This course provides a comprehensive case-based overview of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a disease of the heart muscle characterized by fibrofatty replacement of the myocardium. ARVC is now known to have a genetic basis, and genetic tests scanning the most commonly mutated genes are available for clinical use. The disease is an important cause of sudden cardiac death; emphasizing the importance of accurate diagnosis and consideration of at-risk family members. Through practical and educational case studies, this course provides an overview of the clinical and molecular features of ARVC, as well as issues surrounding genetic testing.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 1 hours to complete.

COST: $20.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

1. Accurately diagnose ARVC in the clinical setting
2. Recognize familial inheritance of a disorders that exhibits reduced penetrance and clinical variability
3. Understand a laboratory report detailing genetic test results
4. Interpret sequence variants

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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BIRGIT FUNKE, PhD, FACMG Course Director

Dr. Funke received her Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of Würzburg, Germany and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York where she identified the gene for 22q11 deletion syndrome. She continued her research on 22q11DS at Harvard Medical School where she also trained in Clinical Molecular Genetics. Dr. Funke obtained her ABMG Board certification in 2007 and is now Director of Clinical Research and Development at the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine and Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. She also oversees clinical genetic testing and sign-out for inherited cardiovascular disorders. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

NEAL LAKDAWALA, MD Course Co-Director

Neal Lakdawala, M.D. is a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas HSCSA, where he graduated AOA and received a Masters in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his internal medicine residency at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, where he was selected as chief resident. His cardiology fellowship training was at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Lakdawala’s clinical interests are in heart failure, cardiac transplantation, echocardiography and monogenic cardiovascular diseases, including inherited cardiomyopathies, long QT syndrome and Marfan syndrome. His research has been focused on determining the mechanisms of sarcomeric hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy through clinical studies. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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HAGIT BARIS, MD Reviewer

Hagit N. Baris is the Deputy Director of the Recanati Genetic Institute and the head of the Gaucher center and adult genetics clinic in Rabin Medical Center in Israel. She received her M.D. from Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University where she is now a lecturer in Pediatrics. She completed her residency in Pediatrics in Sapir Medical Center in Israel and her Medical Genetics residency at the Harvard Medical School Genetics Training program. She is board-certified in pediatrics in Israel and in Medical genetics in Israel and the US. She has an interest in Gaucher disease and in the genetics of cardiovascular conditions. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

CALUM MACRAE, MD, PHD Reviewer

Dr. MacRae is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women's Hospital. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

ERIN HARVEY, MSC, CGC Planner

Erin K. Harvey, MSc, CGC, was the Assistant Director of Education for Partners Healthcare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM) from 2008 to 2011. She is a board-certified genetic counselor and has worked with a wide range of primary healthcare professionals in the development of genetics-related, case-based continuing medical education (CME). In addition to being the series editor for PCPGM’s genetics CMEs, she coordinated an advanced human genetics course for Harvard Medical School’s Clinical Genetics Residency training program. In 2011, she accepted a position with Genzyme as a Scientific Communications Principal for the Personalized Genetic Health division. Prior to joining PCPGM, Ms. Harvey spent five years with the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics, and was seconded for one year to the United Kingdom to help a similar organization there – the National Genetics Education and Development Centre – create genetics resources for the UK’s nationalized medical education curriculum. Ms. Harvey received her master’s degree in science in 2003 from the Johns Hopkins University/National Institutes of Health joint genetic counseling training program. She received a B.A. in English Writing from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas in 1993, and worked as a journalist prior to pursuing a career in the biological sciences. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 1 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 1 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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