Your chance to get the best rates and hotels for ACC.12 ends today! Secure your place at ACC.12 before advance registration closes at 11:59 p.m., EST. Learn more about special features at ACC.12 listed below, including this year's Showcase Session, Legends of Cardiovascular Medicine, a special Military Session, Learning Destinations and much more.

Prepare to be Wowed!
Planning for this year’s Showcase Session is well underway, with the session scheduled to kick off ACC.12 at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 24.

The exciting session, which is expected to attract more than 3,000 people, will include a keynote address by ACC President David Holmes, Jr., MD, FACC, as well as the first of the Legends of Cardiovascular Medicine lectures starring Eugene Braunwald, MD, MACC. Braunwald will specifically speak to “The Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction – Into the Second Century.” The session will close with the first presentation of ACC.12 Late Breaking Clinical Trials – the CHELATION and FOCUS trials.

As in past years, the Showcase Session is intended to set the tone for the entire meeting. Attendees should come prepared to catch a glimpse of the innovation, science and education that will be prevalent throughout the meeting.  The advance registration deadline for ACC.12 is Feb. 15, so save your spot today!

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Legends of Cardiovascular Medicine: A Look at Valentin Fuster
The 3rd Annual James T. Dove Lecture will be presented on Sunday from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. by a legend in cardiovascular medicine, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, director of the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. 

As part of the ACC.12 Legends of Cardiovascular Medicine series, Fuster will share with the audience his unique professional history of accomplishments and contributions to the cardiovascular field; key milestones that changed practice in his particular area of expertise; and insights into the future of cardiovascular care.  His lecture, which is supported by the James T. Dove Fund, will focus on the “Transition from Cardiovascular Disease to Health (2012 – 2020): The Challenge of Identifying Subclinical Disease.” It will address what he considers to be the three main trends occurring in today’s cardiovascular field:

1. The move from treating disease to promoting health
2. The integration of the heart and the brain in health and disease
3. The new technology, specifically the emergence of imaging, genetics and tissue regeneration

Following the lecture, Fuster will be on hand for a special Q&A session to talk about his mentors, guiding principles, lessons learned, advice to fellows and other introspective thoughts from his own life story. 

On being named a Legend, Fuster says he is honored, but is humble, insisting there are many of his colleagues in the cardiology field who are also deserving of the title. His basic principle: to give back, especially to young Fellows in Training (FITs), to patients and to global health. That, he says, is what fulfills him.  “It’s not a matter of ambition, it’s a sense of fulfillment to contribute all I can,” says Fuster. “Very simply, you give back because you received so much!  You gain self-esteem. You feel accomplished."

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Special Session to Focus on Military, VA and Public Health Services Issue
The ACC’s Board of Governors recently instated new representatives from the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as the Veterans Health Administration (VA) and public health space (PHS) to act as liaisons to the ACC. Their responsibilities include enhancing collaboration between the ACC and their communities, and optimizing use of the tremendous resources the College has to offer.

New this year at ACC.12 will be a session highlighting cardiology topics relating to the military, PHS and VA. The session will be held Sunday, March 25 from 6 – 8 a.m. CST. Opening remarks will be from Michael A. Ferguson, MD, FACC, Randolph Modlin, MD, FACC, Michael A. Solomon, MD, FACC, and Richard Schofield, MD, FACC who represent the Navy, Army, PHS and VA, respectively.

In addition, Thomas Maddox, MD, FACC, will present on the “Development and Implementation of a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Data Registry within the Veterans Administration,” while former ACC President Alfred Bove, MD, MACC, will speak about hyperbaric medicine and naval diving and the relationship with cardiology. Other speakers include: Richard Kovacs, MD, FACC, who will speak about sports cardiology and the ACC’s Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council and Section, of which he is a co-chair, and former ACC Senior Vice President Janet Wright, MD, FACC, who will discuss the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ new Million Hearts Campaign, of which she is the director. Don’t miss this exciting and informative session!

