SCAI 2013 Congenital Heart Disease Program: Where Your Voice Will Be Heard

“There is no other individual opportunity that has fostered my career so much as the SCAI annual meeting,” says Thomas E. Fagan, M.D., FSCAI, as he reminisces about the many SCAI Scientific Sessions he has attended since he was a fellow-in-training in the 1990s. “It’s hard to find a place that fosters an atmosphere where everyone can ask questions or make comments, from the biggest names in the field to the fellows presenting their research for the first time.

“And, even as the meeting has grown—now featuring three full days of congenital heart disease programming—it’s still the place where all of us talk together about issues that affect all of our practices, such as developing training guidelines for congenital intervention,” adds Dr. Fagan, while outlining his plans for SCAI 2013.

Preserving that special atmosphere is job #1, says Dr. Fagan, who chairs the SCAI 2013 Congenital Program along with Co-chair Matthew J. Gillespie, MD, FSCAI. “In practically every session of the SCAI 2013 Congenital Track, attendees will have an opportunity to hear where things stand in our field and share their own experiences.”

Such unparalleled interaction will be found in sessions throughout the meeting, from traditional favorites like “I Blew It” and “Brain Scratchers” through new sessions such as “New Toys and Technology” and “Newer Procedures: Benefits vs. Risks?” as well as offerings Dr. Fagan collectively refers to as “update sessions.”

For example, a new session called “Lightning Rounds” will bring attendees up to speed on key trials and registry studies, and the ensuing discussion about the research will provide a sense of where the field is heading. “It’s forums like these—venues where we get news out—that open doors for all of us,” explains Dr. Fagan.

And that’s why he and Dr. Gillespie have added a third abstract session to the SCAI 2013 Congenital Heart Disease Track. “This is where your research could get noticed by others, where you meet people you’ll collaborate with in the future, or you network with people who could impact your career now or a decade from now,” he says.

Attendees will also be updated on important quality and advocacy issues, including several that SCAI’s Congenital Heart Disease Committee and Structural Heart Disease Council are tackling. For example, the Mullins Lecture, to be delivered by Frank Ing, M.D., FSCAI, will focus on training future congenital heart disease specialists, and a special session titled “One Year After the FDA Circulatory Device Panel” will feature open discussion among physicians, company representatives, and FDA representatives on the impact of the FDA’s review of ASD closure complications.

“SCAI 2013 is where you come for updates on the issues that are going to reshape our field,” says Dr. Fagan.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the SCAI 2013 Congenital Track, including a preview of Dr. Ing’s Mullins Lecture and details on individual sessions.