The European Cardiac Arrhythmia Genetics (ECGen) focus group will represent EHRA in the field of cardiac arrhythmia genetics, addressing important issues including education and training, patient pathways and guidelines, and research.
Objectives
- Develop and harmonise patient pathways and guidelines for clinical cardiology and genetic management of patients with arrhythmia syndromes and arrhythmic genetic disorders on behalf of EHRA and in collaboration with other European and international stakeholders
- Provide a framework for delivering education and training in the genetic arrhythmia field to European doctors and allied professionals
- Provide a platform for interaction with national and European patient interest groups
- Promote collaboration of members to collect data for research as well as interact with other stakeholders where objectives are shared
- Collaborate with the ESC Working Group for Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases, the Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology, the European Society of Human Genetics and the new ESC Council for Cardiovascular Genomics
Membership
In order to join ECGen, the only requirement is that applicants must be an EHRA Member. We are open to a wide membership including trainee or fully qualified adult or paediatric cardiologists, geneticists, pathologists, scientists, and allied health care professionals including registered nurses or genetic counsellors.
You can fill in and submit the ECGen joining form in your My ESC account under "New application” then "Association Networks Joining Forms". Application forms will be reviewed on a monthly basis.
The Elected Focus Group
We established an initial multi-disciplinary focus group for the first year derived from EHRA Members. A process for electing the first Elected Focus Group by the membership and rules for procedures was established by this initial Focus Group and approved by the ordinary membership.
The Elected Focus Group has been allocated a four-year term and the Chair will be subject to re-election subsequently and the committee reappointed in coordination with the president elect.
The Focus Group consists of:
Physicians
- Prof. Elijah Behr - ECGen Chairperson
- Dr. Lia Crotti - ECGen Vice Chair
- Dr. Giulio Conte - EHRA Scientific Initiatives Committee Member
- Prof. Eric Schulze-Bahr - EHRA Education Committee Member
- Prof. Jacob Tfelt-Hansen - EHRA Congress Scientific Programme Committee Member
- Prof. Arthur Wilde - EHRA Scientific Documents Committee Member
- Dr. Nynke Hofman - Genetic Counsellor
- Dr. Georgia Sarquella Brugada (Pediatric Cardiology)
- Dr. Irina Rudaka - Trainee Physician
- Assoc. Prof. Carol Ann Remme - Scientist
Find out more about the focus group
The survey
In October 2020, we asked our members to share which major activities the ECGen should focus on. Out of 82 members, 50 responses were submitted. Find out about the the results.
Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.