April 19, 2017 | Akhil Narang, MD
Education

ACC.17 is officially in the books! ACC's 66th Annual Scientific Session was a resounding success with nearly 20,000 cardiovascular professionals gathering in our nation's capital. I am particularly proud of our FIT programming. This year we had one of the best lineups of FIT-sponsored sessions in recent history.

For the second straight year, the FIT Jeopardy Tournament was one of the most popular events. Texas outcompeted almost 30 other ACC chapters around the country to claim the top prize.

The FIT Mix and Mingle Session hosted in the Bistro gave over 300 FITs the opportunity to interact in small groups with leading experts around the world in various aspects in Cardiology. Some of the prominent figures included Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC; Clyde Yancy, MD, MACC; Steve Nissen, MD, MACC; Carol Warnes, MD, FACC; Vinod Thourani, MD, FACC; Rick Nishimura, MD, MACC; Patrick O'Gara, MD, MACC; Robert Bonow, MD, MACC; Pamela Douglass, MD, MACC; Harvey Feigenbaum, MD, FACC; Morton Kern, MD, FACC; and Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC.

The perennial favorite, FIT Stump the Professor, showcased three challenging case presentations ranging in topics from congenital heart disease, heart failure in acute coronary syndrome, to innovative imaging in infective endocarditis. Dr. O'Gara, Dr.Warnes, and Blase Carabello, MD, FACC, offered key teaching points as the expert judges while dissecting the nuances of the cases.

Back for the second year running, the FIT Scholarship and Education Session had five outstanding speakers (Dr. Yancy; Nihar Desai, MD; Jonathan P. Piccini Sr., MD, FACC; Michael Broman, MD; and Justine Turco) speak about how to successfully engage in research as a FIT or Early Career cardiologist. Topics included mentorship, selecting a research project, writing a manuscript, getting grant funding and writing opportunities for FITs in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The FIT Acing the Transition Session, also back for a second year, featured Quinn Wells, MD,; Doreen Yeh, MD; Brigid Dolan, MD; Jagmeet Singh, MBBS, FACC; and Mike Merrill, CFP, CLU, ChFC, speaking on how to successfully transition from FIT to practicing cardiologist. They provided expert advice on board preparation, finding the right job, negotiating contracts and financial planning to make this transition smooth.

The last of the FIT Sessions, Mentoring the Care Team, was jointly sponsored by Early Career and the Cardiovascular Team Sections and included speakers Evan Ownby, MD, FACC; Andrew Kates, MD, FACC; Cathy Biga, MSN, RN; Marc Shelton, MD, FACC; and Robert Shor, MD, FACC. Each speaker gave practical advice on how to successfully develop mentor-mentee relationships to aid in one's career growth.

A highlight of the conference was the FIT Lounge Programming. At nearly all times, the Lounge was packed with FITs taking a coffee and snack break, networking with their colleagues, or enjoying the speakers. We had "Meet-and-Greets" with current ACC President Mary Norine Walsh, MD, FACC, and past presidents, Richard A. Chazal, MD, MACC, and Kim A. Williams Sr., MD, MACC. In addition, we were honored to have Kim Eagle, MD, MACC, and Dr. Fuster share with us their wisdom. We also hosted social media guru and television personality Kevin Campbell, MD, FACC, who spoke about personal branding in medicine. And last but certainly not least, we had a full house during the Medical Resident Breakfast where Julie Damp, MD, FACC, and Chittur Sivaram, MBBS, FACC, provided advice and answered questions on matching into cardiology fellowship.

This year the FIT Section was also took home first place in the first annual ACC Section Awards for the FIT Jeopardy Tournament led by Nkechi Ijioma, MD.

By all metrics, ACC.17 was a tremendous conference for FITs and we're excited to see you at ACC.18 in Orlando, Florida. If you have a great idea or want to get involved with the FIT Section, please feel free to reach out. We are always looking for enthusiastic and motivated FITs.

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This article was authored by Akhil Narang, MD, immediate-past chair of the Fellows in Training (FIT) Section.