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CV Theater Hosts Two Learning Destinations
The CV Theater (South Building, Hall A2, #22097) is the site of two Learning Destinations™, which will offer ACC.12 attendees the opportunity to expand their educational experience in innovative ways.

The CardioSmart Forum will be held in the CV Theater on Saturday, March 24, from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Dr. Michelle May will present "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle," part of the “CardioSmart: Hot Topics for Better Patient Outcomes” series.  In this session, adapted from her award-winning book of the same name, Dr. May will deconstruct the “Mindful Eating Cycle” and explore the bio-psycho-social drivers of each decision point. Attendees will learn a powerful and universal approach to the complex issues contributing to problematic eating behaviors and walk away with six unconventional strategies that promote heart-healthy lifestyles.

On Sunday, March 25, and Monday, March 26, the CV Theater will be the setting for the CV Innovations Educational Forum, featuring cutting-edge cardiovascular research and cardiovascular product development. Physicians, researchers, venture capitalists and investment bankers will gather in the CV Theater for presentations and panel discussions, and explore cardiovascular technologies in development. Topics include:

• Device Development and Innovation
• Current Approaches for Treating Calcified Peripheral Arterial Disease
• Challenges Associated with Treating Calcified Coronary Artery Disease
• The Role of Innovative Technologies in a Novel Strategy to Prevent First Coronary Event
• The Role of Nanotechnology in Cardiovascular Diseases
• Cellular Therapy
• Tissue Engineering
• Personalized Medicine

For more information, including the full schedule of presentations and speakers, please visit the CV Innovations Educational Forum website. The CV Innovations Educational Forum is presented by the ACC, in partnership with Elsevier Business Intelligence and the International Society for Cardiovascular Translational Research.

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ACC-i2 With TCT: Don’t Miss the Advance Registration Deadline!
The advanced registration deadline for ACC.12 and ACC-i2 with TCT is tomorrow, Feb. 15! Don’t miss out on all of the activities planned for Chicago. In particular, ACC-i2 with TCT offers five focused interventional tracks that deliver the most up-to-date information in cardiovascular medicine. Attendees can catch up on the latest approaches to complex coronary disease, while also exploring both mechanical and pharmacological advances to left main disease, chronic total occlusions, and acute coronary syndromes.

This learning pathway also offers unique opportunities to hear what the experts have to say about endovascular therapies for peripheral arterial and venous disease and learn how high-tech imaging tools are offering new insight into anatomy and physiology — and influencing clinical decision-making in the cath lab. Several sessions will also focus on emerging techniques for treating structural heart disease. Get more details here.

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Connect With Your Colleagues in New Ways at ACC.12!

• Discuss, learn and network in the ACC.12 Community
• Don’t miss special ACC.12 coverage from the “FITs on the GO” in the FIT Blog
• Read the latest from ACC leaders on the ACC in Touch Blog
• “Like” the American College of Cardiology on Facebook
• Follow @ACC_12 on Twitter and use the hashtag #ACC12
• Text ACC12 to 202-499-4567 to receive text message alerts during the meeting
  

Plus, coming soon you'll be able to download the CardioSourceNews App for instant access to CardioSourceNews coverage from the meeting and the ACC.12 eMeeting Planner App for instant access to the sessions, abstracts, exhibitor info, maps and more! Visit www.accscientificsession.org/StayConnectedACC12 for more information.

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Early Career Member Looks Forward to ACC.12
CardioSourceNews sat down with Andrew Freeman, MD, FACC, Chairman of the Early Career Cardiologists Council, to learn how he became involved with the ACC and what he's most looking forward to at ACC.12 in Chicago.
“The ACC is a fun, fast-paced time to learn from the experts, see emerging technologies first hand on the exhibit floor, and meet and see colleagues from all over the country,” says Freeman.  Read the complete interview.

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