The ESC Council for Cardiovascular Genomics was formed in 2019 in response to this challenge. Its mission is to encourage research, education and the sharing of genetic knowledge within the ESC and to forge new links with stakeholder organisations outside the Society. The Council is still in its infancy, but we have used the time since our launch in Paris last year to build the extended board of the Council and to forge links with key ESC partners including the Council for Basic Science, ESC Associations and Working Groups.
During 2020, we will promote education in genomics in joint sessions at the European Heart Rhythm Association congress in Vienna (29 -31 March 2020), the Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biomedicine (FCVB) meeting in Budapest (23 - 26 April 2020) and the ESC Congress in Amsterdam.
One of our most important early goals is to build a vibrant and active programme for our members. Our current membership stands at 200 and we have been able to provide travel grants to young investigators who are presenting abstracts at the FCVB meeting. We will be endorsing the forthcoming Fifth European Society of Human Genetics Training Course on Cardiogenetics in Manchester (May 11-14, 2020) and we are working with the ESC Academy to develop short courses in genomic medicine.
In coming months, we will be announcing more initiatives and will be looking to our membership for suggestions on how to build the ESC genomics community. We look forward to an exciting and productive year ahead.
Professor Perry Elliott, FESC
Chairperson 2019-2021
Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.