American College of Cardiology

Track Coordinator Describes ACCIS ’04 as Essential to All ACC ’04 Registrants
James J. Ferguson, MD
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Hear Finalists Compete in Final Round of Young Investigators’ Award Competition
Fifteen fellows have been selected as finalists in the Young Investigators Awards competition. Judging will be held Monday, March 8, 2004, during ACC ’04 at the Morial Convention Center, Room 257, in New Orleans. Each finalist will give a 10-minute presentation followed by a short discussion period. The judging panel will make its final decisions in three categories:

Clinical Investigations
Charalambos Antoniades, MD, of Greece, will present Genetic Polymorphism G894T on Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene as a Risk Factor for Premature Non-Fatal Myocardial Infarction in Young Male Smokers. (Christodoulos I. Stefanadis, MD, Chief of Service, Hippokration Hospital, Greece)

Elizabeth B. Fortescue, MD, of Wellesley, Mass., will present Cardiac Troponin Elevations in Marathon Runners: Prevalence and Risk Factors. (Jane W. Newburger, MD, Chief of Service, Children’s Hospital Boston)

William S. Kerwin, PhD, of Seattle, will present Quantitative Detection of Inflammation in Carotid Atherosclerosis by Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging. (Chun Yuan, Chief of Service, Nippon Medical School, Japan)

Oussama Wazni, MD, of Cleveland, will present B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels Predict Post Operative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery. (Andrea Natale, MD, Chief of Service, Cleveland Clinic Foundation)

Robert Wolk, MD, PhD, of Rochester, Minn., will present Plasma Leptin Level Is a Powerful Predictor of Prognosis in Patients with Established Coronary Atherosclerosis. (Virend K. Somers, MB, Chief of Service, Mayo Clinic)

Molecular And Cellular Cardiology
Alok S. Pachori, PhD, of Brookline, Mass., will present Hypoxia Regulatable AAV-2 Vector Protects Against Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Using Hypoxia-Regulated AAV Vector Expressing Human Heme Oxygenase-1. (Victor J. Dzau, MD, Chief of Service, Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women’s Hospital)

Subodh Verma, MD, PhD, of Toronto, Ontario, will present Stem Cells Factor Plays a Critical Role in Neointimal Formation by Bone Marrow Derived Progenitor Cells. (Richard D. Weisel, MD, Chief of Service, University of Toronto/Toronto General Hospital)

Yao Liang Tang, MD, PhD, of St. Petersburg, Fla., will present Protecting Ischemic Hearts with a Hypoxia-Sensitive Heme Oxygenase-1 Plasmid System. (M. Ian Phillips, PhD, Chief of Service, University of Florida)

Yasuhiko Sakata, MD, PhD, of Brookline, Mass., will present Mice Lacking the Transcription Factor CHF1/Hey 2 Show Decreased Arterial Neointimal Formation After Injury and Impaired Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Responsiveness to Growth Factors. (Michael T. Chin, MD, PhD, Chief of Service, Brigham & Women’s Hospital)

Angela Taylor, MD, of Charlottesville, Va., will present Oxidized LDL Stimulated Smooth Muscle Cell Growth Is Mediated by the HLH Factor Id3, a Novel Mechanism Contributing to Atherosclerotic Lesion Formation. (Coleen A. McNamara, MD, Chief of Service, UVA Health System)

Physiology, Pharmacology, and Pathology
Takayasu Arai, MD, of Palo Alto, Calif., will present In Vivo MR Evaluation of the Effects of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells on Cardiac Function. (Phillip C. Yang, MD, Chief of Service, Stanford University Hospital)

Andrew Maree, MD, of Dublin, Ireland, will present Aspirin Resistance in Cardiovascular Disease: Underdosing of Overweight Patients. (Desmond J. Fitzgerald, Chief of Service, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)

Yoshiyuki Rikitake, MD, PhD, of Brookline, Mass., will present Dual Regulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase by Rho-Kinase. (James K. Liao, MD, Chief of Service, Brigham & Women’s Hospital)

Saumya Sharma, MD, of Pearland, Texas, will present Dynamic Changes of Gene Expression in Hypoxia-Induced Right Ventricular Hypertrophy. (Heinrich Taegtmeyer, MD, Chief of Service, University of Texas Houston Medical School)

Young-Sup Yoon, MD, PhD, of Watertown, Mass., will present VEGF Plays a Central Role in the Development of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy and Gene Transfer of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Improves Heart Failure in Longstanding Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rat. (Douglas W. Losordo, MD, Chief of Service, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston)

Program Planner:
Young Investigators Awards Competition: Physiology, Pharmacology, and Pathology, Session #404
Monday, March 8, 2004, 9:15–10:30 a.m.

Young Investigators Awards Competition: Molecular and Cellular Cardiology,
Session #406
Monday, March 8, 2004, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Young Investigators Awards Competition: Clinical Investigations—Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery, Session #408
Monday, March 8, 2004, 2–3:15 p.m.

FIT Luncheon, Forum Provide Exposure to Expert Career Counselors
“Stimulating Options 2004” is the topic of this year’s FIT Forum and Luncheon for fellows in training. Five outstanding role models will share advice and experience to explain what it means to be involved in a particular area of cardiovascular medicine. The program is supported through the generosity of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Eric S. Williams, MD, professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, associate director of the Krannert Institute of Cardiology in Indianapolis, and chair of the ACC Cardiology Training and Workforce Committee will extend a welcome to FITs at noon. Then he will introduce Valentin Fuster, MD, director of the cardiovascular institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, who will discuss making tough choices: clinician or investigator?

Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, director of clinical cardiology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, will contribute to the program and discuss the merits of an academic career.

John A. Bittl, MD, of the Ocala Heart Institute, Munroe Regional Medical Center in Florida, will discuss caring for patients in private practice. Additional speakers will address other facets of cardiology career choices. The program will conclude with an open-floor discussion.

Admittance to the program is complimentary, but advance tickets are required. Tickets ordered through ACC ’04 advance registration may be picked up on site at the registration area at the Morial Convention Center. Tickets may be obtained on site if any remain. Otherwise, seats will be available on a standby basis only, at the door.

For more information, go the ACC ’04 Program Planner and select Special Sessions.

Program Planner:
Bristol-Myers Squibb Affiliates-in-Training Forum and Luncheon: Stimulating Options 2004, Session #417
Tuesday, March 9, noon to 1:45 p.m.
Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Napoleon Ballroom

New Session Focuses on Fellows Post-Training
A new session has been added to the program for fellows in training, following the FIT Luncheon and Forum. “Focus on Fellows in Training: Practice Choices After Training” provides an afternoon agenda that continues to drill down into post-training planning with specific, targeted counsel from experts. Chaired by Paul L. Douglass, MD, an ACC Fellow in private practice in Atlanta, these instructive sessions include ideas about networking, practical decision-making, and financial readiness. The session features former ACC President W. Bruce Fye, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and Richard C. Wong, MD, who is in private practice in Tarzana, Calif.

In his presentation “Show Me the Money: From Fellowship to Practice,” Dr. Wong outlines practical pathways for fellows that include consideration of family, salary, cost of living, practice opportunities, and most important of all, knowing what you want to do. His presentation embraces the entire spectrum of cardiovascular practice, including “how to search” advice and interview preparation, plus all-important contractual information.

Program Planner:
Focus on Fellows in Training: Practice Choices After Training, Session #418
Tuesday, March 9, 2–4:30 p.m.
Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Salon D

ACCF/Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Announces Travel Award Winners
Insert 16 respective photos: 11 print scanned by Matt/5 electronic in shared folder
Twenty fellows in training have been selected to receive a Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Affiliate Travel Award. The recipients are awarded travel expenses, including round-trip coach airfare, accommodations, and meals, to attend the 53rd Annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, March 7-9. Selection was based on each applicant's involvement in research activities, leading to presentations and publication during cardiovascular-related subspecialty training.

The awardees, their institutions, and training directors (TD) are:

Leonardo C. Clavijo, MD, PhD, Georgetown University Hospital; TD: Allen J. Solomon, MD

John H. Cleator, MD, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; TD: Mark Anderson, MD

Stephen C. Cook, MD, Ohio State University Medical Center-Cardiovascular Medicine; TD: Albert Kolibash, MD

Bibhuti Das, MBBS, The Children's Hospital (Denver); TD: Kak-Chen Chan, MD

Saumya Das, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital; TD: Peter Yurchak, MD

James Jang, MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center; TD: Valentin Fuster, MD

Benjamin T. John, MD, Oregon Health & Science University; TD: Edward S. Murphy, MD

Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, MD, Creighton Univ Cardiac Center; TD: Aryan Mooss, MD

Tobias Lee, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; TD: Mark Josephson, MD

Breno S. Da Silva Pessanha, MD, George Washington University Hospital; TD: Jannet Lewis, MD

Leila Rasouli, MD, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center; TD: Matthew Budoff, MD

Marc A. Simon, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute; TD: James Shaver, MD

Prem Soman, MD, Tufts-New England Medical Center; TD: Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD

Raviprasad G. Subraya, MD, Borgess Heart Institute at Michigan State.University; TD: Tim A. Fischell, MD.

Anne Marie Valente, MD, Duke University Medical Center; TD: Thomas Bashore, MD

Colin T. Watanabe, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; TD: Sanjay Kaul, MD

Joseph Wu, MD, University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center; TD: Gregg Fonarow, MD

Eugene Yang, MD, Stanford University Hospital and Clinics; TD: John Giacomini, MD

The award winners will be honored at the ACC ’04 FIT Luncheon and Forum.

Program Planner:
Bristol-Myers Squibb Fellows in Training Forum and Luncheon: Stimulating Options 2004, Session #417
Tuesday, March 9, noon–1:45 p.m.
Napolean Ballroom, Hilton New Orleans Riverside

ACC ’04 Placement Services Shortcut Hiring Process for Cardiologists
The ACC Computerized Placement Center will open at ACC '04 on Sunday, March 7, and offer a dedicated onsite facility with electronic access to the College’s Practice Opportunity Line, a Web-based job listings board that is an important and effective tool for job-seekers in cardiovascular medicine. A variety of new recruitment tools and incentives the College is offering employers will likely make the Placement Center a very busy pulse point during the Annual Scientific Sessions.

Onsite in New Orleans, POL staff will be available to guide FITs in posting resumes. There also will be space available in which to meet prospective employers. Located in Room 224 of the Morial Convention Center, the Placement Center’s hours of operation will be Sunday through Tuesday, from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and Wednesday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, visit the POL by clicking on its icon on the College home page: www.acc.org.

Job Opportunities
Seeking that perfect job? Check out the wide selection of job opportunities available for cardiologists throughout the United States.

Notice Our Name Change?
This is the first edition of Fellows in Training, the new name for the bimonthly e-letter of the American College of Cardiology, published exclusively for cardiology fellows in training. Formerly called A-I-T Newsletter, the name change reflects the College’s best effort to simplify not only categories of membership, but to strive for consistency in professional nomenclature as well.