The Board of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) sends greetings and best regards to the readers of Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review and expresses great pleasure about the continuation of the co-operation between the journal and our Association. We greatly appreciate this new opportunity to share information and news from EHRA with the readership of Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review.
EHRA has developed tremendously over the last decade and has continuously enlarged the scope of educational and scientific activities. EHRA has been a driving force for successful innovations and has evolved to become a role model for new projects within the family of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) associations and beyond. One of the pioneering achievements was the introduction of the EHRA White Book, which was first published in 2008. The EHRA White Book documents the status and development of electrophysiology across Europe and provides unique and valuable data for scientists, healthcare economists and also for healthcare politicians. We expect the next edition summarising data for 2015 to be published in June this year.
The EHRA Fellowship Programme has been running for 9 years and is the largest programme of its kind within the ESC. The programme offers many opportunities for education and exchange – further information can be found at www.escardio.org/EHRA-training-fellowships We invite everyone to check the available options and apply for the next call in September, and also take the opportunity to learn more about EHRA Proctor Programme, which is open for application until 29 July 2016 on www.escardio.org/EHRA-proctor-prog
The EHRA website is the best place to check for our educational courses in pacing, electrophysiology and catheter ablation. The portfolio has been recently updated and enriched with focus elements in the fields of AF ablation and VT ablation. Space on courses is limited and we encourage everyone to sign up early. Take a course first and then sign up for the EHRA Certification programme, which is available for physicians and allied professionals. The latest educational project is the Diploma of Advanced Studies in Cardiac Arrhythmia Management; the DAS CAM course is a joint activity by Maastricht University, the European Heart Academy and EHRA. The DAS CAM programme is designed as a premium 2-year educational event for the leaders of tomorrow. The programme will be available on our website early this summer.
It is only a few weeks until the CARDIOSTIM-EHRA EUROPACE congress in Nice, France, opens its doors. This congress will be the leading event in Europe for science and education but also a unique chance for personal exchange with your colleagues from around the world.
In addition to premium offerings in science and education, we are increasingly focusing on strategic goals in the field of heart rhythm to improve EHRA’s recognition and influence.
In February this year EHRA organised the first EHRA Innovation Forum at which key opinion leaders from the healthcare sector met and discussed strategies to improve the development, assessment and clinical implementation of innovative ideas and treatment options in the field of electrophysiology. EHRA has also undertaken intense activities in the field of clinical trials. We have extended our involvement in the Early Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation for Stroke Prevention Trial (EAST) and also started activities in the field of public sponsored clinical studies and trial supported by grants from the European Union. We believe that this is an important strategic move to extend the roles and responsibilities of the EHRA.
The EHRA Spring Summit 2016 took place recently and had a focus on education. Together with representatives of more than 40 EP National Cardiac Societies and Working Groups, EHRA leadership discussed the future needs and future strategies to improve the quality and efficacy of our educational provision. For the first time the EHRA Summit was enriched by the EHRA Young EP Summit at which the EHRA Young Ambassadors gathered to meet with EHRA leadership. One key topic was the future of our EHRA EUROPACE congress in the light of the recent announcements by European industry (MedTech Europe) to change the rules and regulations for individual physician support for congress participation. While this is a significant change and a big challenge, we will come up with creative, innovative and effective solutions to maintain a high level of support for our congress guests. We believe that every challenge is also an opportunity – always! Thus, EHRA leadership has taken strong action to turn this challenge into success together with our industry partners and of course our EP National Cardiac Societies. We need you with your ideas to support us. The new EHRA membership scheme offers multiple opportunities to become an active part of the leading European association in the field of heart rhythm.
On behalf of the EHRA Board and the EHRA staff at European Heart House I wish you great and successful times.
Gerhard Hindricks
EHRA President
www.escardio.org/EHRA