University of Chicago Medicine hosts symposium of leading Chicago heart researchers

University of Chicago Medicine hosts symposium of leading Chicago heart researchers

September 16, 2015

More than 100 leading researchers from Chicago's major academic medical centers as well as six out-of-state institutions will meet at the American Heart Association's 2015 Chicago Research Network Symposium, hosted by University of Chicago Medicine's Section of Cardiology, on Friday, September 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the University's Gordon Center for Integrative Science, 929 E. 57th St., Chicago.

The symposium will focus on "Translational Research in Cardiovascular Disease." Speakers include physicians and scientists from the University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, Rush University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Northwestern University, Rosalind Franklin University and Midwestern University in Downers Grove. They will be joined by presenters from the University of Wisconsin, Medical College of Wisconsin, Purdue University, Indiana University, University of South Carolina and New York University.

Silvia G Priori, MD, PhD, professor of cardiology and head of the molecular cardiology laboratories at the University of Pavia (Italy), and professor of medicine and director of the cardiovascular genetics at New York University, will present the keynote address on "Prevention of Cardiac Sudden Death: From Genetics to Patient Care."

"The goal of this event is to learn about our colleagues' research, share ideas, network, possibly start new collaborations, and strengthen the cardiovascular research network in the Chicago area and in the Midwest," said Francis Alenghat, MD, PhD, chair of this year's symposium organizing committee and a physician-scientist in the Section of Cardiology at the University of Chicago.

The American Heart Association, which has partnered with University of Chicago to bring this opportunity to the cardiovascular research community, plays a critical role in supporting the development of beginning investigators and offering innovative funding mechanisms to stimulate research in promising areas of cardiovascular science.

Among the speakers is Barbara Stranger, PhD, assistant professor in the Section of Genetic Medicine at the University of Chicago, who will speak on the genomics of gene regulation and its impact on health and disease. Marion Hofmann-Bowman, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Section of Cardiology at the University of Chicago, will speak factors that modify calcific aortic valve disease.

James Liao, MD, Section Chief of Cardiology at the University of Chicago, will serve as host for the symposium and will lead a preconference session, beginning at 8:15, on how to obtain grant funding for cardiovascular research.

Undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral trainees will present their heart research in poster sessions, with awards for the best research presentations.

This is the second such symposium. The first event was held at Loyola University Medical Center in 2013.

For heart specialists concerned about personal longevity, there will be a 3-kilometer run prior to the meeting. Participants should meet between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. at the University's Ratner Athletics Center, 5530 S. Ellis Ave, Chicago.