And now for something completely different..

This quintessential title phrase signifying transition seems particularly appropriate as I look at both where we have been and where we are headed in the next couple of years. Almost immediately after Roberto Bolli asked me to write a short editorial, I knew the theme had to be about changes I've seen at the American Heart Association over the last few years, as well as forecasting the road ahead. I suppose Roberto asked me to write this because I am the incoming Chair of the Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS) Council and am supposed to have a vision of what I want to accomplish during my tenure. Or maybe this is compensation for my last submission to Circulation Research being rejected. I'm okay with that. Really. Mid-July is not a time when one wants to visit the California desert, where the outdoor afternoon temperatures are high enough to denature DNA. That is unless the American Heart Association holds their annual BCVS Scientific Sessions in Rancho Mirage at the luxuriously air conditioned Rancho Las Palmas Resort. The BCVS annual meeting is a recurring treat for cardiovascular researchers that never disappoints, and this year was no exception. A delightful characteristic of the BCVS conference is seeing the personalities of the organizers infused into the program, so that the content is renewed annually with fresh perspectives. The scientific program assembled by conference cochairs Gerald Dorn and Peipei Ping was spectacular and unlike anything we have seen before at a BCVS meeting. Featuring internationally renowned faculty drawn from the proverbial 4 corners of the earth, the conference ran like clockwork at an unrelenting pace. I was struck by the convergence of cutting-edge research and scientific diversity seamlessly rolled out under the overarching theme of “Technological and Conceptual Advances in Cardiovascular Disease.” Sessions ran the gamut …