The Caribbean’s leading multi-disciplinary medical education forum, the Masters of Medicine Conference, which begins today and ends on Monday, is set to bring together physicians, scientists, educators, and health-system leaders from across the world.

The conference is being co-hosted by the Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC) and Yale Cardiovascular Medicine, reflecting a long-standing academic collaboration focused on advancing clinical excellence, research, and health equity.

This year the conference will be held under the theme, ‘Bridging the Divide: Tackling Obesity and Genetic Heart Disease in the Era of Preventive Cardiology.’

It will feature addresses from internationally recognised leaders in medicine and cardiovascular science including Professor Jagat Nurula, president of the World Heart Federation; Professor Mark Anderson, dean, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; and Professor Panithaya Chareonthaitawee, president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.

The conference will be co-chaired by Professor Ernest Madu, chairman and founder of the HIC; and Professor Edward Miller, director, Cardiology Fellowship Program, Yale University School of Medicine.

“The rising burden of obesity and inherited cardiovascular disease demands a shift toward earlier identification and prevention,” said Professor Madu.

“This conference focuses on bridging gaps — between science and practice, genetics and population health, and innovation and access — particularly in regions that bear a disproportionate disease burden,” added Professor Madu.

In the meantime Professor Miller argued that preventive cardiology sits at the intersection of discovery, implementation, and equity.

“Our collaboration with HIC allows academic research to be translated into practical strategies that improve outcomes well beyond traditional academic centres,” added Professor Miller.

This year the conference, to be held at AC Hotel Kingston in New Kingston, will include plenary lectures, speciality symposia, and scientific poster sessions featuring original abstracts from ongoing collaborative research among multiple institutions, including Yale University and the HIC.

More than 300 physicians, scientists, researchers, global health leaders and allied health professionals are expected to attend the three-day conference.

To support early career researchers, Young Investigator Prizes will be awarded for two outstanding abstracts, selected by an independent panel of judges who will seek to recognise scientific rigour, originality, and translational relevance.

The conference will be officially opened this morning by Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton.

The title sponsor of the this year’s conference is BridgeBio, headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

MILLER…Our collaboration with HIC allows academic research to be translated into practical strategies