September 29, 2016 | Kevin Parrott, MD
Chapter Engagement

The Kentucky Chapter the ACC (KY-ACC) is dedicated to promoting excellence in cardiovascular care, and heart health in commonwealth of Kentucky. The highlight of the year for the Chapter, as well as for all the Fellows in Training (FITs), is our annual meeting, which was held in Lexington, Kentucky at the Lexington Convention Center this past year. Our state Chapter meeting has seen a steady increase in participation, and last year’s meeting set a record for attendance from both practicing cardiologists and FITs with nearly 300 attendees.

On the evening prior to the meeting, FITs from the University of Kentucky (UK), as well as the University of Louisville(U of L), were invited to a reception at the world famous Woodford Reserve Distillery with honored guest Kim Allan Williams Sr, MD, FACC, Valentine Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, and Alan S. Jaffe, MD, FACC. Everyone enjoyed the tour of the distillery prior to dinner, and all the fellows had an opportunity to discuss career planning and development with these leaders in cardiovascular medicine.

The day of the meeting opened with the annual poster presentation, which is always well attended by the fellows and residents. Last year, a total of 42 posters were presented by participants from the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and the University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. These posters covered a wide range of topics such as an interesting case report of a pheochromocytoma associated cardiomyopathy resembling Takosubo cardiomyopathy; changes in endocarditis prevalence and epidemiology; worse outcomes and end-stage liver patient’s with prolongation;  and echo guided CRT optimization.  The educational sessions that followed were also excellent, and I particularly enjoyed Dr. Michael Ackerman’s presentation on cardiac channelopathies

The meeting featured the first annual Jeopardy competition between teams of FITs from UK and UofL. The team from the U of L delivered an exceptional performance and demonstrated their broad knowledge of cardiovascular medicine in route to victory.

Our Chapter has generously sponsored fellows to attend national conferences such as the ACC Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Last year, one FIT from U of L, Abbas Bitar, MD, and Michael Mikolaj, MD, from the University of Kentucky, and I were able to attend this excellent conference.

FITs have been active in advocacy on the state level; most importantly serving as advocates for Kentucky Senate Bill 33, which required that every Kentucky high school student receive instruction in hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as part of their health curriculum.   This bill had been proposed several times prior in the Kentucky General  Assembly, but had always failed in committee. Thanks to the tireless work of William Dillon,MD, FACC, and Jesse Adams III, MD, FACC, and support from the American Heart Association the bill passed and was signed by the governor making Kentucky the 29th state to pass similar legislation. Over 29,000 Kentucky high school seniors will now benefit from knowing this important life-saving skill.

I encourage any FITS who are able to consider attending our Chapter meeting on October 8th, which will again occur in Lexington, Kentucky at the Lexington Convention Center. Pre-registration data suggests this may be our largest chapter meeting yet, and will feature keynote lectures on imaging of the thoracic aorta and cardio oncology. Register here.

This article was authored by Kevin Parrott, MD, a Fellow in Training (FIT) at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.