ANMCO-PaACC International Partnership

“This May, I had the privilege of representing the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, alongside my colleague Dr. Joshua Levenson, at the ANMCO Annual Meeting in Rimini, Italy, through the “twinning” program between our Chapter and the Italian Federation of Cardiology. In addition to participating in the meeting, we were hosted at two hospitals in Rome—San Filippo Neri Hospital and San Camillo–Forlanini—where we experienced firsthand the Italian approach to cardiovascular medicine.

At San Filippo Neri, Dr. Stefania Angela Di Fusco, an expert in echocardiography and ANMCO’s newly appointed Secretary General, introduced us to a system where cardiologists themselves perform and interpret imaging studies, maintaining both precision and efficiency.

Pictured above are Dr. Victor Farah (left) and Dr. Stefania Angela Di Fusco (second to left).

At San Camillo–Forlanini, Dr. Geza Halasz shared his work in the cardiomyopathy clinic, including innovative use of cardiopulmonary stress testing and research in artificial intelligence. Both institutions exemplified a strong culture of clinical excellence, research, and education. 

Pictured above are Dr. Victor Farah (second from right) and Dr. Geza Halasz (third from left).

I was struck by the depth of training and skill of Italian cardiologists, as well as the emphasis on focused, patient-centered care. This experience highlighted the importance of international collaboration and knowledge exchange. I am deeply grateful to the ACC for supporting this opportunity and look forward to bringing these lessons back to my practice and to our shared mission of advancing cardiovascular health worldwide.

For the future participants in the PaACC international outreach program (Twinning), this is a great experience that I would do again in a heartbeat!”

Joshua Levenson, MD, FACC

This May I was delighted to travel to Italy to represent the  Pennsylvania Chapter, American College of Cardiology and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center alongside Dr. Victor Farah of Allegheny General Hospital. On our first evening in Rome, we met Dr. Stefania Angela Di Fusco for a welcome dinner, including an outdoor pizza and an overview of the week's adventure. The next day, Victor Farah shadowed Dr. Geza Helasz in his cardiomyopathy clinic at San Filippo Neri Hospital, while I worked alongside Dr. Di Fusco at San Camillo-Forlanini in her advanced echocardiography lab. Working with Dr. Di Fusco we were able to share knowledge of echocardiography technique, including review of 3D transesophageal echocardiography utilizing Philips machines. At the end of the day, I met up with Dr. Farah for a tour of Vatican City, and then the four of us met up for a pasta dinner in central Rome where we discussed difference insurance. On our third day, I then traveled to San Filippo Neri and saw first hand the advanced cardiopulmonary stress testing along with simultaneous echocardiography that has defined this quaternary care referral center's excellence in cardiomyopathy, while Dr. Farah spent time at San Camillo-Folanin Hospital. In the afternoon, Dr. Farah and I compared notes and experiences during our opportunity to tour Rome and see many of the famous sites, including Trevi Fountain, The Colosseum, and the Pantheon.

Dr. Victor Farah and Dr. Joshua Levenson

The following day, marked our transition -- we were able to explore the Vatican museum in the early morning before traveling to Rimini via Train and checking in to our hotel. We then spent two full days at the ANMCO (Associazione Nazionale Medici Cardiologi Ospedalieri) national meeting. I was delighted to learn about advanced mechanical support opportunities in Italy and compare practice pattern differences between Europe and American healthcare; we were grateful to attend many sessions in English, as our Italian was still rusty! Each evening, we were also lucky to have dinner not only with a longtime attendee Dr. Paul Casale, but also meet with Dr. Keith Churchwell, Immediate Past President of the American Heart Association, who shared stories of AHA's involvement in CPR training throughout Vatican City! Last but not least, Dr. Farah and I did find time to tour the Museum of filmmaker Frederico Fillini, as Rimini was his home town. We were blessed with easy travels back from Rimini to the Rome airport, and then luckily with easy flights back to Pittsburgh where we were delighted to see our families.

I'm grateful to the PaACC for the opportunity to meet new colleagues who were so invested in improvement health for all across the world. These colleagues and our discussions allowed me to reflect on differences in healthcare patterns between American and Italian cardiology, the strengths and opportunities for each. For example, many Italian patients with transthyretin amyloidosis do have opportunities to some of state of the art treatments now standard in America, yet bempdoic acid, used for hyperlipidemia, is easily prescribed throughout Italy, despite being considered cost prohibitive throughout much of America. Sharing these stories and experiences I think will allow us long term improvements and parity in care. I encourage future PaACC members to partner with our Italian chapter partnership, and to continue with this relationship for years to come.