Inaugural UVA Health Cardiovascular Disease in Women Symposium Was Great Success

In her opening remarks, Dr. Rodriguez-Lozano shared the motivation that launched the Women’s Heart Program, and now, this symposium: the persistent evidence gap in cardiovascular are for women. The symposium hopes to change that trajectory by advancing sex-specific science, training the next generation of clinicians, and centering women’s voices in cardiovascular medicine.

Christopher Kramer, MD, chief of the UVA Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), highlighted ACC’s national priority of advancing women’s cardiovascular health and supporting women leaders in cardiology, reinforcing the alignment between UVA Health’s local vision and the broader national movement’s local vision and the broader national movement. The symposium also featured an extraordinary lineup of national faculty whose pioneering work has defined the field: Ana Barac, MD, and Garima Sharma, MD, Inova Health; Pamela Douglas, MD, and Tracy Wang, MD, Duke University;  Esther Kim, MD, Atrium Health; Agnes Koczo, MD, University of Pittsburgh; Gina Lundberg, MD, Emory University; Nosheen Reza, MD, University of Pennsylvania; Arnethea Sutton, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University; and Olga Toleva, MD, Georgia Heart Institute. Their presentations explored sex-based differences in ischemia and myocardial infarction, cardio-obstetrics, prevention, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), microvascular disease, leadership, and advocacy, each contributing to a dynamic and unifying theme: advancing cardiovascular care that reflects the unique biology and lived experiences of women.

Read more about topics covered at the symposium, including patient testimonials, on UVA Health Connect.