9th National Conference

Thank you to all who attended our 9th National conference and helped make it a memorable event!

Registrants can click here to access the conference.

Announcement (March 14, 2022)

After much analysis and discussion, ACHA has made the final decision to transition our ACHA 9th National Conference to a virtual event. We thank you for remaining patient as we rescheduled our event twice throughout the last two years with consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety of our attendees at the forefront.

Please click here for the factors that contributed to our decision and what this transition means for those already registered as well as other members of our community moving forward.

ACHA offers our unique 9th National Conference, from June 23-25, 2022, with two separate educational tracks that anyone registered can attend. The Patient/Family Conference offers attendees the chance to hear the latest information about managing their disease from top national congenital heart specialists. It is also a great opportunity to meet others with CHD and to give and receive support. The Health Professionals Conference is an opportunity for health professionals with a focus on ACHD to strengthen their skills and learn about new strategies for treating their patients and improving their quality of life. This track also brings together top international congenital heart researchers working to move the CHD field forward by developing new treatments for CHD.

Please plan to set aside the following times to join us (all times are Eastern Daylight Time):

• Thursday, June 23: 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Friday, June 24: 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Saturday, June 25: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

*We are offering 11.5 CMEs and CEUs at the National Conference. Attendees must register as a medical provider in order to obtain them.

Who:

There are two different tracks associated with the National Conference: Patient/Family and Health Professionals. ACHA encourages ACHD patients, family members, teens and young adults diagnosed with congenital heart disease to attend the conference. We also invite ACHD doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, social workers, nurses, fellows and residents to attend as well.

What:

The ACHA National Conferences offers attendees an opportunity to meet others who are affected by CHD through educational sessions and networking opportunities. Some previous conference offerings included the latest research and educational topics; opportunities to interact with medical providers; panel discussions from the patient viewpoint; and educational lectures about specific defects, self-advocacy, legislative advocacy, newer medical therapies, complementary therapies, 3D printing options, preparing for surgery, family planning/contraception, the challenges and gifts of having a loved one with CHD, navigating insurance, and more.

Conference Sessions Prevoew:

Patient Family:

• Regional Conversations: Meet other members from your region!
• Sex, Drugs and Rock n’ Roll: What You Wanted to Ask Your Doctor and Were Afraid to Ask
• Heart Failure: Understanding What This Means
• Newer medical therapies (3-D printing, wearable devices, and more)
• Panel discussions:
  • PTSD, anxiety, depression, body image
  • Cognitive and executive function
• Peer tips, such as:
  
  • Helping your child/children cope with your CHD
  • Surgery as an adult (what to expect and how to prepare)
  • Tips for the newly diagnosed
  • Managing intimacy and sexual activity
  • Managing devices (pacemaker, ICD, etc.)
  • Aging with CHD (common issues for patients over 40)

Medical Providers:

• Strength in numbers: Advancing the care for adults with CHD through multicenter research
• Shifting realities and emerging visions for adults with heart failure due to CHD
• ACHD research in review
• Single ventricle Fontan discussions
• Panel on ACHD transcatheter therapy

To review the entire agenda, take a look at the conference program by clicking here!