The annual Spring meeting of the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) Council of the American Heart Association is held together with the Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism (NPAM) Council of AHA. The meeting is intended to bring together junior and senior scientists working on basic and clinical aspects of cardiovascular disease for the purpose of advancing scientific interchange in order to facilitate a more rapid assimilation of new knowledge. By encompassing the many disciplines covered by the ATVB and NPAM councils, the meeting has a broader appeal that potentially provides interchanges and insights that would not otherwise become available. The design of the meeting is planned to encourage interaction and discussion and a key component of this meeting is educational. The size of the meeting is small enough to permit students and fellows to actively participate in poster and oral sessions together with well known national and international scientists from several disciplines. Overall, the specific aims of the conference are 1) to promote the exchange of scientific information and experimental strategies among investigators working in diverse areas pertinent to cardiovascular disease; 2) to identify and disseminate information about novel technologies that can advance research across all areas; 3) enhance the transfer of basic science findings into translational/preclinical studies and ultimately to clinical applications; 4) provide a forum for students and fellows to present data to a discriminating audience with an eye toward encouraging their development and retention in the field; and 5) to encourage investigators in related fields to become acquainted and to promote scientific collaborations among them. This meeting has been held annually since the year 2000, with attendance reaching about 800 participants including about 500 individual presentations. The trend for the size to remain constant and even increase with time is taken as a sign that continued success of the meeting is assured.
