Pulse of PACES (POP) #2
Winter Newsletter
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Hello!
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The Latin word communicare (from where the word communication is born) means “to make common” – i.e. make knowledge common. The stem is the same as that used in the word community. This makes sense as in many ways communication is the foundation of community.
With this, we welcome you to the 2nd PACES Newsletter “POP 2”. Our hope is that we can communicate better, but not as a goal itself, but rather as a means to build community.
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Message from the President
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With Thanksgiving just past, and the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to take a moment to say how grateful I am for everyone’s support, hard work, and dedication to PACES. In particular, I am incredibly thankful for the executive committee members who selflessly lead the organization, and the committee chairs who have pushed beyond what is asked. It couldn’t be done without them.
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On a note of advocacy, as recently reported, PACES was contacted by the Amosov National Institute of CV Surgery in Ukraine as they did not have CryoCatheters for pediatric ablations and were unable to receive supplies due to war related barriers. PACES organized an initiative and 24 new Freezor catheters were successfully delivered. Their response and photo are attached below.
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“Hello, my dear friends! Nearly one year ago, I wrote to PACES asking for help and you responded! You took hope. I want to say THANK YOU to all of you, THANK YOU from all the staff of the arrhythmology and electrophysiology department in the National Institute of cardiovascular surgery in Kyiv! We received Freezor catheters, and now my soul is happy, because in our first session, one child with previously failed procedures is now healthy and is building plans for his life with his parents.”
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Hope that warms our hearts a bit as the weather gets colder.
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National Institute of cardiovascular surgery in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Friendly Reminder: It is now time to pay your annual dues!
Visit PacesEP.org → My Account → My Memberships to renew.
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Upcoming Events
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- Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young: Pathway to Survival
Durham, NC January 11-12, 2024
- Heart to Heart – Parent Heart Watch
Durham, NC January 11-13, 2024
- PACES Research Meeting
Boston, MA May 16, 2024
- PACES Business Meeting
Boston, MA May 17, 2024
- Heart Rhythm Scientific Sessions
Boston, MA May 16-19, 2024
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Research Update
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The PACES Research Committee has been very active since our last newsletter update. We have approved three research protocols and two are currently in the review process. Heart Rhythm Society has invited PACES to feature pediatric focused research on The Lead Podcast. This is an excellent opportunity for us to share the HRS platform to highlight the amazing work performed by our PACES members. One podcast is currently available (https://www.hrsonline.org/education/TheLead, episode 21), and we are in the process of creating two additional sessions. Stay tuned!
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Lastly, we are finalizing plans for our first in-person research symposium since COVID, to be held prior to HRS Scientific Sessions (May 16th, AM). Additional details to come but please plan to attend if able. Please find all PACES approved research protocols on our website: https://pacesep.org/research-publications/research/
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DEI Update
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The newly established Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee marks our organization's commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment. Our first goal is to enhance the PACES mission statement to include DEI priorities. Through the incorporation of DEI principles into our mission statement, we signal a dedication to embracing and celebrating differences. Moreover, the DEI Committee is committed to ensuring that its influence permeates throughout the organization. Committee members will actively participate in various other PACES committees, strategically embedding DEI awareness into our decision-making processes. By fostering collaboration across committees, we aim to instill an understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the organization. This integrated approach ensures that DEI considerations become an integral part of all facets of PACES. Through the collective efforts of the DEI Committee and its engagement with other committees, we strive to create an environment where every member feels valued, heard, and empowered, embodying the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level of our organization, and ultimately encouraging diverse physicians into the world of pediatric EP.
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Membership Update
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The membership committee is currently working through the roster of members. We have started with the current “trainee” members to ensure accurate categorization. We are also looking at ways to add communications at the time of membership sign-up and renewal to help people with opportunities within PACES.
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A reminder that memberships run through the calendar year, so will expire at the end of December. Please be on the lookout for your renewal email! It’s extremely quick to log into your account on the PACES website and renew! https://pacesep.org
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AP Update
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The AP-led PACES Patient Education Subcommittee is currently reviewing and refreshing the patient-facing content on the PACES website, which as HRS official clearing house of pediatric and congenital EP, will also be reflected on HRS’ upbeat.org patient education site.
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If you are an AP in PACES and have questions about getting involved or suggestions on how APs in PACES can support each other and the Society, please reach out to Tony Trela, NP at ttrela@stanfordchildrens.org.
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Finance Update
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Greetings from the Finance Committee,
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Our committee, composed of Lindsey Malloy-Walton, Rohan Kumthekar, Ian Law, Pamela Ro, and Kara Motonaga have been busily working on our annual budget that has been approved by the Executive Committee. Moving forward, we shall endeavor to have an annual budget proposed by the Finance Committee and approved by the EC by Fall.
