3rd Annual Cardiovascular Symposium

Join us for the 3rd Annual Cardiovascular Symposium, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Seattle. This is a free one-day event designed for primary care providers and general practitioners to build confidence in managing common cardiac-related presentations. Earn up to 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and connect with leading experts from across the cardiovascular specialty. Presented by the Center for Cardiovascular Health at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Find information for accommodations, accreditation, faculty speakers and more, below.

6:45-7:30 a.m. – Breakfast / Registration / Exhibits

7:30-7:40 a.m. – Welcome and Opening Remarks: Cardiovascular Care Reimagined — Innovation, Integration and Intelligent Cardiovascular Care | Mariko Harper, MD & Nezar Falluji, MD, System Physician Vice President, National Cardiovascular Service Line, CommonSpirit Health

7:40-8:15 a.m. – Opening Keynote Address: AI in Medicine | Daniel Barchi, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, CommonSpirit Health

Session 1: Saw it on TikTok — The New Front Door to Cardiology: When patients arrive informed, misinformed, and already tested

8:15-8:20 a.m. – Case: My Calcium Score is 400 — Now What? | Joshua Genstler, MD, Cardiovascular Disease Fellow

8:20-8:35 a.m. – From Viral to Valuable: Navigating the Digital Patient (VIRTUAL) | Joel Bervell, MD, Internal Medicine Resident

8:35-8:50 a.m. – Beyond LDL: Lp(a), ApoB, and Precision Prevention | Justin Penn, MD

8:50-9:05 a.m. – Beyond Stenosis: AI-Based Coronary Plaque Analysis and the Future of Cardiovascular Care | Sujeen Adhikari, MD

9:05-9:15 a.m. – Discussion / Q&A

9:15-9:35 a.m. – Break and Exhibits

Session 2: The Thick Heart — When Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH) Isn't What it Seems: One phenotype, multiple diagnoses, high-stakes decisions

9:35-9:40 a.m. – Case: Looks Like Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)...Until it Doesn't | Alanna Arroues, MD, Internal Medicine Resident

9:40-9:55 a.m. – Seeing Beyond Thickness: Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) and Tissue Characterization | Amornpol Anuwatworn, MD

9:55-10:10 a.m. – Beyond Polypharmacy: Role of Renal Denervation in Hypertension Care | Keval Shah, MD

10:10-10:25 a.m. – Management of Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) in the Modern Era | Alice Siqueira-Benzow, PharmD

10:25-10:40 a.m. – Cardiac Amyloid: Early Detection is Key in the Era of Advanced Therapeutics | David Zhang, MD

10:40-10:50 a.m. – Discussion / Q&A

Session 3: The Gray Zone — Where Guidelines End and Judgment Begins: The art and tension of modern cardiovascular decision-making

10:50-11:05 a.m. – Anticoagulation After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Is it Ever Safe to Stop? | Archana Rajdev, MD

11:05-11:20 a.m. – Redefining Atrial Fibrillation Management: Who Should Be Referred — and When | Susrut Pendyala, MD

11:20-11:45 a.m. – Debate: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) vs. Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) in Low-Risk Patients: Expanding Boundaries | Abdul Saidi, MD & Jamal Anyalebechi, MD

11:45-11:55 a.m. – Discussion / Q&A

11:55 a.m.-12:55 p.m. – Lunch / Exhibits / Product Theater

12:55-1:30 p.m. – Featured Plenary Lecturer: Gene-based Therapies for Atherosclerosis: Insights From the HEART-2 Trial

Session 4: Revascularization Reconsidered — Open, Hybrid, or Endovascular? Choosing the right strategy in complex disease

1:30-1:55 p.m. – Debate: Complex Coronary Revascularization — Partnering Surgery and Percutaneous Intervention (PCI) | Timothy James, MD & Tony Secaira, MD

1:55-2:10 p.m. – Complex Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) in 2026: Lessons from BEST-CLI and Basil 2 | Daiva Nevidomskyte, MD

2:10-2:20 p.m. – Discussion / Q&A

Session 5: Advanced Heart Failure & Cardiogenic Shock — System that Saves Lives: Speed, structure, and multidisciplinary rescue

2:20-2:35 p.m. – Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Strategies in the Modern CICU | Subashini Daniel, MD

2:35-2:50 p.m. – Advanced Heart Failure Reimagined: Smart Devices, Hemodynamic Monitoring and Integrated Care | Munir Janmohamed, MD

2:50-3:05 p.m. – Hepato-Renal Syndrome in the Setting of Heart Failure | Yuang Chen, MD

3:05-3:15 p.m. – Discussion / Q&A

3:15-3:35 p.m. – Break and Exhibits

Session 6: The Front Line of Cardiovascular Care — Scalable, Team-Based, and Built for What's Next: How multidisciplinary teams are redefining care delivery

3:35-3:50 p.m. – Can my patient get an MRI? Devices, Safety and Decision Making | Hannah Esmeralda, ARNP

3:50-4:05 p.m. – GLP1: Weight! There is more! | Brook Raphael, ARNP

4:05-4:20 p.m. – Beyond the Scale: Mechanisms of GLP-1 Mediated Cardiovascular Protection | Amanda Carter, PharmD

4:20-4:35 p.m. – Cancer Survivorship Meets Cardiology | Anu Kolluru, MD

4:35-4:50 p.m. – Exercise is Medicine: Cardiovascular Rehab Programs Through a Vascular Lens | Rebecca Ur, MD

4:50-5 p.m. – Discussion / Q&A

5-5:05 p.m. – Wrap-up / Raffle Drawings

5:05-6:15 p.m. – Cocktail / Social Networking
   

• Daniel Barchi, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, CommonSpirit Health 
• Liam R. Brunham, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FACP, Professor and Canada Research Chair, The University of British Columbia
• Nezar Falluji, MD, System Physician Vice President, National Cardiovascular Service Line, CommonSpirit Health

For questions or to learn more about the symposium, email Eliza McNelly at [email protected] or call 509-592-5506.

If your organization is interested in sponsoring the Cardiovascular Symposium, please email Marie Killmer at [email protected].