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Steve Ryan 2015 AF Symposium
20th Annual AF Symposium
Mechanisms and New Directions in Therapy, January 8-10, 2015, Orlando, FL
My AF Symposium reports are in three parts (click title to go to that page):
| Part 1: | News & Views from the 2015 AF Symposium (below) |
| Part 2: | My Brief Reports |
| Part 3: | My In-depth Reports Written for Patients |
I attend in order to offer A-Fib.com readers the most up-to-date A-Fib research findings and developments that may impact the treatment choices of patients who are seeking their A-Fib cure (or best outcome).
News & Views From the 2015 AF Symposium
One of four water slides at the Orlando World Center Marriott.
by Steve S. Ryan, PhD
The Symposium was held at the Orlando World Center Marriott, the largest Marriott hotel in the world which is a tourist attraction in itself. With 2,009 rooms, all 1,000+ Symposium attendees could stay at the same hotel (unlike when the Symposium was held in Boston when going outside was a necessity rather than an option.)
The grounds were relaxing as well as beautiful and a fun walk after spending 10-11-hour days concentrating on heavy-duty, content-rich talks.
I was surprised at how crazy the air conditioning was at the Marriott. In the morning in the large meeting room you’d be freezing and need a heavy jacket. Then in the afternoon sometimes they’d shut off the AC and you’d be sweltering and stinky and need a shower before the next meeting.
As a journalist, my registration fee was waived, but all my other costs were out-of-pocket. So, I stayed at the Motel 6 down the road for $30+ a night (with AARP discount) and drove a Payless rental car from the Orlando airport for $13.00/day plus taxes (I brought my own GPS for the car). But the Marriott did get me for $18.00/day to park in their garage.
About the 2016 AF Symposium
Dr. Jeremy Ruskin, Director of the Symposium, announced that next year the AF Symposium hotel location will move to the Orlando Hyatt Regency and will be scheduled a week later in the month, January 14-16, 2016. The later date will help avoid the mad dash right after the New Year holiday to get organized, make travel plans, etc.
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the AF Symposium: A Nostalgic Look Back
David Keane
Dr. David Keane of St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, gave a heart-warming, nostalgic presentation about how the Boston/Orlando AF Symposium has developed and evolved over 20 years.
He found a wealth of old photos starting when the Symposium was only a one-day meeting for local doctors. He showed an ‘excited’ Dr. Jeremy Ruskin back in 1995 initiating the first AF Symposium in Boston.
J N Ruskin
Dr. Keane related how Dr. Jeremy Ruskin would spend his summers inviting speakers, developing topics, constantly planning and improving the content of the AF Symposium. “You have no idea just how much effort Jeremy Ruskin puts into these meetings.”
One of the most surprising slides was of a draft of a proposed schedule by Symposium Director, Jeremy N. Ruskin. It read “JNR Draft 58”!
[The next day I happened to be walking down the hallway with Dr. Ruskin. He mentioned that this year’s Symposium only took 70 drafts! His own talk was the first to go on the chopping block to make room for another speaker.]
Dr. Ruskin said he has probably put in about 10,000 hours over 20 years planning the Symposiums! Many speakers offered their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Ruskin for his incredible efforts.
Steve S. Ryan photo: another surprising slide was one of me! I was so shocked I can’t tell you what was said. I think it was something about patients who attend the AF Symposium. (I’ve been writing reports on the AF Symposiums since 2003―twelve years!)
Return to: AF Symposiums Summaries By Year
