December 2014 HeartWeek issue of cardiology in the young: highlights of HeartWeek 2014: diseases of the cardiac valves from the foetus to the adult.

Abstract

This December Issue of Cardiology in the Young represents the 12th annual publication generated from the two meetings that compose "HeartWeek in Florida". "HeartWeek in Florida", the joint collaborative project sponsored by the Cardiac Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, together with Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute of Saint Petersburg, Florida, averages over 1000 attendees every year and is now recognised as one of the major planks of continuing medical and nursing education for those working in the fields of diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in the foetus, neonate, infant, child, and adult. "HeartWeek in Florida" combines the International Symposium on Congenital Heart Disease, organised by All Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine and entering its 15th year, with the Annual Postgraduate Course in Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease, organised by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and entering its 18th year. This December, 2014 Issue of Cardiology in the Young features highlights of Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute's 14th Annual International Symposium on Congenital Heart Disease, which was held at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Saint Petersburg, Florida, from 15-18 February, 2014. This Symposium was co-sponsored by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and had as its special focus " Diseases of the Cardiac Valves from the Fetus to the Adult ". We acknowledge the tremendous contributions made to paediatric and congenital cardiac care by Duke Cameron and Joel Brenner, and therefore we dedicate this December, 2014 HeartWeek Issue of Cardiology in the Young to them. Duke Cameron is Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University and Cardiac Surgeon-in-Charge at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Joel Brenner is Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Taussig Heart Center at Bloomberg Children's Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Together, Joel and Duke lead the proud paediatric and congenital cardiac programme at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.