Dr. Deepak Bhatt to Deliver Opening Lecture at International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2018, 23rd World Congress on Heart Disease

Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, today announced that Deepak L. Bhatt MD, MPH, Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, will deliver the Twelfth H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2018, 23rd World Congress on Heart Disease, that was held in Boston, MA, USA, from Friday, July 27 through Sunday, July 29, 2018.

Dr. Bhatt will present on the topic of “Evolving Landscape of Antithrombotic Therapy for Atherosclerosis”. Aspirin remains the foundation of antiplatelet therapy. Trials soon to report will clarify its role in primary prevention. The role of aspirin in secondary prevention seems quite secure, though recent data have raised concerns about whether the enteric coating might impede its absorption and antiplatelet effects. Clopidogrel, now generic, remains in common use worldwide for high risk secondary prevention, as monotherapy in patients with myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease. MORE»

Dr. Anne B. Curtis to Deliver Opening Lecture at International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2017, 22nd World Congress on Heart Disease

Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, today announced that Anne B. Curtis, M.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor and Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University at Buffalo, New York, USA, will deliver the eleventh H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2017, 22nd World Congress on Heart Disease, that will be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, from Friday, July 14 through Sunday, July 16, 2017.

Dr. Curtis will present on the topic of “Improvement in Quality of Care for Atrial Fibrillation in Get with the Guidelines – Atrial Fibrillation (GWTG-AFIB)”. Efforts to improve oral anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have had limited success in improving guideline adherence. The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) AFIB quality improvement registry was initiated to improve quality of care for patients with AF. Among a cohort of 22,514 AF admissions from 2013-2016 with a CHA₂DS₂-VASc≥2, oral anticoagulation at admission was associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke. Utilization of oral anticoagulation at discharge in eligible patients improved significantly over time from 85.7% to 96.8%. These data confirm that high level adherence to stroke prevention and AF quality measures is achievable and sustainable. MORE»

Dr. Eugene Braunwald to Deliver the 10th HJC Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2016, 21st World Congress on Heart Disease

Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, announced that Eugene Braunwald, M.D., Distinguished Hersey Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and founding Chairman of the TIMI Study Group at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, will deliver the tenth H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2016, 21st World Congress on Heart Disease, that will be held in Boston, MA, USA, from Saturday, July 30 through Monday, August 1, 2016.

Dr. Braunwald will present on the topic of “The War on Heart Failure”. Heart failure (HF) is a global problem with an estimated prevalence of 38 million patients worldwide, a number that is increasing with the ageing of the population. Despite some progress, the prognosis of HF is still worse than that of most cancers. Because of the seriousness of the condition, a declaration of war on HF is proposed on five fronts: 1) Efforts to treat HF by enhancing myofilament sensitivity to Ca²+; 2) Several abnormal Ca2+-handling proteins in the failing heart are candidates for gene therapy; MORE»

Dr. Nathan D. Wong to Deliver 9th HJC Swan Memorial Lecture at Opening of International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2015, 20th World Congress on Heart Disease

Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, today announced that Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D., MPH, Professor and Director, Heart Disease Prevention Program, Division of Cardiology at the University of California, Irvine, California, USA, will deliver the ninth H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2015, 20th World Congress on Heart Disease, that will be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, from Saturday, July 25 through Monday, July 27, 2015.

Dr. Wong’s presentation, “State-Of-The-Art CVD Prevention: Looking Beyond and Interpreting the ACC/AHA Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Guidelines” will provide an overview and interpretation of key features of these important guidelines, including those on cardiovascular disease risk assessment, cholesterol management, lifestyle, and obesity, and will highlight recent research findings that help in the further understanding of these guidelines and their utility and implementation. With the foundation of preventive cardiology being the appropriate assessment of cardiovascular disease risk, and with recommendations for treatment intensity based on global cardiovascular risk, the guidelines on cardiovascular risk assessment provide an important starting point for consideration of treatment options. The large body of evidence that has accumulated on the use of imaging and biomarker tests also provides opportunity for further refinement of risk estimation. MORE»

Dr. Nanette K. Wenger to Deliver 8th HJC Swan Memorial Lecture at Opening of International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2014, 19th World Congress on Heart Disease

Asher Kimchi, M.D.,Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, today announced that Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, will deliver the eighth H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, Annual Scientific Sessions 2014, 19th World Congress on Heart Disease, that will be held in Boston, MA, USA, from Friday, July 25 through Monday, July 28, 2014.

