A two-day conference bringing cardiovascular scientists to Hawaiʻi capped Heart Month at the University of Hawaiʻi medical school. New Frontiers in Cell Death Signaling and Heart Failure, on February 18th and 19th was sponsored by the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) Dean, Dr. Jerris Hedges, and the Center for Cardiovascular Research (CCR) Director, Dr. Ralph Shohet, and St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Manitoba, Canada.
“During the 2-day conference, we had productive discussion with the top investigators in the field of cell death signaling in the heart. This was a great opportunity for young investigators and students to know how a novel concept in medicine is generated, studied and established,” said Takashi Matsui, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology.
Ralph Shohet, Professor of Medicine, noted scientists from Japan, Canada and both coasts of the U.S. mainland attended the conference.
“It emphasized for me how well we are placed to be a central node in the international effort to understand and treat heart disease, ” said Dr. Shohet. “Dr. Matsui is to be congratulated for organizing this very successful meeting, and the investigators of the CCR have already had discussions about developing the next one.”
William Lee (MC Class of 2019), Dr. Takashi Matsui and Teresa Choe (MD Class of 2018)
“It was an amazing opportunity to observe the intersection of basic science research and potential clinical outcomes in heart failure therapy,” said first-year medical student William Lee (MD Class of 2019). “This conference not only revealed the complexity of the varied signaling mechanisms underlying heart failure progression, but also provided progressive solutions that could have major clinical implications in the fight against this deadly illness.”
Second-year MD student Teresa Choe (MD Class of 2018) found the sessions paired nicely with what she is learning in her classes at JABSOM. “I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to listen to some of the top leaders on the frontier of cardiovascular research talk about the exciting new directions in the field of heart failure,” said Choe. This was a great way to integrate what we learn in the curriculum as a medical student with current and future advances in medicine.”
Dr. Scott Lozanoff, Professor and Chair of of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, applauded Dr. Matsui and Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, Director of Research Development, Professor of Physiology & Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, for organizing an outstanding meeting. “The success of the meeting reflects the significant achievements of JABSOM’s CCR faculty under Dr. Shohet’s direction. We anticipate that this meeting served as the inaugural event that will become a CCR and JABSOM tradition,” said Lozanoff.
Pictured at top of story, after the opening session, L-R: Dr. Matsui , Dr. Kirshenbaum, Dr. Lozanoff, Dr. Shohet and Dean Hedges.