Sports Cardiology - The Athletic Heart
- Continuing Education
Join the first Harvard University–affiliated continuing education course in sports cardiology and gain practical, case-based insights that empower you to deliver evidence-driven care to athletes and active individuals across every level of performance.
- Live Online or In Person
This course is taught online in real time.
Fairmont Copley Hotel | 138 St James Ave, Boston, MA 02116
For a full list of profession pricing see below.
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Fee increases to after
Continuing Education
Earn up to:
16.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™
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Two Days, Two Days
Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.
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Overview
This is a new Harvard-affiliated educational initiative highlighting the full spectrum of sports cardiology practice, performance, and policy — bridging elite, recreational, and tactical populations. This new educational activity will be the first Harvard-affiliated continuing education course devoted to the emerging field of sports cardiology. The course will showcase Mass General Brigham Sports Cardiology as a leader in the care of athletes and active individuals.
Through case-based sessions, interactive panels, and faculty-led debates, this course will equip clinicians to translate the latest evidence into real-world decision-making for athletes and active individuals.
Learning Objectives
- Apply contemporary national and international guidelines to the cardiovascular evaluation of competitive and recreational athletes across the age and performance spectrum.
- Distinguish physiologic athletic cardiac remodeling from pathologic conditions, including cardiomyopathies, coronary artery disease, and arrhythmogenic substrates.
- Interpret athlete-specific electrocardiographic findings, including updated international ECG criteria, and identify patterns that warrant further evaluation or restriction.
- Risk-stratify athletes with arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation, PVCs, and ventricular arrhythmias) and formulate evidence-based management and return-to-play strategies.
- Utilize advanced cardiac imaging modalities (echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and cardiac CT) to assess structural heart disease and cardiovascular risk in athletes.
- Evaluate coronary risk in endurance and masters athletes, incorporating CAC scoring, plaque characteristics, exercise exposure, and shared decision-making.
- Integrate cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) into the clinical assessment of athletes to inform diagnosis, prognosis, and performance-related decision-making.
- Incorporate wearable technologies and remote monitoring data into athlete care, recognizing their strengths, limitations, and clinical implications.
- Implement shared decision-making frameworks for clearance, restriction, and return-to-play decisions in athletes with complex or borderline cardiovascular findings.
- Address cardiovascular considerations in special athletic populations, including female athletes, pediatric and transitioning athletes, military and tactical athletes, and those exposed to extreme environments.
- Recognize the psychological impact of clearance and restriction decisions on athletes and integrate mental health considerations into cardiovascular care.
- Develop and operationalize athlete safety systems, including emergency action plans, AED deployment, and community-based prevention strategies.
- Translate emerging sports cardiology evidence into real-world clinical practice, improving cardiovascular outcomes while supporting safe athletic participation.
Developed and Offered By:
Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Massachusetts General Hospital.
Who Should Participate
Specialty Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Primary Care Physicians, and Others
Schedule
All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Welcome & Course Overview
8:00-8:10 am
Contemporary Athlete Evaluation: Bridging Guidelines, Gray Zones, and Real-World Practice
8:10-8:25 am
Military & Tactical Athletes: An Update on the Guidelines
8:25-8:40 am
Sports Participation in Athletes with Arrhythmias: Key Updates from the 2024 HRS Clinical Guidelines
8:40-8:55 am
Updated International ECG Criteria in Athletes (2025): What’s New and What Matters
8:55-9:10 am
Athlete ECG Interpretation: Pitfalls, Patterns, and High-Risk Findings
9:10-9:25 am
Interactive ECG Review: You Make the Call (Audience Participation)
9:25-9:45 am
Break
9:45-10:00 am
Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: Epidemiology, Risk Signals & Prevention
10:00-10:15 am
Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Athletes: NCAA Data in Context
10:15-10:30 am
Pre-Participation Screening & Prevention: Lessons from the Sidelines
10:30-10:45 am
Wearables & Remote Monitoring in Athlete Care
10:45-11:00 am
Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes: Mechanisms, Management & Return to Play
11:00-11:15 am
PVCs & Ventricular Arrhythmias in Athletes: When to Reassure, When to Worry
11:15-11:30 am
Arrhythmia Case Presentations & Panel Discussion
11:30 am-12:00 pm
Lunch and Learn
12:00-1:00 pm
RACER I & II: What Marathon Data Tell Us About Coronary Risk
1:00-1:15 pm
Coronary Disease in the Masters Endurance Athlete: CAC, Plaque, Physiology & Prognosis
1:15-1:30 pm
Clinical Decision-Making in Masters Athletes With CAD
1:30-1:45 pm
Medical Therapy, Revascularization & Performance: What Actually Matters for Athletes
1:45-2:00 pm
Cardiac Rehabilitation to Competitive Return: Re-Training the Masters Athlete With CAD-
2:00-2:15 pm
Beyond the Peak: CPET Thresholds in Clinical Practice
2:15-2:30 pm
CAD Case Presentations & Panel Discussion
2:30-3:00 pm
Break
3:00-3:15 pm
Echocardiography in the Athlete: Beyond Wall Thickness
3:15-3:30 pm
The Athletic Aorta: Remodeling & Risk
3:30-3:45 pm
Cardiac MRI & CT in Athletic Risk Assessment
3:45-4:15 pm
The Right Ventricle Under Stress: Imaging ARVC in Athletes
4:15-4:30 pm
Imaging Case Presentations
4:30-5:00 pm
From the Sidelines to a Discipline: The Birth and Evolution of Sports Cardiology
5:00-6:00 pm
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Welcome & Reflections
7:55-8:00 am
HCM You Didn’t Know That
8:00-8:15 am
You Wink at Me I’ll Wenckebach
8:15-8:30 am
Immersion That!
