HOC Faculty On the Hot Seat: Part 2
This issue we tap into Medscape Going Back to the Heart of Cardiology thought leaders, who candidly weigh in on:
- Biggest challenge they find with arrhythmia
- Guidelines they find most helpful/relevant in their practice today
- Biggest challenge they find with obesity
- Something they’ve recently learned from other faculty/conference that they have adopted
- Best device/tool in their clinical arsenals
There is more information below on the upcoming Medscape Going Back to the Heart of Cardiology conference. You can view the agenda and/or register. Don’t miss it!
Make sure to also check out this issue’s Pulse, with articles from the Journal of the American Heart Association, Circulation, European Heart Journal, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cardiology News, and New England Journal of Medicine.
Thank you to these doctors for sharing their time and expertise. Don’t forget to register for Medscape’s Going Back to the Heart of Cardiology. Please contact me at colleen@cmhadvisors.com with any comments and/or suggestions! –Colleen Hutchinson
Hot Seat Part 2!
Participant faculty bios can be found by clicking here!
Biggest challenge with arrhythmia:
Dr. Masri: Atrial fibrillation (AF) requires safer and better therapies.
Dr. Kittleson: When to ablate AF.
Dr. Belardo: Early detection of AF before first event (stroke prevention).
Dr. Morris: Prevention of the increasing incidence of AF.
Dr. O’Donoghue: As we continue to pick up more cases of subclinical AF with wearable devices, I continue to struggle with decisions regarding management.
Dr. Garshick: Diagnosis.
Dr. Butler: AF detection and remission.
Dr. Brown: Effective identification and treatment for paroxysmal AF.
Guidelines I find most helpful/relevant in my practice today:
Dr. Masri: Heart failure and cardiomyopathy guidelines.
Dr. Kittleson: 2025 National Lipid Association Guidelines.
Dr. Belardo: ACC/AHA prevention, CAD, and hypertension guidelines.
Dr. Morris: Dyslipidemia, primary prevention, CKM, and hypertension.
Dr. O’Donoghue: No doubt I’m biased, but the 2025 ACC/AHA ACS Guidelines guide my practice every day.
Dr. Garshick: 2025 ACC/AHA/ACEP/NAEMSP/SCAI Guideline for the Management of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Dr. Butler: Non-cardiology overlapping areas like diabetes mellitus, CKD, etc., to help me think more broadly.
Dr. Brown: 2018 and ESC cholesterol guidelines and the new ACC 2025 acute coronary syndrome guidelines.
Biggest challenge with obesity:
Dr. Masri: Successful maintenance of a healthy lifestyle to keep the weight off (frequent failure of long-term management approaches).
Dr. Kittleson: Implementing GLP-1R/GIP agonists.
Dr. Belardo: Access, cost, and insurance coverage for evidence-based GLP-1 medical therapies.
Dr. Garshick: Getting GLP-1 agonists approved for non-diabetic indications.
Dr. Morris: Equitable access to evolving therapies in the GLP1-RA and GLP-1-RA/GIP space.
Dr. O’Donoghue: The biggest challenge with obesity is convincing patients that improving their diet is worth the effort. Great medication options now exist to assist with weight loss. Unfortunately, it’s easier for clinicians to write a prescription than to take the time to discuss lifestyle.
Dr. Butler: Not accepted as a disease.
Dr. Brown: Behavior modification. Thank goodness we now have effective drugs, but not without side effects.
Something I recently learned from other faculty/conference that I’ve adopted:
Dr. Masri: Role of non-steroidal MRAs.
Dr. Kittleson: Don't forget to check a UACR for risk stratification for CKD- all our silos are interconnected!
Dr. Belardo: Earlier initiation of combination lipid-lowering therapy in high-risk patients.
Dr. Morris: I have increased my assessment of residual inflammatory risk.
Dr. Garshick: The utility of checking urine microalbumin.
Dr. Butler: Importance of UACR.
Dr. Brown: Early and aggressive post myocardial infarction lipid lowering.
Best device/tool in my clinical arsenal:
Dr. Masri: In general echocardiogram. for cardiomyopathies - cardiac MRI
Dr. Kittleson: Taking a history.
Dr. Belardo: Encouraging patients to monitor their home blood pressure with a validated home BP cuff and educating patients on how to take their blood pressure at home accurately.
Dr. Morris: PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies.
Dr. Garshick: That I recommend to my patients - Kardia Device; that I order – coronary artery calcium score.
Dr. Butler: Echocardiogram.
Dr. Brown: Education, statin therapy, coronary calcium scoring.
Check out the BRAND NEW SESSIONS at the 2026 Going Back to the Heart of Cardiology!
Night One Cases Over Cocktails: My Hardest Patient Decisions/Cases from the Last Year
Friday, January 30 | 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM
See cardiology in action! Experience live case discussions bridging evidence and practice in an engaging, collegial format. End day one with real-world cases, shared by faculty and fellows, that highlight the complexities of cardiovascular care and the solutions that make a difference.
All Things Atherosclerosis Showdown
Saturday, January 31 | 8:30 AM – 10:35 AM
Step into action! Test your knowledge in this fast-paced, game-show style session designed to make science unforgettable. Get ready for interactive challenges that put your clinical decision-making to the test in real time. Engage. Compete. Learn. Experience cardiology education like you’ve never seen before.
Great Cardiology Debates
Sunday, February 1 | 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Watch leading experts go head-to-head in our new ‘Great Debates’ series where the hottest topics in cardiology are unpacked through lively, moderator-guided dialogue. No slides. No fluff. Just straight talk from the field’s brightest minds debating the questions shaping cardiovascular care.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHT WITH DR. GEOFFREY D. BARNES
“Attendees can expect to interact with national thought leaders through innovative and engaging sessions. Experts will review key cardiovascular concepts that can be applied to clinical care as soon as the attendees return home. And our new debate session is sure to be invigorating, educational, and a whole lot of fun! I’m most looking forward to hearing experts debate timely and challenging topics, like the role of AI in healthcare, drugs or devices for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, and the best methods for cardiovascular risk assessment. It’s a session no one will want to miss!” - Dr. Geoffrey D. Barnes, 2026 Advisory Chair
The Pulse
NEJM Original Article: Targeting APOC3 with Olezarsen in Moderate Hypertriglyceridemia
Medical Intelligence Quiz: Aspirin and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease
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