PROJECT SUMMARY We request support for the Annual Summer 2020 Symposium “Emerging Opportunities in Cardiovascular Diseases” of the Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Council (BCVS) of the American Heart Association (AHA). The BCVS Scientific Sessions annual scientific conference has been partially supported by the NHLBI since 2005. Ongoing support from NHLBI has helped make this meeting the “go to” conference for cardiovascular biology and disease. The conference will be held from July 27 to 30, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois at the Chicago Hilton. The program co-chairs are Drs. Sakthivel Sadayappan (University of Cincinnati), Loren Wold (Ohio State), and Jil Tardiff (University of Arizona), all of whom have been working closely with the BCVS Chair (myself, Joseph C. Wu, Stanford) and their Program Committee to plan and execute this important conference. The Specific Aims for this conference are to: 1) Showcase the frontiers of basic and translational cardiovascular science, 2) Enhance collaborations among investigators with diverse geographic locations, disciplines, and career stages, 3) Catalyze new ideas and research directions, 4) Inspire the next generation of researchers. The agenda represents an exciting meeting with more than thirty sessions presented over 4 days, including a Keynote by Dr. Heinrich Taegtmeyer, MD, DPhil, FAHA, FACC (Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Texas Health, McGovern Medical School), whose research program bridges basic research with clinical studies. Young investigators and other trainee cardiovascular scientists will be highlighted through invited talks occurring in each session and at poster presentations. The conference will have more than 35% women faculty, reflecting our commitment to improve gender balance among speakers. We are also offering family care to facilitate attendance for all members. Finally, novel aspects of the meeting will be three workshops focused on i) honesty, transparency, and early career funding opportunities, ii) statistical analysis for grants and papers, and iii) advanced methods in metabolism. The budget requested in this application constitutes approximately 7% of the total meeting budget. Support gained by this application will be used exclusively to fund fifteen Cardiovascular Outreach Awards and forty-five Young Investigator Awards.

NARRATIVE This proposal highlights the annual Scientific Conference of the Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Council of the American Heart Association – Scientific Sessions 2020: “Emerging Opportunities in Cardiovascular Disease” to be held from July 27 to 30, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. This meeting attracts a diverse group of researchers at all levels from the US and abroad; it unites basic and translational cardiovascular scientists with the common goal of discovering pathways to cardiovascular therapeutics and promoting cardiovascular health. Our forum is designed to promote the exchange and discussion of cutting-edge research, and has emerged as the “go to” meeting for cross-fertilization of ideas and incorporation of new approaches from the general cardiovascular research scientific community, and plays a pivotal role in the training of junior scientists, under-represented minorities and/or women, and other trainees, thus optimizing the future return of investment in medical research by public funds.