The British Cardiovascular Society Annual Conference, 7–10 June 2021: the Vice President’s message

Abstract

On behalf of the President, Board, Executive and Programme Committee at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS), we look forward to welcoming you in June for the BCS 2021 Annual Conference. It is the first time we are holding this as a virtual Conference and our theme this year is ‘Cardiology and the Environment’. The past year or so has been challenging, going through the COVID-19 pandemic with most unprecedented circumstances, which makes the theme of the conference even more relevant. The conference will be opened by the BCS President, Professor Simon Ray, followed by the keynote opening lecture entitled ‘Cardiovascular disease on a changing planet’ delivered by Professor Sir Andrew Haines. This is a named BCS Desmond Julian lecture in honour of the late Professor Desmond Julian, ex-president of the BCS (1985–87), who passed away in 2019. Professor Haines, who had collaborated with Professor Julian in the past, is Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health and was the Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (2001–10) and co-chair of the Rockefeller Foundation / Lancet Commission on Planetary Health (2014/15). His research focus has been on the effects of environmental change on health and the impact of polices to adapt to or mitigate these changes and currently co-chairs the InterAcademy Partnership working group on climate change and health and participates in the Lancet Commission on Pollution and the Lancet Commission on the COVID-19 response. This year is the 60th anniversary of the British Heart Foundation (BHF). To mark this important milestone, there is a BHF Lecture to be given by Professor Salim Yusuf, Distinguished University Professor of Medicine at McMaster University, Canada. Professor Yusuf has close links with the BHF and the UK, having obtained his DPhil at Oxford supported by a BHF Junior Research Fellowship …