Health xChange: An ounce of prevention—Building the vascular risk & prevention clinic on Van. Island

An ounce of prevention: Building the vascular risk and prevention clinic on Vancouver Island Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a leading cause of death of Canadians. Contemporary evidence has demonstrated that individuals with early onset ASCVD and inherited high cholesterol have a very high lifetime risk of recurrent heart attacks and strokes. The Vascular Risk and Prevention Clinic (VRPC) mission is to reduce cardiovascular events on Vancouver Island through expert use of novel and evidence-based preventative strategies for patients at the highest levels of risk. In this session, we will provide an overview of the VRPC progress to date and look ahead to furthering our goals of reducing cardiovascular events on Vancouver Island. Dr. Christopher Franco is a general cardiologist and medical lead for the Cardiac ICU at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s MD/PhD program and completed his doctorate focusing on the cell biology of atherosclerosis. He went on to complete his internal medicine training and adult cardiology fellowship at the University of British Columbia. Christopher has a special interest in cardiovascular prevention, genetic dyslipidemias, and premature coronary artery disease. In addition to his full-service general cardiology practice at Westheart Cardiology, he attends in CCU, Cardiology Consult Service, Atrial Fibrillation Clinic, Chest Pain Clinic and is medical director of the Vascular Risk and Prevention Clinic. Christopher is an assistant clinical professor in the Division of Cardiology at UBC and an adjunct associate professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria. He is also a clinical investigator in the Victoria Heart Institute and is involved in resident medical education through the Island Medical Program. He is involved in clinical/translational research initiatives focusing on the mechanisms and prevention of premature atherosclerotic vascular disease in high-risk populations. --- To grow research capacity on Vancouver Island, Health Research BC partnered with Island Healthand the Victoria Hospitals Foundationfor the first Health xChange in Victoria, BC. This free public knowledge exchange and networking event was the first to showcase the innovative solutions transforming health care on Vancouver Island. Members of the public learned more about local health research. Researchers, clinicians and health care professionals discovered opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Network with the scientists, clinicians, researchers, patients, partners, and others at the cutting edge of BC health research. Using a Pecha Kuchaformat of 20 slides presented for only 20 seconds, each 6 minute and 40 second presentation was delivered in a highly accessible and engaging fashion, including opportunity for questions. During this hybrid event, health research leaders presented a broad spectrum of cutting-edge research projects that are enhancing patient care and health outcomes.