INTRODUCING THE PICS SOCIETY
On behalf of our Board, our volunteer committees and our growing global membership, we are honored to introduce The PICS Society, the professional society devoted solely to specialists in minimally invasive treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD). We represent the collective voice of physicians, nurses and technologists in our growing field. We foster the highest quality of care by connecting our community and learning from one another. Join us and strengthen our voice! Apply here: www.CHDinterventions.org (click on "PICS Society"). Email info@CHDinterventions.org
OUR VISION
A world where anyone who can benefit from minimally invasive techniques to treat CHD can access safe, effective care. OUR MISSION
We promote the highest quality care globally for infants, children and adults with CHD through minimally invasive techniques. We partner to further knowledge and skills of all involved, fostering research, education and advocacy on behalf of you and the patients we are privileged to treat. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY--We are new BUT we are also celebrating our 25th silver anniversary ! We have a new name (and a new logo !) but our history runs deep. Since 1997 The PICS Foundation has held the annual Pediatric & Adult Interventional Cardiac Symposium. Symposium has a proud history of excellence in education for physicians, nurses and technologists in our field. Each year Symposium focuses on the newest technologies, teaching via live cases, dealing with (& avoiding) challenges, tried-and-true refreshers and much more. Symposium will continue as best-in-class for many years to come. However...
2020: TRANSFORMATION AND GROWTH
In recent years, many reached out to Symposium organizers recommending we need our own medical professional society devoted exclusively to our unique specialty. Common threads emerged, which quickly became the core values of our— your ! — new professional organization, The PICS Society. These are our core values:
• Our perspective must be global
• Our leadership must represent many nations
• Our commitment is to the highest quality care
• Rigorous, high standards for membership are key • Education is year-round, available anytime
• We must lead in developing clinical guidelines
• We will pursue universal advocacy principles
• Respectful partnership with national societies is vital • We take pride in working with our industry partners
• We commit to mentoring the “next generation”
• We will ensure Symposium continues best in the field • We will be VERY affordable to all who wish to join us
As a result, in our 25th anniversary year The PICS Foundation has formally transformed into The PICS Society, the professional global “home” for those dedicated to our field. We are equally dedicated to partnering with national societies to ensure their continued growth. This signifies transformation of our global profession into a recognized community of dedicated medical providers. The PICS Society will continue to offer the annual PICS Symposium as our flagship event. As a professional society of colleagues globally, we will also do more—MUCH more. Join us ! www.CHDinterventions.org (click "PICS Society"). PICS SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVE ACTIVITIES—INTERESTED ? Contact info@CHDinterventions.org
Adult Congenital Heart Disease: With the expanded armamentarium for interventional treatment of CHD, so too has the patient spectrum increased to include adults of all ages. This Committee coordinates education, guidelines, advocacy, early career, quality & industry engagement in Adult CHD (led by Drs. Jamil Aboulhosn, Eric Horlick & Lars Sondergaard). Advocacy: Patients who can be helped should not be barred from treatment due to non-medical issues. We will engage relentlessly with policymakers and payors in pursuit of that goal (Drs. John Cheatham, Hideshi Tomita & Cliff Kavinsky.) Evidence/Documents/Guidelines: The need is urgent. While other societies have produced excellent documents that address this in part, until now no international organization has focused solely on standards of care in our field. We are changing that (Drs. Doff McElhinney, Peter Ewert & Athar Qureshi). Early Career Development: Our Fellows & Early Career Course is the first global program for next generation CHD interventionalists. We are engaging future leaders to learn, grow & lead (Drs. Aimee Armstrong, Darren Berman, Gianfranco Butera, Vivian Dimas, Dan Gruenstein). Industry Relations: Thanks to decades of partnership between physicians and innovative companies, our ability to treat CHD has advanced exponentially. The PICS Society is proud of those partnerships on behalf of the patients we all serve (Drs. Evan Zahn, Tom Forbes & Gregor Krings). Membership: Our members believe it a privilege to care for patients of all ages with CHD. We are THE professional home for CHD interventional professionals globally. We welcome all physicians, nurses and technologists who commit to high standards of patient care (Drs. Shakeel Qureshi, Jae Yong Choi & Allison Cabalka). Nurses, Technologists & Other Medical Professionals: Our commitment to engage the entire care team in all we do is vital. We also are engaging with professional societies in allied disciplines (Dr. Sharon Cheatham, Ms. Kathleen Nolan). PICS Annual Scientific Symposium: We look forward to welcoming everyone from around the globe in-person September 2022 at the Marriott Chicago Downtown.(Sixteen course directors). Professional Education: With the evolution of The Foundation to become The PICS Society, we are expanding educational offerings: Master Class webinars and fellows-in-training courses; more are planned (Drs. Dan Levi, Teiji Akagi & Tom Jones). Quality Improvement: We are leading development of a major clinical document, “Standards for Cardiac Catheterization of Pediatric Patients & Patients with CHD” in partnership with six other societies, the first global comprehensive guideline for quality in our field. Many more Q.I. initiatives are in the queue (Drs. Ralf Holzer, Lisa Bergersen & John Thomson).
