Our solid foundations in the Sections have been built by my Predecessors: Prof. Hugo Saner and Prof. David Wood, whose strong commitment to prevention and rehabilitation has shaped the Association we have today. Prof. David Wood has further strengthened the structure of the Association by completing the merging process within the Sections and promoting cooperation through the various Committees, and has drawn on the “best of the best talents from all parts of our Association united around flagship projects” which will have a great impact for prevention implementation.
With co-operation and collaboration we have achieved much. Best examples are the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EJCPR), now an established scientific journal embracing all fields of preventive cardiology and all our interests, and the EuroPRevent annual congress: Athens (2006), Madrid (2007), Paris (2008), Stockholm (2009) and Prague this year.
In the last EuroPRevent congresses we welcomed an average of more than 1.200 participants each year and the sessions, developed by each Section through the Congress Programme Committee (CPC) chaired by Professor Joep Perk were all of high scientific quality. Professor Volker Adams now leads the CPC for EuroPRevent 2011 in Geneva, and for the first time we welcome a single Editor in Chief for our Journal, Professor Rick Grobbee. Our Journal and our Congress are the major scientific assets of our Association and we welcome your participation and contributions.
The development of the Association, in my opinion, is very much linked to the activities of the Sections in their respective field of expertise and to the Committees, as many important projects and new exiting initiatives are in preparation, particularly in the area of prevention implementation.
Despite the increasing body of professional recommendations at both European and national level, integration of cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation strategies into daily clinical practice and health care system is still inadequate.
Our Association has the responsibility to promote all aspects of cardiovascular health and to guide the application of the principle of cardiovascular prevention into daily clinical practice.
My personal ambition is to establish a more advanced model and standard of cardiac care which is more effectively oriented to cardiovascular prevention in the hospital and community. I am sure that we can do this by working together, and my vision is to work with the full Board, in co-operation with the Sections and Committees to promote more efficient strategies and appropriate interventions for cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation of cardiac patients, as well as of subjects with multiple coronary risk factors, which may have greater impact on cardiovascular health.
The Executive Officers have been elected at EuroPRevent in Prague. The position of President-Elect is now covered by Professor Stephan Gielen, who will continue from his previous experience in the Board to contribute to the future directions of the Association.
Our Secretary Professor Luc Vanhees has been confirmed and he has the key responsibility of building strong communication channels between the membership, the sections and the Board and its Committees. If you are interested in working for our Association please write to him and to Sophie Squarta, EACPR Executive Officer at the European Heart House (email). Our new Treasurer is Professor Dan Gaita, who has the unenviable responsibility to raise funds for our Association, and he will welcome all generous donations and profitable initiatives!
The EACPR Full Board and Sections and Committees for 2010-2012 will be operational in time for the ESC Congress in Stockholm and we would like to invite you to meet with all of us at the General Assembly to be held on Sunday 29 August 2010 from 12:45 to 13:45 in ESC meeting room 1. We will use this formal occasion to announce our Associations strategic vision and flagship projects around the theme of CVD prevention.
Enjoy this new issue of the EACPR e-newsletter!
Pantaleo Giannuzzi
EACPR President