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1. Account Balance. Currently, we have $98,013 in our savings account and $18,547 in the checking account for a total balance of $116,560.
2. Business Dinner. We will have a PACES business dinner this year on Friday, May 17, 2024 at the New England Aquarium, a short walk from the Convention Center. We will be sending out a save the date shortly.
3. Dues. Please remember that the PACES dues cycle in January-December of every calendar year. Dues payments will be coming up shortly, so plan accordingly.
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Education Update
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The Education Committee has been partnering with Heart University (https://www.heartuniversity.org/) to create online educational content. This includes video learning modules created by several of our PACES members. We also have created a 100 ECG Quiz Module. We have also launched an ECG of the Month series with Heart University. To access these educational opportunities, a Heart University registered account is required but is free. Special thanks to Dr. Carolina Escudero and Dr. Cecilia Gonzalez Corcia for their major contributions to our collaboration with Heart University.
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We will also be adding some PACES Cases interactive modules and adding a webpage to the PACES website with information on available educational opportunities in the next year so stay tuned! If you would like to join or participate in creating educational content with the committee, please contact Kara Motonaga (kmotonaga@stanford.edu) or Eric Silver (es2301@cumc.columbia.edu)
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Kara Motonaga and Eric Silver
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Program Directors (PACES-TPD) Update
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The PACES-TPD, formed in 2021, is a collaboration of training program directors to help organize, standardize, and enhance the educational training opportunities for pediatric EP fellows . The PACES-TPD currently includes 25 Pediatric EP TPDs (19 US, 3 Canadian, 3 Other International). We now have a Common Offer Notification Date process for trainees applying for Pediatric EP Fellowship positions. This has been successful for the last 2 years. More information about the process can be found at https://pacesep.org/fellowshipapp/. We also have a monthly PACES-TPD Virtual Fellows Conference with recorded sessions that can also be found at https://pacesep.org/paces-ep-fit/. Visit our new “Meet the Fellows” webpage (https://pacesep.org/education/meet-the-paces-fit-ay2023-24/) to see our 18 fellows in training for this academic year and meet the future of PACES! If you are a training program director for a pediatric EP fellowship and are not yet a part of the committee, please contact Kara Motonaga (kmotonaga@stanford.edu) to join.
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Women In PACES Update
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We women are very happy to have an established community within PACES. We are transparent, inclusive, energetic, and inquisitive. We strive to celebrate success, challenge the status quo, and encourage our presence at all levels of PACES, HRS, and the greater pediatric and congenital cardiology community.
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We hope to inspire investigation within other subspecialties. The publication “Mind the Gap: Sex Disparity in Salaries Among Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Electrophysiologists” led by Carolina Escudero and Maully was the first of its kind and showed that female pediatric and congenital electrophysiologists earn 78% of what male counterparts earn. This survey has been requested by other groups and has been approved by PCICS to investigate its own trends.
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We thank Maully Shah for organizing the 2023 WIP event, which had 45 of us in attendance. In addition to catching up with one another and recognizing outstanding role models, we were encouraged to consider leadership positions within our organizations. Carpe diem!
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Our next meeting will be a virtual fireside chat prior to HRS in 2024. An executive consultant for professional advancement will join us for the discussion. See you there!
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Yuki Asaki and Cheyenne Beach
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Emerging Leaders Update
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Our focus is to establish a peer network among early career pediatric electrophysiologists and graduating EP fellows internationally. This network of early career EPs support each other with difficult cases encountered, as well as receive mentorship in research and clinical endeavors. We are committed to an ongoing educational lecture series that focuses on clinical topics and techniques to advance our understanding of both invasive and non-invasive EP. In 2023-2024, we are hosting a virtual mentorship meet and greet with experienced providers within PACES, in-person networking at 2024 HRS, and hosting recorded educational lecture series pertinent to our clinical experiences such as Conduction System Pacing Cases, Fascicular VT Ablations, Plastic Surgery Techniques for Scar Revision and Minimization, and Implementing ICE in the Pediatric EP lab. If you are interested in joining EL, please contact Heather Giacone (hgiacone@stanford.edu) or Chris Follansbee (follansbeecw2@upmc.edu)!
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Chris Follansbee and Heather Giacone
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International Update
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With the help of Jen and the finance committee we have been able to secure the finances for the international travel grant to HRS in Boston 2024. This has been very competitive previously and I am looking forward for next year’s applications, we will send out the conditions end of December.
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I once more would like to point out the international discussion forum as an opportunity to get EP input: https://pacesep.org/discussion-board/international-discussion-forum/.
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This is open for all members plus interested physicians can join for a nominal fee of $10 (just for forum access). If you have any question about international involvement, please feel free to reach out to me directly (pflaumer@unimelb.edu.au)
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Thank You!
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PACES newsletter committee:
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