Dr. Wenger’s presentation, “Gender Disparity in Coronary Heart Disease: Bias, Biology, or Both?” will provide an overview of current understanding of this challenging clinical problem. Cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of mortality for women both in industrialized economies and in developing nations. A stunning improvement has occurred in cardiovascular disease mortality for U.S. women between 2000 and 2010, attributable both to application of evidence-based therapies of established cardiovascular disease and to preventive interventions; these likely derived from research studies of cardiovascular disease in women. MORE»

Dr. Ezra Amsterdam to Deliver Seventh HJC Swan Memorial Lecture at Opening of International Academy of Cardiology, 18th World Congress on Heart Disease, Scientific Sessions 2013

Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, today announced that Ezra A. Amsterdam, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of California Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA, will deliver the seventh H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, 18th World Congress on Heart Disease, Annual Scientific Sessions 2013, that will be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, from Friday, July 26 through Monday, July 29, 2013.

Dr. Amsterdam’s presentation, “Coronary Heart Disease in Women: A Fresh Perspective”, will provide an overview of current understanding of this challenging clinical problem. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality in women, and has received intensive research into a previously neglected area. Much of these studies have been concerned with differences of CHD in women and men, with less interest in similarities between the sexes. Dr. Amsterdam’s presentation will include basic aspects of CHD in women, including epidemiology, risk factors, coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndromes, diagnostic methods, evidence-based therapy, clinical outcomes and comparison with men. He will provide a general background on the comparative longevity of women and men in our society against which CHD in the two sexes can be considered and compared. A number of conclusions on this disease in women and its comparison with men will be offered, some of which are concordant with current understanding, while others will suggest a fresh perspective on this important issue to promote further understanding and improved management. MORE»

Dr. Uri Elkayam to Deliver Sixth HJC Swan Memorial Lecture at Opening of International Academy of Cardiology, 17th World Congress on Heart Disease, Scientific Sessions 2012

Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, today announced the selection of Uri Elkayam, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA, to deliver the sixth H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, 17th World Congress on Heart Disease Annual Scientific Sessions 2012 to be held in Toronto, ON, Canada, from Friday, July 27 through Monday, July 30, 2012.

Dr. Elkayam will present on the topic of “Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM): New Concepts in Pathophysiology and Management.” PPCM is a pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy developed in young and healthy women presenting with heart failure symptoms secondary to decreased left ventricular systolic function. This condition can be associated with severe complications and is a leading cause of mortality related to pregnancy. The cause of PPCM is still unknown and various potential etiologies have been suggested but not proven. Recent research in both humans and animals has provided exciting information on possible mechanisms and new potential therapy. The findings of elevated pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic serum in patients with PPCM led to the use of the anti inflammatory, anti apoptotic agent pentoxifilline with impressive positive effect on outcome. A recent pilot study and other clinical observations in humans have demonstrated a significant improvement in outcome, including symptoms, recovery of LV function and survival in PPCM patients receiving bromocriptin compared to standard heart failure therapy alone. MORE»

Dr. Jawahar L. Mehta to deliver the fifth HJC Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, 16th World Congress on Heart Disease Annual Scientific Sessions 2011

Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology, today announced the selection of Jay Mehta, M.D., PhD., Director, Molecular Cardiology, Professor of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics and Stebbins Chair in Cardiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, to deliver the fifth H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, 16th World Congress on Heart Disease, Annual Scientific Sessions 2011 to be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, from Saturday, July 23 through Tuesday, July 26, 2011.
Dr. Mehta will present on the topic of “Angiogenesis in Atherosclerosis; Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets”. Angiogenesis or generation of new blood vessels has been known to be the basis of development of blood vessels in fetal life. Recently, angiogenesis has been shown to be a fundamental basis of growth and spread of certain tumors. Angiogenesis has also been identified in the media and adventitia of atherosclerotic blood vessels leading to the concept that atherosclerosis is “cancer of the blood vessels”. Work in his laboratory has suggested a potent role of reactive oxygen species released in response to the activation of angiotensin II and oxidized LDL receptor LOX-1 in angiogenesis. MORE»

Professor Martin A. Samuels to deliver the fourth HJC Swan Memorial
Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology, 15th World Congress on Heart Disease Annual Scientific Sessions 2010

Asher Kimchi, M.D.

Beverly Hills, CA (July 20, 2010) Asher Kimchi, M.D., Founder and Chairman of the International Academy of Cardiology today announced the selection of Prof. Martin Allen Samuels, Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Neurology of the Harvard Medical School, to deliver the fourth H.J.C. Swan Memorial Lecture at the Opening Ceremony of the International Academy of Cardiology 15th World Congress on Heart Disease Annual Scientific Sessions 2010 to be held in Vancouver, B.C., from Saturday, July 24 through Tuesday, July 27, 2010.

Martin Allen Samuels, M.D.