Members of the Penn Medicine faculty attended the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions Conference to present research on pioneering advances in the field of cardiovascular medicine.
Held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia from Nov. 11 to 13, the conference garnered over 10,000 clinicians and researchers worldwide. The event featured panel discussions, research presentations, and individual addresses from a vast array of medical experts involved in clinical cardiovascular research and scientific advancements.
Although the conference covered a broad spectrum of medical topics, presentations were categorized into the domains of basic science, clinical science, and population science. Panelists and presenters were medical experts from various universities, institutions, and organizations.
The event included presentations by Nosheen Reza, assistant program director of Penn’s Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program; Sanjay Dixit, director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Philadelphia Veteran Administration Medical Center, Jordana Cohen, associate professor of Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension at the Penn Hospital, and Monika Sanghavi, assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Penn Hospital.
Speakers addressed different research topics that have emerged at the forefront of cardiovascular medicine. From cardiometabolic health to cardio-oncology, the subject matters discussed allowed attendees to learn more about the intricacies of cardiovascular science and the clinical development of specific provisional treatments.
Reza first attended the conference in 2015 during the first year of her Cardiology fellowship at Penn and returned this year to participate as a panelist, speaker, and presenter. Fascinated by new facets of cardiovascular disorders, her research explored the impact on real-world patients.
Sharing the background, methods, and results of her research with other experts in the field, Reza was able to educate others on the discourse surrounding new drug therapies for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathies, as well as receive input from other experts in the cardiovascular field.
“These meetings are tremendous opportunities to connect with people who are working in the same spaces that you're working with or working in,” Reza said. “For early career folks like myself, these conferences are a great way to make connections with people who are more senior in the field who could serve as mentors and sponsors.”
During the conference, Alexander Fanaroff was also invited to share the details of his clinical trial that focused on the underutilization of statin therapy in adults who are at high risk for cardiovascular disease. As part of the Penn Medicine Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Initiative, Fanaroff and his research team conduct clinical trials.
Fanaroff disclosed a comprehensive analysis of the results of his research in a press release published by Penn Medicine.
“The findings suggest that automated referrals to the centralized pharmacy services for lipid management are a game-changing strategy, drastically improving the odds of prescribing appropriate dose statins,” Fanaroff said.
When discussing the impact of the AHA Scientific Sessions on advancing cardiovascular innovations, Fanaroff said the conference has broader implications for public health and how doctors currently approach cardiovascular disorders.
“There are so many great therapies we have in cardiology, but so many of them are underused in practice,” Faranoff said. “Increasing uptake of medications that we know work has the potential to improve so many patients' lives and prevent so many cardiac events.”
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