Establishment of China Heart Society (CHS)

Academician Chen Yihan, Professor Ma Changsheng, Professor Zhang Jian, Prof. Wu Yongjian, Prof. Zhang Ping

Professor Ma Changsheng, Professor of Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University and the first President of CHS, introduced the background to establishing the society. The establishment of CHS is an obvious continuation from the many years of development of GW-ICC. GW-ICC is the fourth largest cardiovascular academic conference in Asia and the largest in China. The number of participants is in the tens of thousands each year, so now GW-ICC has developed to the stage where a society should take management of future development of the congress.

Three years in development, CHS was officially launched on October 12^th, 2017. The academic board of GW-ICC also comprise the main board of CHS; The three hundred and eighty-seven executive directors and members of CHS are comprised of the Academic Committee of GW-ICC. Academic committee members are all Chinese cardiovascular experts.

Professor Zhang Jian, the first president of CHS, introduced the purpose and mission of the society. The purpose of CHS is to improve the level of clinical prevention and treatment of cardiovascular physicians, and to promote cardiovascular health for all. The seven core objectives of CHS are:

1. Improvement of health education and healthy lifestyle advocacy.
2. Promotion of a patient-centric medical service model.
3. Improve the quality and efficiency of medical services.
4. Improve cardiovascular education, training and clinical decision support system.
5. Carry out high-quality clinical research.
6. Development of cardiovascular disease prevention and control standards and norms.
7. Support health policy and regulatory development.

Professor Zhang Jian said that before the establishment of CHS, there were already a number of well-developed societies, such as the Chinese Medical Association and the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. CHS will learn from these long-standing societies and closely collaborate with them under the co-ordination of the National Health and Family Planning Commission and other relevant governance departments, in order to improve China’s cardiovascular health. He said that the positioning of CHS is a comprehensive cardiovascular academic platform, aimed at improvement of cardiology medical services. More specifically, CHS will focus on continuous medical training and medical service quality improvement.

Professor Zhang Jian stated that CHS will set up 34 professional committees and six working groups who will work on the most important issues of cardiovascular disease. The society has developed a clear strategic plan: CHS will continue to develop the academic platform of GW-ICC and also promote work on public education, clinical research, continuous education and medical quality improvement. CHS will develop continuous education programs with Capacity Enhancement and the Continuing Education Center of National Health and Family Planning Commission to improve the capacity of cardiovascular physicians and the quality of medical services. CHS will also establish medical service quality assessment systems to improve the level of clinical care services, including medical quality monitoring and clinical data analysis. The society will collaborate closely with the American Society of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and other Chinese societies.

Professor Wu Yongjian, executive director of the Chinese Heart Association, says that CHS’s next important task is to strengthen collaboration with other societies internationally to develop a collaboration platform for Chinese cardiologists. China has entered an era of innovation, and there are already many cardiovascular innovations, CHS will be also be a platform for doctors to share ideas.

Professor Ma Changsheng said that the current operation model in other societies requires one-year term for the President. CHS will adopt this rotation system, and the president will be changed for rotation every year. Professor Wu Yongjian said that during the establishment of CHS, the whole team has always emphasized dedication and personal responsibility.

Academician Chen Yihan, President designate, summarised the three aims of CHS as follows:

1. Open and inclusive, collaborative and sharing.
2. Focus on service and dedication.
3. Prioritize professionalism and lead innovation.

CHS has a strong sense of service and dedication to serve Chinese doctors and patients with cardiovascular disease and to support the development of cardiovascular research in China.