4th Annual Translational Hypertension Symposium
High blood pressure affects more than a billion people worldwide and remains a leading modifiable cause of heart disease and health disparities. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is likely the public health crisis of our lifetimes and has killed > 130,000 adults in the US alone as of July 14, 2020 as is altering the management of hypertension.
While everyone is impacted by COVID-19, not all are impacted equally. COVID-19 has laid bare the racial divide in the health of our nation. Distinctively, this crisis has highlighted the breadth of social and health inequities present in our country.
Impoverished communities and communities of color are being especially devastated, with disproportionate rates of infection, mortality, and unemployment. In order to mitigate the immediate morbidity and mortality of COVID-19, drastic efforts to reduce elective and non-emergent health care services were undertaken. For example, out-patient visits for routine chronic conditions, such as hypertension have been suspended, with different approaches to management, including telehealthcare.
These efforts may have unintended consequences for the management of hypertension, which disproportionately affects impoverished communities and communities of color.
To help discuss these issues, we have reformatted the symposium into a virtual 90-minute panel discussion moderated by Dr. Daichi Shimbo focused on the intersection of the disparities in hypertension treatment and control laid bare by COVID-19 and the role of home blood pressure monitoring and telehealth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.The discussion will also be informed by an ongoing survey, the “COVID-19 Impact on Hypertension Care and Research Survey” (link available at the end of this registration form) We plan to record and live stream the event.
The 2020 Virtual Symposium will feature a keynote address by Dr. Keith Ferdinand, and several confirmed expert panelist including: Drs. Karen Margolis, MIke Rakotz, Edmund Anstey and Bev Green.
Symposium website: https://medicine.utah.edu/htn-symposium/
Contact us at Adam.Bress@utah.edu, april.mohanty@utah.edu or jco@pennmedicine.upenn.edu