Cardiogenetics and Family Health Summit Educates Families and Medical Professionals

October 18, 2024

DDC Clinic recently presented its Cardiogenetics and Family Health Summit, a three-day educational event which celebrated the opening of their new Family Heart Center, raised awareness of genetic cardiac disorders, and highlighted the clinic’s expertise in testing, diagnosis and treatment of genetic cardiac conditions affecting the Plain community.

Held October 10-12, the event offered a wide-range of educational programming including an all-day summit for medical professionals and scientific researchers, an Amish Cultural Tour, and a community open-house showcasing the Family Heart Center.

Cardiogenetics Scientific Summit

The three-day event kicked off on October 10 with the Cardiogenetics Scientific Summit. Physicians, medical professionals and scientists from around the country gathered to hear about advances in cardiogenetics research, gain a deeper understanding of genetically-based heart diseases, and learn about the diagnosis and treatment of cardiogenetic conditions in the Plain community and beyond. They also learned about DDC Clinic’s expertise in cardiogenetic diseases.

“Our clinic has first-hand experience with treating various cardiogenetic diseases as many of these diseases are prevalent in our community,” said Dr. Heng Wang, DDC Clinical Medical Director. “Our summit enabled us to share our knowledge with fellow medical professionals, as well as provide an opportunity to hear from other experts in the field.”

DDC Clinic’s Dr. Heng Wang, Dr. Baozhong Xin and Dr. Vince Cruz were among the speakers at the event. The program also featured invited speakers from respected medical centers, universities and institutions, including Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Central Pennsylvania Clinic, Michigan State University, Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Tenaya Therapeutics.

The day’s program ended with a ribbon-cutting, grand opening celebration and tour of the new Family Heart Center.

Amish Cultural Tour

On October 11, the second day of the Cardiogenetics and Family Health Summit, a group of physicians, medical students, faculty and researchers boarded a bus for an Amish Cultural Tour that took them to an Amish schoolhouse, businesses, historical library and more.

The tour began with a visit to the Sunshine Training Center, where Amish adults with disabilities perform light tasks while receiving training to enter the general workforce. Next, the group stopped at Rainbow of Hope, which provides daycare and therapy for Amish children and adults with severe mental and developmental disabilities.

The group also observed class-time at a two-room Amish schoolhouse, learned about the Amish parochial school system, and visited a historical library with bibles, Anabaptist history books and artifacts while listening to a presentation on early Anabaptist history.

After lunch at an Amish restaurant, the tour continued with visits to two Amish businesses – a wood mouldings company and a lithium battery distribution and sales center.

“This was one of my absolute favorite days ever!” said a member of the tour group. “I learned so much and genuinely had such an amazing experience.”

Community Day for Heart Health

The third day of the Cardiogenetics and Family Health Summit featured a Community Day for Heart Health, a free open-house where families toured the Family Heart Center, and learned about heart health and how DDC Clinic diagnoses and treats patients with cardiogenetic disorders.

“Educating families is critical to our mission,” said Eli Miller, Executive Director of DDC Clinic. “Cardiogenetic disorders affect many in our community, and these diseases often go undetected. By teaching families about inherited heart diseases, we can save lives through early intervention and timely testing, diagnosis and treatment for these diseases.”

Families visited various education stations, each dedicated to a particular topic. At one station, families learned about how DDC Clinic’s Genetic Awareness Panel (GAP) is used to diagnose rare genetic diseases. At another station, clinic staff explained how echocardiogram machines use ultrasound to check the heart and how an EKG (electrocardiogram) machine analyzes heart rhythms.

Families also learned about a new gene therapy for rare heart disease from representatives from Tenaya Therapeutics. Other stations offered blood pressure screenings, provided heart-healthy dietary and exercise information, gave demonstrations, and explained how cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are used.