After the success of the first course, the course directors together with the organizers were very pleased to announce in May 2015 during the Heart Failure Association Congress in Seville the start of the 2^nd PCHF in January 2016. The course aims to reach young cardiologists who want to become heart failure specialists and to train them as the ambassadors of heart failure in their countries.

PCHF is based on the curriculum of the ESC Heart Failure Association¹ and leads to a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Heart Failure delivered by the University of Zurich (UZH) “Certificate of Advanced Studies UZH in Heart Failure” and a Certificate of Attendance delivered by the European Heart Academy and the European Heart Failure Association of the ESC.

In order to be eligible for the course, candidates have to be board certified in cardiology (or just before) and to have a strong interest in modern heart failure management. This time, the selection committee received 200 applications from 46 countries. The selection process was very competitive since the course can unfortunately only accept a limited number of participants. The selection committee was in the very difficult position of having to refuse many candidates who without doubts were very skilled and had much to offer. 65 participants from 32 countries were selected to attend the course. The international orientation of the course in reflected in the faculty and the participants coming from Europe but also from Asia and Africa.

Here again the 2^nd PCHF course consists of a 2-year program with seven modules taking place at the University Hospital of Zurich and one module held at the training center of St Jude Medical in Brussels for a very practical oriented program. The course will cover the entire spectrum of heart failure management from diagnosis of heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction, to different imaging modalities, drug treatment up to mechanical assist-devices and transplantation. Up to 120 faculty members from the University Hospital Zurich as well as from Europe, the US and Singapore will take part to the modules as chairpersons, speakers or hands-on-teachers.

The first module will take place on January 28^th at the University Hospital of Zurich with a 2.5 days program co-lead by Theresa McDonagh from the King’s College and John Cleland from the Imperial College in London (see figure 4). The content of the course will consist of lectures, discussions and rapid fire sessions where the participants will discuss clinical cases in small groups presented by the excellent team from the department of cardiology lead by Thomas F. Lüscher and Frank Ruschitzka.

One of the key success factors of PCHF - besides the scientific quality of the program - is the fact that participants can also exchange their know-how and practice among peers with the same professional interests and get in contact with worldwide heart failure experts in a very nice and relaxed atmosphere.

The Postgraduate Course in Heart Failure is an educational project of the European Society of Cardiology, the European Heart Academy and the Heart Failure Association of the ESC organized in collaboration with the University of Zurich, the University Hospital of Zurich and the Zurich Heart House.

Course Directors

Stefan Anker, Berlin; Gerasimos Filippatos, Athens; Francesco Maisano, Thomas F. Luscher, Frank Ruschitzka, all Zurich

Advisory Board

Jeroen J. Bax, Leiden; Gerhard Hindricks, Leipzig; Michel Komajda, Paris; Theresa McDonagh, London; Fausto Pinto, Lisbon; Piotr Ponikowski, Wroclaw; Karl B. Swedberg, Gothenburg; Alec Vahanian, Paris; Panos Vardas, Heraklion.

Reference

1. McDonagh TA, Gardner RS, Lainscak M et al. Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Specialist Heart Failure Curriculum. Eur J Heart Fail 2014; 16:151 – 162.