Nov 18, 2015 | Poonam Velagapudi, MD
Chapter Engagement

We are in that exciting time of the year when most ACC Chapters are hosting their annual chapter meetings. Chapter meetings are an excellent time for fellows to interact with other fellows in training (FITs) and faculty from training programs in their Chapter and participate in various events such as poster and research presentations, jeopardy, etc.

The ACC Florida Chapter had its annual chapter meeting in Orlando, FL in August 2015. FITs were invited to submit research abstracts for the 'Young Investigator Awards' (YIA) competition. After review by a panel of cardiologists, three finalists were selected to present their research on Aug. 15. Each FIT had seven minutes to present, followed by three minutes for questions. Selected abstracts were also chosen for poster presentation.

Siva Ketha, MD, from University of Miami, was the winner of the YIA contest. As the winner, he traveled with the ACC Florida Chapter delegation to Bilbao, Spain, to present his abstract at the Sociedad Española Cardiologia (SEC) meeting, El Congreso de Las Enfermedades Cardiovasculares, Oct. 22 – 24.

The Florida Chapter has developed a successful international partnership with 'Sociedad Española Cardiologia' since 2012, with the objectives of having shared space in publications, exchange of leadership for meetings, exchange of cardiology fellows for specific training experiences and opportunities for Florida cardiologists to participate in a preceptorship type learning experience at one of the leading hospitals in Spain. With this ongoing relationship, there is an FIT presentation at the SEC Annual Congress and the Florida Chapter hosts SEC FITs at their meeting.

The Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware FITs are gearing up for the annual YIA Contest. Research abstracts and educational case report submissions from FITs have been invited for the Mid-Atlantic Capital Cardiology Symposium (MACCS) to be held on Nov. 21at Heart House in Washington, DC. Submitted research abstracts will be considered for the Mid-Atlantic Best Poster Contest and the Mid-Atlantic Capital Young Investigator's Award (CYIA) competition both of which are sponsored by ACC's Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia Chapters.

FITs selected for the CYIA competition will be invited to present their research as a 10 minute oral presentation, followed by five minutes of questions on Nov. 21 during the MACCS Scientific Exchange at Heart House. There will be a dedicated 60 minute session for poster presentation during which FITs can present their posters and attendees can interact with the presenters.

In addition, the FIT Jeopardy competition has been a huge success at ACC's Annual Scientific Sessions for the past many years. It is a great way for participating FITs to highlight their clinical and general knowledge in the realm of cardiology. In addition, there are multiple 'audience questions' which keep the viewers entertained through the competition. One very exciting event this year is that most Chapter meetings will feature a Jeopardy competition to select the best team to represent each chapter at the Jeopardy competition during ACC. 16 in Chicago, IL, April 2 – 4, 2016. If you are interested in participating, we urge you to be on the lookout for communication from your respective chapters for invitations to participate. Each participating team will have three FITs. We are looking forward to a great fun competition at the upcoming ACC.16 meeting. May the best team win!

This article was authored by Poonam Velagapudi, MD, a fellow in training at University of Missouri.