VIRTUAL ACC.20 World Congress of Cardiology

Dear Colleagues,

As we were planning for ACC.20/WCC in Chicago we noted that American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Annual Scientific Session is always evolving to make the most out of new technologies, educational formats, new science and more. Specifically, we said: “No meeting is the same as the one before [and] this year is no exception.”

We weren’t kidding. No one expected that a global pandemic would force the first-ever cancellation of an ACC Annual Scientific Session. This was absolutely the right decision given the need for cardiovascular clinicians around the world to be on the front lines helping patients and their communities address COVID-19. Over the last week the ACC has been hard at work creating a virtual experience that leverages new technologies, educational formats, and more to bring ACC.20/WCC science and education directly to cardiovascular clinicians and other key stakeholders worldwide.

The free “ACC.20/WCC Virtual” experience will kick off on Saturday, March 28 and will offer three days of science and learning. The meeting will feature “live” access to 23 education sessions including Late-Breaking Clinical Trials, Featured Clinical Research, Young Investigator Awards, and Keynotes. You’ll hear from ACC President Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FACC, and incoming ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, FACC. We will also be honoring our Distinguished Awardees and new Fellows of the ACC (FACC) and Associates of the ACC (AACC). More details on other exciting activities, as well as how to get involved, will be coming over the next week and posted to the ACC.20/WCC website.

We encourage you to mark your calendars and join us in real-time for all the events and engage in conversations on social media (#ACC20 / #WCCardio) and ACC’s Member Hub. Not able to attend? The sessions and presentations will be archived for future viewing. More details on other exciting activities, including abstracts and educational sessions on demand, as well as how to get involved, will be coming over the next week and posted to the ACC.20/WCC website.

This is new and unchartered territory for us all. A meeting the size of ACC.20/WCC is years in the making and we were all excited about Chicago as our local stage for bringing the global cardiovascular community together ‒ live and in person. However, the show must go on and to quote William Shakespeare: “All the world’s a stage.” We are excited about the opportunity to use this bigger and broader stage to provide the important, practice-changing science and education that is even more necessary now than ever before.

The ACC’s Mission is to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health – it is a privilege to help deliver on this mission with ACC.20/WCC Virtual. We are truly learning at the speed of now! See you online!

Sincerely,