American University of Antigua (AUA) has concluded another successful research day highlighting the topic of cardiovascular intervention. The event was held last Saturday at the university’s west campus on Friar’s Hill Road.

The purpose of research day according to event organiser, Dr. Hani Morcos, Chair of Pharmacology at AUA, was to present the latest updates on cardiovascular intervention and medication used in the treatment of heart disease. “Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the developing world today, therefore our message is one of education,” Dr. Morcos said.

On hand to welcome the delegates was Minister of Health John Maginley who told the large gathering of students, faculty members and guests that the Caribbean region, too, is grappling with the alarming rise of non-communicable diseases and have decided to tackle the problem on a united front. “The heads of governments have decided to convene a special summit in Trinidad specifically to deal with the issue of chronic non-communicable diseases,” Minister Maginley said adding that it’s the first time that any grouping of heads has accepted one specific issue for a meeting.

Leading the presentations was Dr. George Soliman, fellow and cardiovascular intervention specialist from the Heart Centre, Alabama, whose presentation explored the benefits of the latest advancements in CT angiography. Touted as the tool of the future, Dr. Soliman explained that CT angiography is the best non-invasive screening test available on the market today. “The best use of CT angiography is its negative predictive value. If someone has a CT angiography, and it’s a normal test, the chance of them having coronary disease is zero,” Dr. Soliman stated.

The topic ‘Cardiovascular therapeutic intervention’ was explored by Dr. Magdi Soliman, PhD professor and programme director of pharmacology and toxicology at Florida A&M University. Dr. Soliman highlighted the use of medications to manage coronary disease as recommended by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

Also represented was pharmaceutical giant Merck whose representative Lyndon Mitnaul, PhD research fellow in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases spoke of the company’s approach to discovering and developing medicines for cardiovascular diseases.

AUA College of Medicine provides a medical education equal to the best U.S. medical standards. It prepares its students to pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) for U.S. medical licensure and to provide the foundation for post-graduate specialty training in the United States.