patients all over the world, particularly as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its still-to-be-uncovered impacts throughout the body and especially the heart."

Nancy Brown, American Heart Association's Chief Executive Officer

"With visionary thinking and bold action, we can tackle health care's biggest challenges and improve cardiovascular care and outcomes," said CRF's President and Chief Executive Officer Juan F. Granada, M.D. "This collaboration will foster innovative research and education by bringing together world-renowned experts in the field to identify and advance the most promising science in cardiology and interventional cardiology. The future of our profession and the health of our patients will be brighter because of this collective effort."

The science leaders of both organizations are jointly developing enriching learning opportunities for the professional audiences who are members of their organizations and who engage in their education and lifelong learning programs, particularly the annual scientific meetings.

"The future of medicine is dependent on inspiring and mentoring the next generation of physicians and health care professionals," said CRF's Founder and Chairman Emeritus Martin B. Leon, M.D. "This affiliation with the American Heart Association will allow us to cultivate innovative ideas to elevate the quality of education and training available. Collaboration is key to addressing the field's biggest challenges so that patients everywhere have access to the care they need."

At TCT 2022, Sept. 16-19 in Boston, the American Heart Association will present Best Practices sessions focused on clinical guidelines and vascular care. The Association's Scientific Sessions leaders will share live highlights of TCT from the World Connect studio.

CRF will present several sessions at the Association's Scientific Sessions 2022, November 5-7 in Chicago including sessions focused on health technology and innovation and a joint Late-Breaking Clinical Science session, featuring late-breaking science abstracts selected by leaders of both organizations. TCT's science faculty will share their live highlights from the AHA-TV studio, which will be available live, on-site at the meeting and online in the virtual Scientific Sessions platform.

"This collaboration will forge a unique bridge and provide novel points of connection, knowledge-sharing, mentorship and advancement that will help drive diversity of experience and understanding among cardiovascular clinicians and interventional specialists around the world," said the Association's Chief science and medical officer Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA,. "With the tremendous synergy and significant expertise among our clinicians, surgeons, interventionalists and specialists, our new alliance will lead the way in the next generation of scientific education programs through innovative learning experiences."