The 56th Annual Meeting of the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC 2023) took place in Dublin, Ireland, from April 26 – 29, 2023.
Held at the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), AEPC 2023 kicked off on Wednesday, April 26, with the day-long Update Course Programme, followed by the Opening Reception that afternoon.
In line with this year’s theme of ‘Building Bridges of Collaboration Across Europe in Congenital Cardiac Care’, the Annual Meeting began with a brief introduction by the Local Co-chairs Colin McMahon (Professor of Paediatric Cardiology at the School of Medicine, University College Dublin, and Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Dublin) and Frank Casey (Clinical Professor of Paediatric Cardiology at Ulster University and Queen’s University, as well as Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast).
Afterward, the official welcome address was given by Len O’Hagan, the Chairperson of the All-Island CHD – Congenital Heart Disease Network Board. In his speech, O’Hagan highlighted the importance of collaboration among health professionals in diagnosing and treating congenital heart diseases as effectively as possible. AEPC President Nico Blom also echoed O’Hagan’s sentiments in a short speech welcoming all participants to AEPC 2023.
The premier European scientific meeting for paediatric and congenital cardiology, AEPC 2023 concluded on Saturday, April 29, with a record-breaking 1391 participants from 67 countries – the highest in the AEPC’s history of Annual Meetings.
Other highlights from the 2023 Annual Meeting include:
- 545 posters
- 251 speakers & chairs in total from 26 countries
- 102 oral presentations in 12 oral abstract sessions
- 60 moderated posters shown in four moderated abstract sessions
- 40 Working Group scientific sessions
- Five industry symposia
- Four plenary and keynote sessions
- Four nursing & allied health professional sessions
- One full-day Update Course Programme prior to the start of the meeting
- One live catheterisation session
The four plenary and keynote sessions drew great interest, with Dr Daniel J Penny from the US delivering the Mannheimer Lecture, Dr Ziyad M Hijazi from Qatar delivering the Hausdorf Lecture, Dr Nancy Pike from the US delivering the Florence Nightingale Lecture for nurses and allied health professionals, and Dr Gurleen Sharland from the UK delivering the Keynote Lecture on the closing day.
Another session that was popular among participants was the second edition of the Junior Interventionalists Meet Seniors session – a new tradition which began at AEPC 2022 to encourage collaboration between young and veteran paediatric cardiologists. Similarly, the Young Investigator Award recognised up-and-coming professionals in paediatric cardiology for their latest research.
Buoyed by the success of AEPC 2023, the Association is now looking forward to hosting its 57th Annual Meeting next year. Set to be held in Porto, Portugal, from May 8 to 11, 2024, AEPC 2024 will once again welcome participants from around the globe with a high-quality scientific programme centred around the theme of ‘Innovations and Controversies’ in paediatric cardiology.
For more info, please visit www.aepc2024.org
About the AEPC:
The Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC) was founded in Lyon in 1963 as Association Européenne pour la Cardiologie Pédiatrique. Since then, the AEPC has become a network of specialists who are committed to the practice and advancement of Congenital Cardiology and closely related fields.
The AEPC and its Working Groups aim to enhance collaboration amongst members for scientific research and professional development and to maintain high standards of professional practice. More information can be found at www.aepc.org.
For more information and further inquiries, please contact:
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