The conference concluded with the presidency of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) handover. Professor María Jesús Salvador, FESC, pictured left and interviewed below, succeeded to Dr. Luis Alonso-Pulpón, FESC, and will lead the Spanish Society of Cardiology for the next couple of years.
In addition, Dr. Carlos Macaya, FESC, became President-Elect. The news was covered in the Saturday 20 October edition of the SEC's congress newspaper "Noticias" (pictured below) and this article is a short digest and translation of the original front page article.
Professor María Jesús Salvador, FESC, is the first woman in this prestigious position since the SEC was first founded. Dr. Javier Chorro, FESC, (as Vice-President), Esteban López de Sá, FESC (as General Secretary) and Gonzalo Barón, FESC (as Treasurer) have become her executive committee members.
It was announced that the new presidency will implement strategic plan decisions made in 2000 by the SEC, which are based on "compromise with the cardiovascular health and the ongoing training of cardiologists”, Dr Salvador, FESC, explained.
Former President, Dr. Luis Alonso-Pulpón, FESC, expressed his satisfaction in terms of the achievements made during his presidency. These concern the development of the SEC, the role of the “Revista Española de Cardiología” (Spanish Journal of Cardiology) now an established medical journal in Spanish language, the “Future of Cardiology” project and improved external relations, in particular with the presence of Spanish cardiologists in the ESC leadership.
Moreover the “Congress of the Cardiovascular Diseases 2007” saw the complete overhaul of the “Corazon y Salud” publication, published by the “Spanish Heart Foundation” and endorsed by the SEC. It is aimed at the general public, GPs and medical professionals. The revamped version will broaden its target to the Spanish population as a whole as well as increase its circulation to 100,000 copies. If you read Spanish, enjoy the new look, content and extended number of pages of “Corazon y Salud”. For more details visit the “Spanish Heart Foundation” website.
An interview with Professor María Jesús Salvador (MJS), caught on the spot by our ESC stand representative, while on-site in Madrid:
ESC: In terms of your interactions with the ESC, we’re mostly aware of your strong involvement in the Council for Cardiology Practice launched during ESC Congress 2001. What is the current news on that front?
MJS: Because of the great number of cardiologists working outside the Hospitals and/or in private practice the idea of the founder members of the CCP was to have a place inside the ESC in order to share our experience treating patients, to show the difficulties in carrying out the guidelines and to show as well what the necessities were and the way to get a good and available Continuous Medical Education in our daily work.
We have been lucky because our initiatives have had a great success: the e-journal is being sent to more than 8000 e-mail addresses weekly; all the meetings proposed during the different Congresses have been held with large audiences, including the last one our Take Home Message which was on the official programme for its first time during the ESC Congress in Vienna.
And also during this time we have compiled a small register in Heart Failure from some CCP countries that was published in Revista Española de Cardiologia, 2004.
ESC: Are you part of the other nuclei, committees etc at the ESC?
MJS: I have been a member of the Education Committee and I’m a member of the Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Drug Therapy WG but my responsibility with the Spanish Society and the CCP take too much time for me to be involved in other ESC structures...
ESC: Can you tell us if there a particular “take home message” of the Spanish Society of Cardiology Congress?
MJS: Yes there are several actually - these include the Future of Cardiology in Spain and in Europe; spread messages of Cardiovascular Prevention; ways to implement Guidelines; how to coordinate cardiovascular processes: AMI, heart failure, sudden cardiac death and Highlights 2007.
ESC: What are the mission and current important projects led by the Spanish Society of Cardiology?
MJS: The Spanish Society of Cardiology is a very active Society and during these two years will promote all the current activities: we spend one million euros by year in grants for research.
Our Congress is the most important cardiovascular event in Spain; we have very active working groups (we call them "Secciones") and we trying to connect them with their homologues in ESC.
Our scientific journal “Revista Española de Cardiología” has the highest Impact Factor 2,17 in Medical Journals in Spanish in the world and is the fourth in Europe in cardiovascular diseases.
Some of our members have a high position in the ESC leadershipo: Dr. José Luis Zamorano, FESC, is Councillor of the Current ESC Board and Chairman of the Association of Echocardiography, Dr. Josep Brugada, FESC, is the Chairman of the Association of Heart Rhythm and Dr. José Luis López Sendón, FESC, is on the Nominating Committee, others are on different Committees, nucleus of WG and also as members of working groups.
My work during these two years is to promote these activities and also to open the Spanish Cardiac Society to the Spanish people, to make Cardiology close to our citizens in order to send cardiovascular health messages, to diminish the impact of cardiovascular illnesses and to promote a good Cardiology assistance.
The population in general has a lot of information about health but it is difficult for them to discern the right from the wrong.
As a Scientific Society we want to become true leaders in public health in the cardiovascular field.
ESC: Do you have any news related to the political scene?
MJS: We are in touch with the Ministry of Health and in a short period of time they will sign the European Heart Health Chapter, as the Health Minister announced at the Opening Ceremony of our Congress. But we are open to work with them and with all institutions trying to improve the cardiovascular health of our people.