#AHA24: Celebrating a 100-Year History and Providing Inspiration for the Future

By Amit Khera, M.D., M.Sc.

Professor of Internal Medicine
Director of Preventive Cardiology

#AHA24 was the culmination of a year of celebration for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the AHA. I had the privilege of serving as the Chair of the Scientific Sessions Program Committee, working with a large team of CV experts across a wide range of disciplines to develop a robust program that honored the past but also created a collective vision of the future, including the next 100 years.

Some of the key programming this year involved Main Event sessions covering health technologies over the past century and our journey in treatment of acute MI, as well as sessions focused on the future of generative AI in CV health and gene therapy in the cardiology clinic. As always, the Late- Breaking Science sessions were a focal point and included the SUMMIT trial of tirzepatide treatment in patients with HFpEF; the VANISH2 trial of VT ablation in ischemic cardiomyopathy; and key phase two trials of new therapeutics for lipoprotein(a). Science is the foundation of the AHA meeting; 4,000+ abstracts were presented, including more than half as digital posters, providing a forum for discussion and engagement, particularly with early-career attendees who are the future of the field.

The meeting included immersive experiences highlighting seminal discoveries in cardiovascular medicine, as well as luminaries in the field such as Harvard’s Eugene Braunwald, M.D., MACC, and Emory’s Nanette Wenger, M.D. These presentations led to a future-focused finale session that provided a glimpse into the infinite possibilities for AI in medicine and predictions on what research, clinical care, and public health will look like in the next century. In addition to learning about practicing changing advances today, we wanted #AHA24 attendees to leave inspired and hopeful for the future. I know I did.