The abstract submission site for the ICE 2020 Conference in Belo Horizonte, Brasil. In the meantime, mark the dates: June 25-27, 2020. The abstract submission deadline is Jan 6, 2020. See the local web site for more details. 

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 Message from the President

This message is directed to you, young investigator and early career faculty. Since its development in humans by Einthoven, more than 100 years ago, electrocardiology has been a continuous source of research and innovation. New techniques and applications for new fields have appeared in the last few decades, in an ever-changing story of renewal and rediscovery. For over a century, several generations of researchers, clinicians, engineers, and health professionals have devoted their lives to the study of electrocardiology

More than 30 years ago, ISE established a Young Investigator’s Award, created as a stage for young researchers to present their investigations and developments in the field of electrocardiology. This is a very unique moment of our congresses, when, in a special session, all attentions are focused on the presentation of new research by early-career colleagues to the audience and a judging committee of established experts. I am myself a Young Investigator’s Awardee, in a well-fought competition in 2001, in which two candidates shared the first prize. To participate in this award was a very important step in my career and it was a unique, unforgettable experience. 

The ICE2020 Congress, which will be held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from June 25th to 27th, will have a session dedicated to the ISE Young Investigator’s Award. Submission is open from November 15th, 2019, to January 6th, 2020. We invite you, Young Investigator, to submit your best research to this session. We can assure you that those selected will have your work discussed and valued. I hope to welcome you to ICE2020!

Antonio Luiz Ribeiro
President, ISE
President, ICE2020

Invitation to the ICE 2020 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil!

Dear colleagues and friends,

It is a pleasure for us to invite you to the joint meeting of the 47th Congress of the International Society of Electrocardiology (ISE) and the 20th Congress of the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology (ISHNE) which will be held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Both international societies have been working together since 2017 to jointly promote their annual scientific event, encouraging the advancement of the science of Electrocardiology through the dissemination of new knowledge and encouragement of new research in the field.

ICE2020 represents a unique opportunity for electrocardiology specialists from around the world to discuss the advances made in this area, contributing to technological progress in health, with the potential impact on people's well-being and longevity. New challenges such as Artificial Intelligence in Electrocadiology, Atrial Fibrillation Screening, ECG in Cardiac Devices, Tele-ECG, and Telemedicine, are going to be discussed in the event, among other themes.

Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, has a population of 2.5 million inhabitants. The city transits between tradition and innovation in a privileged location in the Southeast of Brazil, one hour away by plane from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The international airport receives many connecting flights from all around the world daily. Belo Horizonte is dynamic, diversified and famous for its hospitality and its traditional gastronomy. It is also considered one of the main convention centers of Brazil, standing out as a promising market for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The congress will take place from 25 to 27 June 2020. The program will be available soon. 

Abstract submission will be open from Nov 15, 2019, to Jan 6, 2020. The same dates will be available for the Young Investigator Award submission. Registration will be open on February 2020.

We look forward to receiving you in Belo Horizonte on what is sure to be a remarkable scientific meeting.

Welcome the new ISE President: Antonio (Tom) Luiz Ribeiro

 
After all is said and done, electrocardiography stands as one of the most established and useful methods of investigation of the heart, being available almost everywhere in the world, helping physicians and health professionals in the recognition, follow-up, prognostication and treatment of cardiovascular and systemic diseases. Electrocardiology is the field that encompasses all investigative methods derived from the cardiac electrical activity or used to record the electrical activity of the heart in one way or another. The International Society of Electrocardiology (ISE) aims to promote the advancement of the science of Electrocardiology, through the dissemination of new knowledge, encouragement of new research in the field and sponsoring of an International Congress on Electrocardiology and supporting other meetings in this field. It is a traditional international society, with a history from the 1950s, and with a long record of contributions to the field of Electrocardiology.

Thus, it is an honor to become the President of ISE for the period of 2019-2021, succeeding eminent cardiologists and researchers such as Adrian Baranchuk, Wojciech Zareba, Peter Macfarlane, and so many others. It is an opportunity to serve the cause of dissemination of a method that can save lives, and help people to live better, by improving the knowledge of the electrical activity of the heart in health and disease. To become the President of this Society is to be the one who will “carry the torch” and pass it to the younger generations. In this context, it is of utmost importance to acknowledge the creation of the Young Community of ISE, the ISE-YC, a global network of young trainees, physicians, and other healthcare professionals who represent the new generation in our field.

Medicine and health are changing very quickly, as is the way clinical tests are being performed, analyzed and used by physicians.  Social networks, big data, machine learning, and mobile health are now a reality in all aspects of our life and Electrocardiology should not be spared. The wide availability of ECG recordings from smartphones and digital watches will change how people see and use Electrocardiology, as well as the potential application of new deep learning methods to analyse the traditional electrocardiogram. It is a role of this society to take the lead in this process and guarantee the accuracy and fidelity of the interpretation of the ECG in these new scenarios and to merge this new knowledge with more than a century of experience in recording and interpreting the electrical activity of the heart. 

It is also time to work closely with other societies whose focus is convergent with ours, such as the International Society of Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology and the International Society of Computerized Electrocardiology, as well as to establish dialogue with related fields, such as electrophysiology, cardiac imaging, cardiovascular epidemiology and genetics, telehealth and digital health. This direction has been established by previous presidents and my aim is to further tighten these associations and partnerships, promoting collaborative events and seminars in International Congresses and establishing partnerships to write consensus and position papers that summarize the state-of-the-art on the major topics in Electrocardiology.

Finally, we should not forget that cardiovascular diseases are still the number one killer in both the developed and developing world, but most of the success in tackling cardiovascular disease has occurred in developed countries. To ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages is one of the World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goals, which includes the aim of achieving universal health coverage, with access to quality essential health-care services, in order to reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases. Electrocardiography is undoubtedly an essential service which is needed to achieve these goals. To expand access to the knowledge in Electrocardiology in the developing world is also a task for our Society. Time to work!

Antonio Luiz Ribeiro
President, International Society of Electrocardiology

Upcoming Conferences and Events

• For a comprehensive list of related upcoming events, see Rob MacLeod's conference page.
• IDSS 2020 (International Dead Sea Symposium), Feb 24-26 in Tel Aviv, Israel (Abstract submission closed)
• ISCE 2020 (International Society of Computerized Electrocardiology), Apr 29-May 3, 2020 in Indian Wells, CA, USA.
• HRS 2020 (Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Sessions), May 6-9, 2020 in San Diego, CA, USA.
• Computing in Cardiology 2020, Sept 13-16, 2020 in Rimini, Italy