Preventive Cardiology Conference
Montefiore Medical Center
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Overview
Montefiore Medical Center in New York hosted the 2017 Preventive Cardiology Conference, which focuses on the health benefits of plant-based living.
Two hundred people attended this sold-out event, most of whom were medical professionals. One hundred percent of attendees noted that they gained useful medical or practice knowledge from the conference. Overall, conference evaluations were positive, and 97 percent of attendees expressed interest in attending the conference again in 2018.
The conference director, Dr. Ostfeld, hopes to develop this conference into the premier preventive cardiovascular conference in the Northeast.
Director: Robert J. Ostfeld, MD, MSc Director, Preventive Cardiology Montefiore Medical Center
Keynote speaker: Paul M. Ridker, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Statement of need:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for adult men and women in the United States. Hence, the prevention of cardiovascular disease is of critical national importance. Despite proven preventive measures, these measures could be both better known and better applied. This full-day conference aimed to fill these educational and application gaps.
Goals
The goals of the conference were:
- To educate providers and attendees regarding evidence-based preventive measures and how to achieve their practical application
The conference learning objectives were to:
- Define optimal preventive strategies
- Describe the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease
- Explain optimal lifestyle approaches for cardiovascular disease
- Describe how to apply preventive measures in medical practice and or daily life
- Discuss optimal lifestyle approaches for adult-onset diabetes
200
conference attendees
65%
identified as medical professionals
100%
gained medical or practice knowledge
Approach
The conference was intended for cardiologists, internists, lifestyle medicine, primary-care physicians, registered dieticians (RDs), registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs), physicians’ assistants (PAs), and others interested in prevention of cardiovascular disease and plant-based nutrition. CME credits through the Albert Einstein College of Medicine were available for medical professionals.
The conference agenda consisted of a diverse selection of presentations, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions. Talks and speakers included:
- Beyond LDL Cholesterol: Does Inflammation Matter?, Paul M. Ridker, MD, MPH
- Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes, Neal D. Barnard, MD
- Describing My Evolution Toward Advocating for a Lifestyle Oriented Approach for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Kim A. Williams, MD, MACC, FAHA, MASNC, FESC
- The Nutritional Reversal of Coronary Artery Disease: Fact or Fiction?, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD, FACS, FACC, FALM
- The Impact of Lifestyle Change on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and the Bronx, Robert J. Ostfeld, MD, MSc
The positive response to the conference really blew us away. We sold the conference out one month in advance, and we had at least 100 people on the waiting list.
Montefiore Medical Center
Results
Conference evaluations were extremely positive, and 97 percent of attendees expressed an interest in attending again in 2018. The date has already been set.
- 100 percent of attendees noted that they gained useful medical or practice knowledge from the conference.
- 92 percent indicated that the conference inspired them to make a healthful change in their life, with many attendees noting that they already follow a plant-based diet.
- Approximately 65% of registrants identified as medical professionals.
I will share with rest of my (large) organization and will push dietary changes stronger and hopefully better with my patients.
Conference attendee
For the 2018 conference, Montefiore Medical Center intends to leverage all internal medicine trainees and cardiology fellows across the United States. The conference director will create a plant-based case report competition. The top three case reports will be presented, and all presenters will receive a prize. This academic competition will enable the advocates to reach out to all medical residency directors and cardiology fellowship directors in the United States and get plant-based nutrition information in front of them and their thousands of trainees.
Find out more about next year’s conference.
Top Tip
When promoting events such as this one, it's important to appeal to your target audience. Use phrases such as: "Are you a plant-based medical professional?", "Learn more about the role of plant-based diets in preventive cardiology" and "Are you a plant-based advocate?" in your advertising and promotions to attract the audience you want.