The 7th Scientific Meeting of the WSPCHS had been planned in collaboration with the Pediatric Cardiac Society of India (PCSI) to take place September 17-20, 2020 in New Delhi, India. We have received an official letter of the decision of the Pediatric Cardiac Society of India to cancel the September 2020 meeting due to the severe restrictions to international travel. The PCSI is offering to hold a Joint Meeting with the WSPCHS in New Delhi, India in September 2022. This was of course on the condition that the originally planned WSPCHS Meeting for Milan, Italy in 2022 is moved to 2024. These changes leave a gap of 3 years without holding a meeting since the 2019 Sofia, Bulgaria and Bali, Indonesia meetings.
Therefore, we explored the possibility of considering as a “WSPCHS Scientific Meeting” the Surgical Track of the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (WCPCCS), scheduled for September 19-24, 2021 in Washington, DC, USA. The Surgical Track Program of the 2021 WCPCCS had already been designed by the WSPCHS, under the leadership of Richard A. Jonas, Giovanni Stellin and Christo I. Tchervenkov, Co-chairs of the Surgical Track Program Committee. Each surgical session was put together with the collaboration by the CHSS, ECHSA, AATS, STS, Sociedad Latina de Cardiologia y Cirurgia Cardiovascular Pediatrica, Asian Association for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, the African cardiac surgeons, highlighting the global collaboration efforts of the WSPCHS.
We have received an official letter from the 2021 WCPCCS Co-Chairs, Jeff Jacobs and Gil Wernovsky, with the proposal to hold the 7th Scientific Meeting of The World Society at the 2021 World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. Importantly, there will be a Castaneda Lecture, a Jatene Lecture and a Stella and Richard Van Praagh Lecture, as well as a WSPCHS Presidential Address. Meetings of the Governing Council, Editorial Board of the WJPCHS, World Database Symposium, World Society Strategic Retreat and the Annual Members Meeting will be accommodated at no extra cost. The only cost to the World Society would be a WS Dinner Reception, which is not budgeted by the World Congress.
Following discussion and the gracious offer by Giovanni Stellin and his Italian colleagues to move the Milan Meeting to 2024, the following motion was voted and accepted unanimously:
“The cancelled 2020 WS Meeting in New Delhi, India will be moved to September 2022, New Delhi, India in collaboration with the Pediatric Cardiac Society of India as the 8th Scientific Meeting of the WSPCHS; the original 2022 Milan, Italy will be moved to 2024 as the 9th Scientific Meeting of the WSPCHS and the Surgical Program of the 2021 WCPCCS in Washington, DC, USA will be considered the 7th Scientific Meeting of the WSPCHS.”
Future Meetings
- September 2020 (India Meeting Cancelled)
- September 2020: Zoom Meetings: Governing Council, Editorial Board, World Database, Annual Members Meetings
- September 2021: 7th Scientific Meeting WSPCHS at the WCPCCS, Washington, DC, USA
- September 2022; 8th Scientific Meeting WSPCHS with Pediatric Cardiac Society of India, New Delhi, India
- 2023: Regional WSPCHS Meetings, Guadalajara, Mexico; Marrakech, Morocco
- 2024: 9th Scientific Meeting WSPCHS, Milan, Italy
We are looking forward to seeing you next in Washington, DC. In 2021!
In these difficult times we send you our best wishes for health and safety,
Marcelo B. Jatene
President
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Christo I. Tchervenkov
Executive Director & Founding President
Montreal, Canada