Why it matters: For decades, heart failure has been treated as progressive and permanent. The Utah Cardiac Recovery Symposium challenges that assumption, and it’s working.
By the numbers: Earlier this month, University of Utah Health hosted nearly 800 clinicians and researchers from around the world for the 14th Annual U-CARS symposium.
The big picture: What began as a small meeting has grown into a global forum dedicated to myocardial recovery and regeneration. U-CARS brings together basic scientists, translational researchers, and front-line clinicians working to better understand how and when the heart can regain strength and function.
What they’re saying:
“There’s really not many people focused on this novel field of recovering hearts. So it started with a small group of people with a mission. Now it’s grown into a movement.” — Dr. Arvind Bhimaraj, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital
“When you get basic scientists in the room with clinicians, that’s really the starting point for trying to figure out how to solve some of these incredibly difficult problems.” — Dr. Marti Tristani, Professor of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Utah Health and Co-Director of the Utah Center for Genomic Medicine
Between the lines: The symposium’s unique format encourages real-time collaboration. Researchers connect across disciplines, share their research, brainstorm clinical applications, and accelerate the path from discovery to patient care.
The bottom line: By connecting disciplines and accelerating collaboration, U-CARS is helping shape the future of heart failure care, turning what was once considered impossible into clinical reality.
Learn more: View symposium recordings at https://medicine.utah.edu/internal-medicine/cardiacrecoverysymposium