Notes from November: Medical Training is a Journey

November has been a whirlwind of angst and excitement for me.  It began with cramming for my final USMLE board exam.  After sitting for the two-day test, I flew directly to Chicago, where I attended my first AHA Scientific Sessions and presented a poster on bystander AED use at the Resuscitation Science Symposium.  Upon returning … Read more

Why Attend #AHA19?

After returning home from the #AHA18 Scientific Sessions a few weeks ago, I was eager to tell my colleagues back in Los Angeles about my experience. “What did you like about it?” they would ask. While my replies would consistently begin with, “Well, despite the freezing cold…” I found my answers that followed were widely … Read more

Any Physical Activity is Enough

When I was a nutrition intern in 2014, I would excitedly tell patients that walking 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week doesn’t have to be a daunting goal. In fact, research showed that accumulating bouts of 10 minutes conferred cardiac benefits. Under the often cited “150 minutes/week moderate activity or 75 minutes/week vigorous … Read more

Tips for Networking at Scientific Sessions

Scientific Sessions never fails to bring forth a variety of opportunities for those who attend – The latest on what’s hot in the cardiovascular realm of research. Details on changes to healthy heart parameters. New tools for more efficient cardiovascular research. And let us not forget, networking opportunities! In the scientific community, we all hold … Read more

Highlights of AHA18 – Bridging Lifestyle Medicine with Contemporary Medicine through Science

This year’s annual scientific meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) held in Chicago, Illinois November 10-12, 2018 was excellent. The abbreviated 3-day meeting received positive feedback as this allowed practicing physicians to attend the meeting over the weekend and be able to return to their practice early in the work week rather than having … Read more

AHA18 Reminded Me We Need to Do More for Women

On the surface, it doesn’t really seem that surprising men and women develop heart disease differently or experience different symptoms for the same types of cardiac episodes. However, even though heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women, women have traditionally been omitted from clinical trials and female animals have either … Read more

Trainees and Cardiovascular Conferences

I recently viewed a live-streamed session from the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2018 from the comfort of my own home, and I also attended (in-person) a scientific conference for a different topic within the same month. I began to think of how scientific societies engage trainees, graduate students, and post-docs at conferences. This is … Read more

Interview with Roxanne at AHA18

Imagine having an annoying pain that you thought was just a pulled muscle. No, I am not referencing that episode of The Resident, a medical drama prime time series aired by Fox, where a young immigrant was having pains in her side and it ended up being a rare cancer. However, I am referring to … Read more

3 Key Reasons to Attend Scientific Sessions Early in Your Career

What is the value of traveling to a large cardiovascular meeting, when the information communicated in the sessions will be available via Live Streaming and the major news will be published immediately? Why go through the expense and the hassle of time away from work? Attending an event like Scientific Sessions is not easy for … Read more

New Cholesterol Guidelines From A Neurologist’s Perspective

The American Heart Association’s annual premier conference “Scientific Sessions 2018” concluded on Monday. This meeting showcases the latest advancements and discoveries in the field of cardiovascular medicine and is attended by clinicians and researchers from across the world. Being a vascular neurologist, I have attended the International Stroke Conference organized by the AHA several times, … Read more