In the previous newsletter I summarised my approach to the role of HFA President as being a very cautious listener and delicate moderator. Over the last few months I have realised that another important attitude needs to be added – the ability to invite enthusiastic people interested in active collaboration with our Association to come forward with their ideas, which can be further discussed and put into action at the level of our Committees and Study Groups.
This year we received numerous excellent applications to join the HFA Board as well as our Committees and Study Groups. This is the best evidence that HFA mission and activities are well perceived and able to attract outstanding people from Europe and also from the other continents. For all of us working for the HFA over the last years this is great news and a pleasant reward. The list of new members of the Committees and Working Groups invited for the next 2-year period is presented in this newsletter. I would like to congratulate all and express gratitude for the decision to send applications and commit time and effort to the HFA.
The number of available positions is, unfortunately, very limited. For all those who have not been selected this time, the HFA Board decided to set up a Forum which will take place at our annual meeting in order to discuss the ongoing activities and future plans of our Committees. Please, do your best to attend this important event at the next HFA Meeting in Gothenburg. In the meantime, I would like to invite you to e-mail us all your ideas, thoughts, suggestions and comments, which you may want to share with the HFA Board. They will be thoroughly discussed and this will allow us to have the best feedback from our members.
This newsletter also gives me an excellent opportunity to briefly update you on our recent activities and projects that we have either already started or are planning to initiate very soon:
• the success of the European Heart Failure Awareness Day this year convinces us that we need to continue this project. We have decided to organise the 2nd European Heart Failure Awareness Day on May 7-8th, 2011 and we do hope that this time even more countries are going to participate with even more activities. Your help and active involvement would be of key importance for broader national spread and success.
• the Heart Failure Pilot Survey, co-organised with the ESC has been completed. With 5118 patients recruited in 156 centers from 12 participating European countries, it should be viewed as a real achievement fulfilling the original aim to describe the clinical epidemiology of out-patients and in-patients with heart failure and the diagnostic and therapeutic processes applied across Europe. The decision is to continue the registry and all National Heart Failure Societies will be invited to participate in the long-term phase.
• a new Online Education Committee has been created to foster an on-line education project. Together with a professional partner organization and the Online Education Taskforce of the ESC, we will be developing a website platform with an educative and attractive content for all health care providers dealing with heart failure patients.
• at the same time, we are also discussing how to improve implementation of the current ESC guidelines on the management of heart failure into clinical practice. The whole Board is fully convinced that the HFA may play a leading role here; we are aware of some interesting ongoing initiatives at the local levels in certain European countries, but the major task is now to coordinate them and set-up a broader project across the continent.
• the HFA proudly supports candidates interested in a career oriented towards either research or practical management of heart failure. Currently we offer a Nurse Training Fellowship and a Research Training Fellowship for Clinicians and Basic Scientists. New rules and regulations will be soon published on our website to make these fellowships even more attractive for young candidates.
• an interesting workshop “Diabetic Cardiomyopathy 2010 – Facts and Controversies” recently took place in Belgrade (Serbia) co-organized by HFA and colleagues from the Study Group on Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (European Association for the Study of Diabetes) and the Working Group on Myocardial & Pericardial Diseases of the ESC. The consensus document on this timely problem is planned as the result of this fruitful meeting
Last, but not least I would like to take an advantage of this newsletter to remind you about our annual congress which takes placein Gothenburg, Sweden on 21-24 May 2011. The scientific programme is ready, looks very interesting and I have no doubt that everyone will be able to find many sessions worthy of attendence. It would be great to meet in this beautiful Swedish town and again I would like to invite everyone.
Yours sincerely,
Piotr Ponikowski
President, HFA of the ESC