The second year of a new event can often be more challenging than the first. But that did not appear to be the case for the second annual Iowa Cardiovascular Summit: Advances in Electrophysiology and Heart Failure. A large crowd of area clinicians attended the first year’s two-day session, but the second year’s attendance appeared to outperform the first. This year, organizers continued the pattern of six organized sessions across two days, but they also added a judged poster session in the middle of the first day.

With attendance from physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, researchers, and nurse clinicians up across the board, conference organizers seemed to know what their audience needed to know. Held in the Iowa City downtown hotel The Graduate, attendees were treated to a a robust and delicious lunch at noon as well as refreshments throughout the day. Though the brisk and evidence-filled presentations were plenty engaging on their own.

Session 1: Basics in Cardiovascular Diagnostics
Ily Kristine T. Yumul-Non, MD
KellyAnn Light-McGroary, MD, MHCDS
Peter Farjo, MD, MS
Yehia Saleh, MBCH, MSc
James Hopson, MD

Session 2: Valvular Heart Disorders: Treatment and Complications
Phillip Horwitz, MD
Denice Hodgson-Zingman, MD
Adnan Al Ayoubi, MD, PhD
Ernesto Ruiz, MD

In addition to the expert information on the treatment and diagnosis of a variety of cardiovascular complications and diseases, attendees also took advantage of the less formal perks of an in-person CME event. They caught up with old friends and made new ones. They also visited with some of the two dozen industry sponsors who were on hand to present state-of-the-art devices and therpeutics they might consider adding to their practices.

The poster session in one of the side rooms may have been a little cramped but the knowledge on display was expansive. Congratulations to first and second place winners Mohammad Mhanna and Chiara Borrelli, respectively. And to the three tying presenters for third place, Ashraf Alzarani, Kane Zemo, and Izola Ramalho.

Session 3: Preventing a Clot
James Freeman, MD, MPH, MS
Laura Czerniak, PharmD, BCCP
Emma Winstead, PharmD, BCCP
Leon Jons, MD

Session 4: Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions
Byron Vandenberg, MD
Garbe Kringlen, MS, LGC & Maggie Freese, MS, LGC
Barry London, MD, PhD
Katie Halbmaier, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC

Immediately after, attendees were invited to cross the hall to a nearby restaurant for appetizers and a social hour.

Though the second day was briefer than the first, the presentations were no less critical.

Session 5: Advanced Heart Failure Therapies
David Pachariyanon, MD
Sergio Conti, MD, PhD
Denicia Cole, RN, BSN
Marmar Vaseghi, MD
Steven Bailin, MD

Session 6: New and Upcoming Treatment Strategies in Cardiovascular Care
Robert Gottlieb, MD, PhD, FACC
Dhanunjaya Lakkrieddy, MD
Arun Singhal, MD, PhD, FACS
Ola Abdelkarim, MBBCh, MSc
Paari Dominic, MBBS, MPH

Thanks and congrats to the conference organizers, University of Iowa Health Care’s Heart and Vascular Center, the CME staff, and the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine staff for a second successful year.

Course Directors
Laura Czerniak, PharmD, BCCP
Paari Dominic, MBBS, MPH
Paige Graham
Suzanne Hennings, ARNP, MSN
Elizabeth Hinders, ARNP, DNP
Ernesto Ruiz, MD