Dear ISACHD members,
With summer 2012 coming to a close, ISACHD is ramping up its activities centered around ACHD Global Health Initiatives. Erwin Oechslin (Toronto, CA, ISACHD Canadian Regional Representative and Chair ACHD Global Education WG), Gary Webb (Cincinnati, OH, USA, ISACHD past president), and their team of ACHD educators have been developing web-based ACHD educational programming to eventually be utilized to communicate and educate our international colleagues, particularly those in underserved areas less able to attend symposia and conferences. We look forward to an update on their tremendous work and progress at our upcoming ISACHD meeting AHA in November 2012 in Los Angeles.
The ACHD Global Health WG continues to move forward and has scheduled upcoming meetings with international health organizations to develop partnerships and eventually plan missions to underserved CHD programs needing ACHD guidance and care of their patients. We will be asking work group members who have volunteered toward this effort to assist with planning once we solidify our international health care partners and establish a working relationship—more to come at ISACHD meting AHA in November 2012.
Philip Moons (Leuven, Belgium, ISACHD Secretary) and Koichiro Niwa (Tokyo, Japan, ISACHD Treasurer and Asian Pacific Regional Representative) continue their efforts developing an international ACHD multi-center research. Soon, programs interested and able to participate will be invited to join this collaborative effort.
ESC Congress 2012 is just a few weeks away (August 25-29th) in Munich Germany. There are several GUCH sessions planned and will provide updated information regarding the following:
- GUCH and Pulmonary Hypertension
- GUCH and Heart Failure
- Imaging Modalities in GUCH
- ISACHD session on the 27th, 1630-1800: GUCH for the General Cardiologist
We look forward to seeing you in Munich!
Please visit the ISACHD website at www.isachd.org to learn more about ISACHD, visit the journal watch page and find the latest ACHD publications, view upcoming conferences endorsed by ISACHD, and register to become a member of ISACHD.
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Curt J Daniels
President