The differential diagnosis of early coronary artery disease contains a number of genetic and environmental eitiologies. This course will review one important genetic condition which needs to be considered and ruled out when evaluating patients and families with histories of early heart attacks.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

COST: $10.00
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OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Update on one of the most common genetic causes of early coronary artery disease.
2. Understand the genetic basis of familial hypercholesterolemia and related conditions.

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe the clinical findings associated with familial hypercholesterolemia and related conditions.
2. Appreciate the capacity for two different genes to give rise to the same clinical problem based on the fact that they function in the same molecular pathway.
3. Understand the concept of compensatory genetic changes which in some cases can negate the effects of detrimental genetic change.

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RAJU KUCHERLAPATI, PHD Course Director

Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D. is the Scientific Director of the Harvard Medical School-Partners HealthCare Center for Genetics and Genomics (HPCGG) and the Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He is the first Scientific Director of HPCGG. Dr. Kucherlapati was a member of the consortium to map and sequence the human and mouse genomes. His research interests are in the areas of discovery and characterization of human disease genes using a combination of human and mouse genetic and genomic approaches. He was a member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research at the National Human Genomics Research Institute, co-chair of the steering committee for the National Cancer Institute’s Mouse Models for Human Cancer Consortium and served on the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine and was editor in chief of the journal Genomics. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). DISCLOSURE:

MICHAEL MURRAY, MD Course Director

Dr. Murray is the Clinical Chief of the Genetics Division within the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital where he runs the Adult Genetics Clinic, the combined residency training program in Internal Medicine/Medical Genetics, and directs the annual Harvard continuing education course entitled "Genetic Basis of Adult Medicine: What the Primary Care Provider Needs to Know". He also directed the recently completed Brigham and Women's Hospital Family History Project. He is a member of the Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics. He completed medical school at Pennsylvania State University in Hershey PA, and did an Internal Medicine Residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania and later went on to complete Medical Genetics training at Harvard Medical School. In addition to his position at Brigham and Women's Hospital he is a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School. DISCLOSURE: Company: Genzyme Type of Relationship: Educational Grant Content Area: Lysosomal Storage Disease

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SAMUEL Z. GOLDHABER, MD Reviewer

Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, chairs the Venous Disease Coalition. Dr. Goldhaber is a Senior Staff Member of the Cardiovascular Medicine Division of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). He is Director of the BWH Venous Thromboembolism Research Group and serves as Principal Investigator of a broad range of randomized clinical trials and observational studies related to the prevention, treatment, and epidemiology of venous thromboembolism. Dr. Goldhaber is also Director of the BWH Anticoagulation Service, which cares for more than 2,000 patients. The March 10, 2005, New England Journal of Medicine published his large clinical trial that described a new method using electronic alerts to enhance venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. This intervention reduced symptomatic DVT and PE by 41%, without an increase in bleeding complications. Dr. Goldhaber is also the Principal Investigator of an ongoing multicenter trial on Physician Alerts for patients at high risk of DVT or PE who are not receiving prophylaxis. In May 2006, he co-chaired the 2-day Surgeon General’s Workshop on DVT, which was cosponsored by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). He also serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and National Quality Forum to formulate new treatment and prevention guidelines for venous thromboembolism. He is President and one of four Founding Directors of the nonprofit North American Thrombosis Forum (www.NATFonline.org), one of the 19 organizations comprising the Venous Disease Coalition. DISCLOSURE: Company: Sanofi-Aventis; Eisai; Boehringer-Ingelheim; BMS; GSK Type of Relationship: Research Support, Consultant; Research Support, Consultant; Research Support, Consultant; Research Support, Consultant; Research Support

PETER OETTGEN, MD Reviewer

Dr. Oettgen is the Director of Preventive Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Oettgen completed a Cardiology Fellowship at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston in 1993. His clinical interests are in Preventive cardiology. Dr. Oettgen also directs a basic science laboratory at the Harvard Institutes of Medicine. The focus of his research is centered on understanding the molecular mechanisms of vascular inflammation, vascular development, and angiogenesis. His laboratory is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. He was awarded a Physician Scientist Award in 1999, and an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association in 2007. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

DUANE S. PINTO, MD Reviewer

Dr. Pinto received his B.A., cum Laude, from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH and M.D. degree from the Georgetown University, cum Laude and Alpha Omega Alpha. He was an Intern, Resident, Chief Resident, General Cardiology Fellow and Interventional Cardiology Fellow at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA. Dr. Pinto is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and serves as the Director of the General Cardiology Fellowship Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His clinical expertise is in general and interventional cardiology. In addition to a busy outpatient practice, he performs coronary and peripheral angioplasty and stenting procedures. These include stenting and other procedures in the heart, leg, abdominal and neck arteries. Dr. Pinto continues his research interests in a wide variety of topics including acute myocardial infarction studies, unstable angina studies, interventional trials, peripheral interventional trials, angiogenesis trials, imaging modality studies, and numerous device trials for both the coronary and peripheral circulations. Dr. Pinto is a manuscript reviewer for Circulation, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and the Journal of Endovascular Therapy. His research has been presented in various manuscripts, abstracts, and textbook chapters such as Hurst’s: The Heart and Sabiston and Spencer’s Surgery of the Chest. He writes for the Online resources, UpToDate and Harrison’s Online. He has published original articles in journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. His work highlights the management and outcomes of patients with cardiac and vascular disorders. DISCLOSURE:

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 0.5 

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

The Harvard Medical School designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Upon completion of the course you will get a certificate via e-mail within 2 weeks.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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