A training project to promote clinical research among young cardiologists

Providing guidance to young cardiologists by promoting collaboration and professional development is one of the main goals that the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO) shares with the European Society of Cardiology. In 2021, the ANMCO President, Prof Furio Colivicchi, launched an initiative to engage young cardiologists from all over Italy in clinical research in collaboration with Dr Aldo Maggioni, director of the ANMCO Research Center. This initiative is part of a strategic plan called next-generation ANMCO, which is inspired by the next-generation EU plan and is designed to strengthen clinical research after the changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a greater involvement of young cardiologists. A 4-year clinical research programme, the first such ANMCO programme after the COVID-19 outbreak, has been recently proposed. The ANMCO President-Elect, Dr Fabrizio Oliva, has been delegated to coordinate this programme. The Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists and its research centre boast a long tradition of clinical research in the cardiovascular field, having promoted, coordinated, and implemented large observational and controlled trials over the last 40 years. These studies have shed light on unmet needs in clinical practice and have led to new therapeutic approaches that have improved the outcome of patients with cardiovascular disease (see the GISSI studies).1–4 The research centre was established in 1992 in order to manage research projects conceived by or of particular interest to ANMCO. In 1998, ANMCO created the Heart Care Foundation, which works in partnership with ANMCO research centre and includes clinical research in its mission. Heart Care Foundation was established by Prof Massimo Santini and has been led by distinguished presidents, including Prof Massimo Santini, Prof Nicola Mininni, Dr Carlo Schweiger, Dr Franco Valagussa, Prof Attilio Maseri, and the current president, Prof Michele Massimo Gulizia. The ANMCO Research Renter boasts all the expertise required to manage research projects aimed at improving the clinical outcome of patients with cardiovascular disease. The activities comply with Good Clinical Practice and the rules currently in place for clinical experimentation. The wide network of clinical centres well represents the real world of Italian cardiology centres. The total independence of participating centres in designing the studies, collecting data, and interpreting the results contribute to the immediate implementation of health policy in the cardiovascular field. The research centre is involved in: Clinical epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in Italy. Assessment of resource use appropriateness. Management of clinical trials and outcome studies. Census of cardiovascular facilities in Italy. Research training. In order to continue the successful tradition of ANMCO research, the educational project entitled ‘Next-generation Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists: towards a clinical research network’ has been established under the guidance of Dr Aldo Maggioni. The purpose of the project is to bring together a group of young cardiologists interested in clinical research in order to maintain, consolidate, and increase the scientific contribution that Italian cardiology has made over the last few decades. The training school consists of three 2-day workshops and involves the discussant experts: Felicita Andreotti (Roma), Franco Cosmi (Perugia), Giuseppe Di Pasquale (Bologna), Roberto Latini (Milano), Aldo Pietro Maggioni (Firenze), Jennifer Messen (Malnate), Claudio Rapezzi (Ferrara), Luigi Tavazzi (Ravenna), and Paolo Verdecchia (Perugia) (Figure 1). Discussant experts and trainees who participated in the first edition of the training school which held at the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists headquarters in Florence. Left to right standing: Felicita Andreotti, Matteo Rocco Reccia, Chiara Bernelli, Stefano Poli, Pietro Scicchitano, Maria Chiara Gatto, Franco Cosmi, Giuseppe Di Pasquale, Aldo Maggioni, Nunzia Borrelli, Jennifer Messen, Michele Magnesa, Francesco Perone, Alberto Aimo; seated: Paolo Verdecchia, Noemi Bruno, Stefania Di Fusco, Marzia Cottini, Rita Cristina Myriam Intravaia, Umberto Barbero, Francesca Musella. Overall, the main objectives of the course are: (i) to identify gaps in evidence and unmet clinical needs as potential areas of clinical research, as well as the most appropriate methodologies to address them; (ii) to design study protocols feasible in everyday clinical practice; and (iii) to create a working group of young cardiologists from all over the country who are experts in clinical research (Figure 2). Main concepts behind the training project for the development of a clinical research network. During the training school, trainees (Figure 1) have the opportunity to design and present clinical research projects on several topics, including acute coronary syndrome, cardiovascular prevention, valvular heart disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiovascular imaging, interventional procedures, and rare cardiovascular disease. The discussant experts will screen each research project and the best one will be the starting point for creating a concrete clinical research protocol. The first two-day workshop of the training school, held in presence at the ANMCO headquarters in Florence, was on 22–23 October 2021 and involved 15 young cardiologists (eight females and seven males) from 10 Italian regions. Further editions of the training school involving other cardiologists are planned for 2022. The ambition is to create, by the end of 2022, a network of approximately 70 young cardiologists, able to conduct observational and controlled studies focused on the improvement of health care in different cardiovascular areas. In conclusion, with this initiative ANMCO empowers up-and-coming cardiologists to contribute to the future of clinical research in the cardiovascular field. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.