The 2010 edition of the National Cardiology Congress of the Turkish Society of Cardiology was held in Istanbul 22-25 October 2010 at the Halic (Golden Horn) Congress Centre with the participation of 4 200 attendees. 650 of these were from abroad: the Americas – from Canada and USA to Venezuela and Chile, Asia - from Japan to Malaysia, and Europe - from Baltic to African countries.
The participation of three ESC presidents, current President Prof. Michel Komajda, President-Elect Prof. Panos Vardas and Past-President Prof. Roberto Ferrari was one of the most remarkable facts. Their counterparts from the board of the Turkish Society of Cardiology offered a shield to each of them during the opening ceremony.
The past presidents of the Society for Cardiovascular and Interventions Professors Z. Hijazi, T. Feldman and B. Weiner were also present for the Global Interventional Summit held along with the 26th Congress. Another parallel event was the 7th Turkic World Cardiology Congress.
A special production of music and modern dance project “Heart and Rhythm” was performed during the official opening ceremony, during which also the traditional “Young Investigator Awards” in memories of the two Honorary Presidents of the TSC, and the awards for best oral and poster presentations were granted.
The scientific program of the 26th Congress counted 97 sessions, 355 presenters and session chairs. Besides symposia and panel discussions, there were “How to” and “Case focused” sessions and special courses in Arrhythmia, Interventions and Cardiac Imaging.
137 oral presentations and 315 poster presentations were selected by the evaluation results of 191 academicians among the abstracts submitted from Turkey and other countries. TSC accepts international abstracts since 2008 and the number submitted from other countries have increased significantly.
A special line, was reserved for the program “Practical Cardiology”, specifically prepared for family doctors and other physicians providing cardiovascular health service in the first step. The hall was overcrowded in each session and the sessions could be followed on large screens placed outside the hall.
A similar high interest was displayed in the courses by the young cardiologists. During the 26th Congress, the Turkish Board of Accreditation (TBAC) in Cardiology held its 9th Qualifying (written) Examination and 19th Certifying (oral) Examination with the participation of more than 40 attendees to each. TBAC has awarded 605 certificates since its foundation in 2004. TBAC has started also the Accreditation System for Specialization Training Centres and Programs in 2010, and the Cardiology Departments of four universities – Gazi and Baskent in Ankara, Trakya University in Edirne and Kocaeli University in Izmit- received the first accreditation certificates after year-long investigations, inquiries and assessment.
All the Working Group Boards, Board Committees and Project Teams of the society had their organisational meetings during the Congress. Women and Heart Health Project Team finalised its 2nd National Symposium’s scientific program, which will be held in Ankara on March 8-9, 2011. They also had the opportunity to develop their new research projects.
The cardiovascular Nurses and Technicians Working Group celebrated its 10th Anniversary during the Congress and awarded plates to Prof. Dr. Çetin Erol, Prof. Dr. Zerrin Yigit and Prof. Dr. Nuray Enç. The working group marked the anniversary with the establishment of a memorial forest in Izmir.
The 27th National Cardiology Congress of the Turkish Society of Cardiology will be held on 27-30 October 2011, again in Istanbul at the Halic (Golden Horn) Congress Centre. TSC invites all the members of the ESC’s national societies to submit abstracts for the 2011 congress.