This year I decided to attend American Heart Association Sessions in Chicago rather than online as I did last year. This meeting was not for the faint at heart. There were sessions for everyone. So much so that people were packed in meeting halls with overflow standing around hoping to get a glimpse of the happenings from the doorway. I, on the other hand, went to #AHA18 armed with a schedule and the determination to follow it strictly. My day started with media meetings to hear about any breaking news and novel findings. After, there were meetings all day covering hypertension, mental disorders, diabetes, and more. The vast amount of science being presented necessitated variety of disorders covered in each session with only an underlying commonality. Even as I went on the floor to experience the trade show, not only were there vendors chatting to the attendees about the products represented by each company, but also sessions ranging from clinical trials to device utilization in patient care.
Being that all the official AHA Early Career Bloggers are members of different AHA Councils, we do not always get the opportunity to meet. This was the first opportunity I have had to meet a large number of my blogging colleagues as well as AHA staff that I correspond via email. Initially walking through the McCormick Center looking for meeting halls, I was overwhelmed. To be able to network with such an impressive crowd sparked apprehensions. Then I remembered I was armed with my schedule and would to follow it without deviation; from meeting key opinion leaders to reconnecting with my network and potentially making more connection. Learning how to navigate though a conference as massive as this through going to Experimental Biology. All those previous sessions allowed me to navigate #AHA18 successfully. I look forward to another productive day of learning and networking here in Chicago.
You should be here!