Over the last 5 years, very experienced and highly committed colleagues have built the foundations and structure of our very young and brilliant association. With the support of the newly elected Board: Stephan Windecker as President-Elect, Carlo Di Mario as Past-President, Georgios Sianos as Secretary, Marie-Claude Morice as Treasurer, Patrick W. Serruys as Editor-inchief of EuroIntervention Journal, Javier Escaned and Christoph Naber as EuroPCR Board representatives, I intend to focus on five major objectives during my presidency:
- To build EAPCI into the largest and most dynamic association of the ESC family by increasing both visibility and membership. In order to do so, active involvement and participation from the National Working Groups members will be essential. We will also need to extend our network further and ensure we offer members of National Societies and Working Groups a way to take part in more activities.
- To strengthen the links between EAPCI, EuroPCR and ESC is another of my objectives. Reinforcing the relationship and communication between EAPCI and EuroPCR should stimulate the participation of EAPCI members in EuroPCR meeting and other activities of the PCR family. Similarly, I want to boost the link between EAPCI and ESC by, for example ensuring the active participation of EAPCI in the interventional cardiology programme of the ESC Congress. EAPCI is the natural link between EuroPCR and ESC and a close collaboration based on trust and a ‘win-win’ spirit must be developed in order to reach an optimal synergy between these three entities. EAPCI should be proud to be part of the ESC family and ESC should be proud to have EAPCI as one of its most active associations.
- To continue to develop activities of the association in Education and Training thanks to all the available tools (ESC online education platform, PCR/EAPCI textbook, Guidelines, meetings and seminars).
- To open up the association to new specialties and in particular cardiac surgery in order to promote the “heart team concept” and disseminate the need to work together in the field of coronary, peripheral and structural heart disease.
- To ensure the Stent for Life initiative is further developed. Along with Steen D. Kristensen, co-chairman of the initiative, we will continue to carry out this fantastic project initiated by William Wijns and Petr Widimsky.
Over the next two years, I will have the great honour and responsibility of leading the association.
My vision for the future of EAPCI is not just a two-year vision but more a four/five-year vision that I could share and implement with Stephan Windecker, President-Elect of EAPCI.