News & Events
2006 Fourth National ACHA Conference
September 15-17, 2006
San Francisco, CA
Download a PDF of the conference brochure
The Adult Congenital Heart Association invites adults born with heart defects, their families, and interested health professionals to its Fourth National Conference which will begin at 9:00 AM on Friday, September 15, and conclude at 12:30 PM on Sunday, September 17, at the Crowne Plaza San Francisco International Airport Hotel.
This event will bring together top ACHD specialists from throughout the United States to provide the latest information in ACHD research, treatment, and resources. It also offers a unique opportunity for the heart defect community to come together to share our stories, offer peer support, celebrate our triumphs, and plan for our future.
In addition to sessions geared exclusively for patients and family members, this conference will offer ACHA's first ACHD Research Symposium. Health professionals are also invited to participate in a case-based educational symposium offered on Saturday, September 17. This event is targeted to cardiologists and mid-level providers, and will offer CME credit. For more information on the CME symposium visit www.cme.ucsf.edu.
For more information about the Patient/Family Conference, e-mail conference@achaheart.org or call ACHA's office at (888) 921-ACHA. To download a conference brochure, please click here. To register, please click here. A tentative schedule for the Patient/Family Conference is available here.
Financial aid and reduced registration fees and scholarship assistance for travel expenses are available for qualified individuals from the Karen McNulty Memorial Scholarship Fund. Financial aid applications are now available. Please click here to download an application or call ACHA's office at (888) 921-ACHA for additional information.
Location: The Crowne Plaza San Francisco International Airport Hotel, located at 1177 Airport Boulevard in Burlingame, CA, is located 1.5 miles south of San Francisco International Airport just off Highway 101. There is a free shuttle service to and from San Francisco International Airport, which also has BART access to and from downtown San Francisco. For directions visit www.sfocp.com.
Lodging: A special room rate of $99 will be available at the Crowne Plaza San Francisco International Airport Hotel for conference attendees. For reservations, call (800) 411-7275 and ask for the ACHA rate. All reservations need to be made by September 1, 2006. For more information about the Crowne Plaza San Francisco International Airport Hotel, visit www.sfocp.com.
Registration: Please click here to register.
Faculty Conference Co-Directors
Elyse Foster, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
UCSF Medical Center
Daniel Murphy, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
Stanford University Medical Center
Keynote Speaker
Joseph K. Perloff
Director and Founder
Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center
Dr. Perloff is a pioneer in the field of adult congenital heart disease, and wrote the world’s first text on this topic in 1972. He is also the founder of the first ACHD clinic in the United States.
Robert Battle, MD
ACHD Specialist
Fletcher Allen Health Care
Craig Broberg, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
Oregon Health Sciences University
Dawn Calderon, DO
Co-Director, ACHD Clinic
Deborah Heart and Lung
Robert Popper, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
Pacific Oaks
Frank Cetta, MD
ACHD Clinic
Mayo Clinic
William Davidson, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
Penn State Hersey
John Child, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
UCLA
Anne Dubin, MD
Stanford University
Jeff Feinstein, MD
Stanford University
Wayne Franklin, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
Texas Children's
Deborah Gersony, MD
Director, ACHD Clinic
New York Presbyterian Hospital
Columbia University Medical Center
Welton Gersony, MD
New York Presbyterian Hospital
Columbia University Medical Center
Thomas Graham, MD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Michelle Gurvitz, MD
University of Washington Medical Center
Karen Kuehl, MD
CNMC/Washington Medical Center
John Lamberti, MD
University of California, San Diego
Michael Landzberg, MD
Boston Children’s/Brigham and Women's Hospital
Dana McGlothlin, MD
UCSF Medical Center
Marla Mendelson, MD
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Phillip Moore, MD
UCSF Medical Center
Disty Pearson, PA
Boston Children's/Brigham and Women's Hospital
James Perry, MD
Yale-New Haven Medical Center
Lawrence Rhodes, MD
University of West Virginia Healthcare
Pat Robertson, MD
UCSF Medical Center
David Sahn, MD
Oregon Health Sciences University
Arwa Saidi, MD
University of Florida
Shands Children's Hospital
Karen Stout, MD
University of Washington Medical Center
Amy Verstappen, Executive Director
Adult Congenital Heart Association
Carole Warnes, MD
Director, ACHD Clinc
Mayo Clinic
Claire Wilby
The Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association
UK
Jim Wong
Adult Congenital Heart Association
Conference Topics will include:
- Defect and Syndrome-Specific Breakouts, including: tetralogy of Fallot, Fontan, VSD/ASD, Coarctation/Aortic Stenosis, Eisenmenger's Syndrome, transposition of the great arteries, and congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries;
- History of ACHD Care;
- Care Guidelines in ACHD;
- Access and Barriers to Care;
- Psychosocial Issues in ACHD;
- Preparing for Open Heart Surgery;
- Coping Strategies in ACHD;
- Parenting with a Heart Defect;
- Cardiac Imaging;
- Birth Control and ACHD;
- Stress Reduction Though Meditation;
- Tips for Living Well with Cyanosis;
- Getting and Keeping Health Records;
- New Catheter-Based Options;
- New Surgical Options;
- Valve Replacement Options;
- New Treatments for Pulmonary Hypertension;
- Heart Failure and Heart Transplant;
- Heart Defects Over Age 40;
- Rhythm Problems and Treatments;
- Pacemakers and AICDs;
- ACHD and Disability Law;
- Managing Insurance;
- ACHD and Pregnancy;
- Gifts and Challenges of ACHD;
- What Causes Heart Defects;
- Avoiding Endocarditis;
- Exercise and ACHD;
- International ACHD—Making Connections;
- Legislative Action;
- ACHD Research Update.
Optional Events will also include:
- Discussion groups for spouses, parents, and siblings;
- Defect-specific discussion groups ;
- Special screening of the film Openhearted with presentation by director Mark Ostrick;
- Opportunities to meet one-on-one with national ACHD specialists;
- Memorial ceremony in remembrance of those lost to CHD;
- Poster sessions with ACHD researchers.
A Gala Dinner on Saturday Night will include dinner, dancing, and a Keynote speech from Dr. Joseph Perloff.
Registration fees include the Gala dinner and the following additional meals: lunch and snack on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
Registration fees for ACHA members are $195 before August 18, 2006, and $245 after August 18, 2006. For non-members, the conference fees are $220 before August 18, 2006, and $270 after August 18, 2006. Financial aid is available.
Questions? E-mail conference@achaheart.org or call ACHA's office at (888) 921-2242.