8:30-8:45 am
Where the Air Is Clear
8:45-9:00 am
Exercise Potpourri
9:00-9:15 am
Break
9:15-9:30 am
Genetic Cardiomyopathies in Sport: Testing, Interpretation, and Eligibility
9:30-9:45 am
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Risk Stratification and Shared Decision-Making
9:45-10:00 am
Borderline Phenotypes in Athletes: Early Cardiomyopathy or Extreme Adaptation?
10:00-10:15 am
Interactive Case Competition: Would You Clear This Athlete? Panel Discussion
10:15-10:45 am
The Psychological Load of Athletic Clearance, Restriction & Return to Play
10:45-11:00 am
Patient Capstone: From No Sports at All to the Top of the World
11:00-11:45 am
Lunch Break
11:45 am-1:00 pm
Female Athletes Across the Lifespan: Performance, Pregnancy & Cardiovascular Risk
1:00-1:15 pm
Extremes of Exercise: Space, Altitude & Cardiovascular Adaptation
1:15-1:30 pm
Disparities by the Numbers
1:30-1:45 pm
Operational Cardiology in the Armed Forces: Readiness & Return to Duty
1:45-2:00 pm
Case Presentations and Panel Discussion: Clearance, Equity & Decision-Making Across Special Populations
2:00-3:00 pm
Break
3:00-3:15 pm
The Pediatric Athlete: Growth, Remodeling & Red Flags
3:15-3:30 pm
Clearance, Restriction & Risk in the Young Athlete
3:30-3:45 pm
Transitioning the Athlete to Adult Care: Where Things Break Down
3:45-4:00 pm
Community-Based Athlete Safety at Scale: Advocacy in Action
4:00-4:15 pm
Emergency Action Plans & AED Deployment: What Actually Saves Lives
4:15-4:30 pm
Real life scenarios: Cases in this Population
4:30-5:00 pm
Final Capstone: Launch of the Sports Cardiology Society
5:00-5:30 pm
Faculty
Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.
Course Directors
Katie Stewart
CNP, MS
Christine Albert, MD, MPH
Aaron Baggish, MD
Eugene Chung, MD
Tim Churchill, MD
Alfred Danelian, MD
Peter Dean, MD
Beth Dineen, DO
Jonathan Drezner, MD
Eli Friedman, MD
Aubrey Grant, MD
Mark Haigney, MD
Kimberly Harmon, MD
Jeff Hsu, MD
Jonathan Kim, MD
Sheela Krishnan, MD
Andre LaGerche, MD
Neal K. Lakdawala, MD
Rachel Lampert, MD
Ben Levine, MD
Gregory D. Lewis, MD
Matthew Martinez, MD
Silvana Molossi, MD
Nathaniel Moulson, MD
Caroline Murphy, MD
Michael Papadakis, MD
Brad Petak, MD
Dermot Phelan, MD
Satya Reddy, MD
Emily Saul, MD
Keri Shafer, MD
Ankit Shah, MD
Sanjay Sharma, MD
Tamana Singh, MD
Rory Weiner, MD
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Course Fees
Registration Details
You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Prices include CME credit, electronic syllabus, and most of the recordings are available for up to 60 days after the course ends. At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration.
Early Registration Deadline:
Accreditation
The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 16.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
For the purpose of recertification, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.
The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 16.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the European Union of Medical Specialties website.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.