History of the World Congress

The first World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology was held in London, United Kingdom, in 1980, organized by Dr. Jane Somerville and Prof. Fergus Macartney. The idea was that of Jane Somerville, who worked with enormous energy and enthusiasm to bring together pediatric cardiologists and surgeons from around the world. The 2nd World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology took place in New York in 1985, organized by Drs. William Rashkind, Mary Ellen Engle, and Eugene Doyle. The 3rd World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1989, organized by Chompol Vongraprateep. Although cardiac surgeons were heavily involved in these early meetings, a new, separate World Congress of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery was held in Bergamo, Italy, in 1988, organized by Lucio Parenzan.

Thereafter, it was recognized that surgeons and cardiologists working on the same problems and driven by a desire to help children should meet together. A momentous decision was taken to initiate a Joint World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. A steering committee was established with membership comprising the main organizers of the four separate previous Congresses, and additional members were recruited in an effort to achieve numerical equality of cardiologists and surgeons and a broad geographical representation.

The historic 1st "World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery" took place in Paris in June, 1993, organized by Jean Kachaner. The next was to be held in Japan, but the catastrophic Kobe earthquake in 1995 forced relocation to Hawaii in 1997. Then followed Toronto, Canada (2001), Buenos Aires, Argentina (2005), Cairns, Australia (2009), Cape Town, South Africa (2013), and Barcelona, Spain (2017).

The next World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery will be held for the first time in the continental United States. It was originally planned for 2021 but, due the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to 2023.

For further insights into the World Congress, access the links below: