Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension

Editor's Memo

PHA Scientific Sessions Break New Ground, Providing Timely, Focused Venue for Current Research

This issue of Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension is the next best thing to being there—attending the first Scientific Sessions of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, held from June 24 to 26 in Miami, in conjunction with PHA’s 6^th International Conference. The reports from presenters will give you a sense of the excitement attendees shared in being a part of this effort to break new ground by establishing a PH focus for results of current research. Until this meeting was held, physicians seeking such information had to look toward multiple meetings where research findings were presented, including large cardiology and pulmonology conferences, sporadic symposia, and a number of smaller conferences. Few, if any, of these meetings were dedicated to PH research per se.

Because few physicians are able to attend all of these meetings pertaining to PH, the 2004 PHA Scientific Sessions were intended as the first of a series of conferences consolidating PH-related information and allowing professionals to network with others sharing a similar interest. The sessions also focused on another objective— presenting viewpoints of those working primarily in fields outside of PH, such as cancer and genetics. The coverage in this issue provides a representative sample of new directions in PH research from those who presented this information during the Scientific Sessions.

A total of 47 abstracts were presented, 5 orally and the rest as posters. These abstracts covered the gamut of PH research, including clinical drug studies, patient demographics, hemodynamic monitoring, treatment strategies, and basic studies of the molecular processes and cell biology of PH. The Scientific Sessions proved to be a valuable addition to the well-established International PHA Conference. The financial support provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of Rare Diseases, and healthcare sponsors assured a forum for the productive exchange of information. Looking ahead, the next Scientific Sessions will be held in Minneapolis in 2006; you may want to make early note of a meeting that should not be missed.

Michael McGoon, MD
Guest Editor