Aortic Dissection Awareness Day UK 2019 - Leicester
AD Awareness Day 2019 saw an exciting development: the direct participation of patients and relatives in starting a ground-breaking Aortic Dissection research programme.
Event Details
Our host, Professor Gavin Murphy had agreed with Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland that the final round of a ‘Delphi’ process (a formal consensus-gathering method) for a proposed research study “Screening in Non-Syndromic Thoracic Aortic Disease” should be conducted during the event.
180 delegates, including AD survivors, relatives, those awaiting elective surgery, researchers and healthcare professionals from almost every medical speciality, created a unique Patient & Public Involvement process to help the research community obtain direct appreciation of the patient view and co-create proposals for the next stage. Workshop sessions took place in the afternoon, following a morning of inspiring talks including the incredible survivor story of our own Mandy Hawker; another very personal story from Amy Yasbeck, widow of American actor John Ritter; and our keynote speaker, Dr Dianna Milewicz, a world-leading authority in the genetics of Aortic Dissection.
We also, as usual, held an brief and poignant ‘In Memoriam’ session for those we have lost to Aortic Dissection.
AD Awareness Day UK in Leicester was our most successful annual event yet.
Event Summary
Patient Story: Mandy Hawker, Aortic Dissection Survivor.
John Ritter’s Story: Amy Yasbeck, The John Ritter Foundation.
Imaging in Aortic Dissection: Professor Mark Callaway.
