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Coming Together to Benefit All
I recently traveled to Israel for the 60th Anniversary Conference of the Israel Heart Society (IHS) in Jerusalem. The two-day conference gathered about 1,300 cardiologists from around the globe, including world-renowned leaders like Douglas Zipes, MD, MACC, and Eugene Braunwald, MD, MACC.While there, I co-chaired the ACC/IHS Joint Session with Chaim Lotan, MD, FACC, president of IHS, and Basil Lewis, MD, FACC, governor of the ACC Israel Chapter. Updates were given on the management of aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, clinical trials in PCI vs. CABG, mitral regurgitation, and the role of the autonomic nervous system in arrhythmogenesis presented by stellar ACC faculty from the U.S.: Kim Eagle, MD, MACC; Samuel Goldhaber, MD, FACC; Craig Smith, MD, FACC; Robert A. Levine, MD, FACC; and Douglas Zipes, MD, MACC.
I also had the unique honor of meeting with Shimon Peres, president of Israel and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. We had a discussion on democracy following a visit from U.S. Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel who our group was able to acknowledge.
The growth of cardiac services in Israel is nothing short of extraordinary. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, I noted that Israeli cardiologists have had great bench-to-bedside developments, and that Israel is one of the safest parts of the world to have a heart attack. The country has also always had a knack for cardiovascular innovation and at the conference they commemorated three postage stamps featuring these innovations: a stent, an implantable defibrillator, and a percutaneous heart valve. The Director of Israel’s Philatelic Service, Yaron Razon, who unveiled the stamps, noted “the new stamp series is meant to increase Israeli awareness of the country’s world-class achievements in combating heart disease.” (CV stamps appear to be a growing trend, since the Republic of San Marino also recently issued a stamp to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease.)
Overall, it was an exciting trip for me, and a wonderful opportunity for the ACC to continue to foster relationships globally. To date, the ACC’s Israeli Chapter has more than 60 FACC’s and growing. Earlier this year at the ACC’s annual Middle East Conference as part of ACC.13, we discussed the importance of showing the world that cardiologists can transcend divisive issues and come together to benefit all. This meeting provided another opportunity for us to sit at the same table and discuss hearts – leaving politics at the door.
You can see more photos from my trip on ACC’s Facebook page. Click on the photo album “ACC Around the World.”
Pictured: Douglas Zipes, MD, MACC, and John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC while visiting Israel President Shimon Peres.
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