A symposium looking at common problems in cardiology is being held today at the downtown Embassy Suites Hotel with a total of 165 health professionals from Iowa and Nebraska expected to be in attendance.
“This is an excellent turnout,” said Andrew Weis, M.D., associate professor in the cardiology section of the UNMC department of internal medicine and director of the symposium. “It’s geared to primary care providers, and many of the attendees will be coming in from rural communities.
“I have a great deal of respect for these rural physicians. They have to treat a large number of different health problems, so the conference should provide them an opportunity to get up-to-date on the latest developments in cardiology.”
Dr. Weis said attendees include a blend of private practice and academic medicine physicians, internists, family medicine physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
Several UNMC faculty will present at the symposium along with three invited lecturers. The UNMC presenters and their topics will be: Edward O’Leary, M.D., evaluation of chest pain; Thomas Porter, M.D., diagnostic and therapeutic uses of microbubbles; Richard Stewart, M.D., management of angina and claudication; Christopher Erickson, M.D., assessment of syncope; John Windle, M.D., prevention of sudden cardiac death; Scott Shurmur, M.D., lipid disorders; Thomas Sears, M.D., pre-op assessment of the cardiac patient for non-cardiac surgery; and Mark Niebauer, M.D. and Banthit Khankirawatana, M.D., atrial fibrillation/flutter.
The three invited lecturers and their topics are: Donald Vidt, M.D., professor of medicine, Ohio State University School of Medicine, and consultant for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, hypertension management; Richard Lange, M.D., professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center department of internal medicine, Dallas, diagnosis and treatment of acute myocardial infarction; and Joseph Rogers, M.D., associate professor of medicine, cardiovascular division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo., congestive heart failure.
The symposium is being coordinated through the UNMC Center for Continuing Education.