AHA and CRF Announce Educational Alliance

August 15, 2022—The American Heart Association (AHA) and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) announced a new alliance intended to strengthen and expand educational opportunities focused on advancing the latest research in cardiovascular disease and interventional therapies.

According to the press release, 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, beginning with the Fall 2022 events.

CRF will hold TCT 2022, the 34th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics scientific symposium on September 16-20 in Boston, Massachusetts. The AHA’s 2022 Scientific Sessions will be held November 5-7 in Chicago, Illinois.

At TCT 2022, the AHA will present educational programming from its annual scientific sessions including Best Practices sessions focused on clinical guidelines and vascular care. Also, AHA Scientific Sessions leaders will share live highlights of TCT from the World Connect studio.

At the AHA 2022 meeting, CRF will deliver educational programming from the TCT symposium, 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.

Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the AHA, commented in the press release, “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.”

She continued, “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.”

CRF’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Juan F. Granada, MD, stated, “With visionary thinking and bold action, we can tackle health care’s biggest challenges and improve cardiovascular care and outcomes. 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.”

Also in the press release, Martin B. Leon, MD, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of CRF, commented, “The future of medicine is dependent on inspiring and mentoring the next generation of physicians and health care professionals. 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.”

The AHA’s Chief Science and Medical Officer, Mariell Jessup, MD, added, “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. 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.”