Highlight – The Early Career Voice

AHA 2020 Delivers on Virtual Conference Experience

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 Dapo Iluyomade, MD

As we near the close of the American Heart Association’s 2020 Scientific Sessions, I’d like to reflect on the virtual conference experience. I must admit, despite the high quality research and programming schedule, I was skeptical going into this year’s virtual conference. It was my first (of many?), and I had reservations about the ability of any organization to recreate the live experience that we all love so dearly. Looking back, the AHA put on a phenomenal show, filled with groundbreaking research, high profile panelists and even networking. For this blog, I’m going to focus on the networking, as this was the area that I was most skeptical of. How can you provide ample networking opportunities for clinicians, trainees and vendors when they’re all at home watching? Well, first, let me share the AHA’s plan to tackle this, then I’ll share some examples.

VIDEO: Networking Opportunities at AHA (Don Lloyd-Jones MD and Manesh Patel MD)

The AHA successfully delivered on their promise to fulfill the networking needs of its attendees in the following ways:

AI-powered networking. The AHA brilliantly utilized burgeoning artificial intelligence technology to match like-minded individuals to each other as well as to programming that matched their interests. The AI then facilitated the organization of virtual meetings amongst interest-matched attendees. Wow!

Fireside chats and FIT Virtual Lounge. The AHA continued its focus on providing mentorship to early career cardiologists and trainees. The experience was as engaging, and some would argue more engaging, than the live sessions. The democratization of commentary afforded by virtual communication was evident, as even the most reserved participants were able to ask questions and exchange ideas with established leaders in the field.

Scavenger Hunt. Even the scavenger hunt was preserved! The AHA managed to provide a scavenger hunt experience via QR codes hidden throughout the conference programs for attendees to scan and WIN. This also further cultivated the relationship between the AHA and its industry partners.
In line with its commitment to foster group wellness and health activities, the AHA organized morning yoga, exercise, and mental health sessions for attendees to virtually participate in together. This is a trend that has been popular since the start of the pandemic and hopefully will continue long after COVID-19 is gone.

In conclusion, my AHA 2020 experience has been rewarding in many ways. With quality education and networking opportunities, this year’s conference proved that the AHA is prepared to weather the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to future programming, and will certainly be an active participant.

“The views, opinions and positions expressed within this blog are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent those of the American Heart Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. The Early Career Voice blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.”

Highlights from Day 3 of #AHA20

November 15, 2020November 17, 2020 Baljash Cheema, MD, MSCI

What an end to the weekend! As Day 3 of AHA 2020 continues, there is already much to digest and discuss. From Late-Breaking Trials to specific programming for Fellows in Training and Early Career individuals, there was something for us all. My time was spent tuning in to informative discussions from leaders in the advanced heart failure world, and below I reflect on some of what stood out to me today.

Implementation science matters as Dr. Saurer shares with us on Twitter. As our armamentarium of GDMT grows, it will be key to figure out how best to get these medications prescribed to our patients in order to maximize therapy while minimizing side effects and managing cost. But how do we do that? What order should be prescribed our drugs in? What about devices? Is the same approach applies to all? There is an area primed for more research. What an exciting time to be in the heart failure space.
Take note of the trajectory. It is important to be aware of and routinely reassess the trajectory of our patients with heart failure, both in the inpatient and outpatient setting, as discussed by Dr. Hollenberg. In our sickest patients, those with Stage D heart failure, we have the option of considering VAD or transplant as well as palliative care approaches including home inotropes, but patients are often flagged too late and no longer eligible for certain therapies. Use the “I NEED HELP” mnemonic to try and identify these patients early, as Dr. Breathett shares with us.
Know when to escalate care. While it is not always crystal clear who needs a higher level of support, Dr. Cogswell gives us a clinical pearl: if your patient is hypotensive with heart failure, start to think about what is next, whether that is temporary support or a durable device or ultimately both. She gives an example of pausing an IABP and seeing if her patient becomes hypotensive in order to consider an Impella or LVAD, as opposed to adding more drips which may not ultimately be enough.
#ReviveTheSwan! As eloquently and definitively stated by Dr. Hall, all patients with cardiogenic shock need a Swan-Ganz catheter. Our physical exam “just is not that good”. Care is improved by using invasive hemodynamics
A civilized debate is possible! Despite the politics in our country as of late, today’s sessions clearly showed the civil, intellectual, informative debates are still possible in our society, and they are for the betterment of all involved! Kudos to all who gave us their time and wisdom today.

While the day is early and there is much yet to be seen, the teaching on Day 3 of AHA20 has already been fantastic.

Highlights of “Not to Miss Sessions” at the #AHA20 Virtual Meeting!!

November 15, 2020November 15, 2020 Lina Ya'qoub, MD

AHA20 virtual meeting has been packed by so many amazing sessions, covering all aspects of cardiovascular disease from basic science to clinical outcomes. I wanted to share some of the sessions “not to miss sessions” at AHA20 virtual meeting!!

Opening Session

Dr. Braunwald and Dr. Wenger, two of the legends in cardiology, took us back to history, structural racism, and correlated what we are living now during the pandemic and the social justice crisis to how it was when living in war!!!! Dr Harrington and Dr Yancy led a great discussion. Definitely, a very interesting talk that everyone should listen to!!

Structural Racism Session

This is a novel yet a wonderful session at AHA20!!! It is part of AHA leadership commitment to equity, diversity, social justice in healthcare across the nation and the globe. There were several amazing discussions with experts and leaders in the field, sharing data on how structural racism can in fact affect the health of both healthcare employees and patients, calling for action to increase diversity and inclusion in leadership positions for minorities and women. If you missed this session, you should check out the on-demand portal and listen to it. Kudos to everyone involved in this and who made this happen!!

Presidential Session

This was an inspiring session by Dr. Elkind, MD, AHA President about his journey in neurology and science. This was followed by an amazing talk by Nancy Brown, AHA CEO, emphasizing the AHA vision on social equity, diversity, and inclusion in research, science, and access to health care. Then, we watched many inspiring women receiving distinguished AHA awards for their excellence in leadership and academic achievement. They all share the AHA’s vision and commitment to lead science in order to have comprehensive policies and unite team efforts for better healthcare for all as well as bridge the AHA’s visions into actual practice not only across the nation and also across the globe.

Late-Breaking Science and Meet the Trialist Sessions

There are late-breaking science sessions on multiple days on various sub-specialties of cardiovascular diseases, including preventive cardiology, resuscitation, heart failure, interventional cardiology, structural heart disease, electrophysiology, among other specialties. Later each day, there are sessions where you can meet the trialist, ask questions through Q&A side chat and you’ll hear their input on the trials they presented earlier in the day.

Move More and Dance Break Session

This is a fun session to motivate us to move more!! It was the first session of each day on AHA20 but you can watch it on-demand anytime whenever you want!!

#AHA20 is packed with so many great sessions for all sub-specialties in cardiology!! I look forward to AHA21, and hopefully, it will be an in-person meeting next year!!