A Heartbeat Felt Across the Americas

From 4 – 6 June in Cartagena, Colombia, the 32nd Congress of the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (SIAC) spotlighted the Association’s role as a regional leader in Latin American women’s health, prevention and system-wide quality.

Program highlights of the Congress included:

• A luncheon honoring the Mexico delegation, representatives from Hospital Zambrano Helion – Tec Salud Monterrey, the National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Sanchez and Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI shared testimonials on the life-changing impacts that Get with the Guidelines® and certification programs are having in their facilities.
• A joint session between the Association and SIAC tackled critical topics: women’s cardiovascular health from youth to adulthood, maternal health in the “Mom’s Heart” campaign, gender and racial disparities in cardiovascular health, and cardiometabolic strategies for women.
• In the Go Red for Women® workshop, Johanna Contreras, MD, MSc, FACC, FAHA, and Melanie Turner, MPH, FAHA, led more than 150 professionals in conversations about cardiovascular disease prevention and equitable health care for women throughout the Americas.
• The Congress’ Innovation Hub featured Josh Onia, international director of quality health care certification, and Alexandra Arias, MD, FACC, FESC, MSA. They presented on Mexico’s experience with certification guidelines, featuring a video from Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI.
• A powerful keynote address from the Association’s president elect (2024–25) and executive director for Northwell’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health, Stacey E. Rosen, MD, FAHA. “Optimizing cardiovascular health for women across every stage of life” was the focus of her keynote, reinforcing the Association’s regional priorities.
  
  

At the Association’s booth, Dr. Rosen welcomed special guests. They included SIAC President-in-Chief Dr. Ana Munera, Mexican Association of Cardiology President Dr. Antonio Magana and the Mexican Society of Cardiology Vice-President Dr. Alexandra Arias. Informal discussions covered issues such as elevating hospital performance and improving health care outcomes. Many Congress attendees from multiple countries stopped at the booth to learn more about the Association’s programming, research and membership benefits.

The 2025 Congress reaffirmed our shared commitments and inspired future partnerships that will advance equitable health, collective advocacy and quality-focused certification across Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and beyond.

Learn more about SIAC 2025: SIAC 2025 Congress Website(link opens in new window)(link opens in new window)(link opens in new window)